Chapter 378: Good Boys Gone Bad (7)
In a luxuriously decorated boardroom, several executives who had squeezed their personal assistants to find time in their busy schedules were gathered in person to make an important decision.
For those who couldn’t attend in person, they were on a video call visible on one side of a drop-down screen, while the other side showed headshots of the remaining contestants and their current rank based on aggregated votes.
"So..." a balding old man glanced around the room, his gaze stopping on a particular blonde man before continuing to speak as a detailed chart appeared on one of the screens behind him, "Against all odds, the proposal for the surprise showcase organized by Director Forbes was quite successful. Despite the late announcement and advertising, based on ticket sales and projected profits from distributing the performance as well as the EMV(Earned Media Value) and ROI, we’re going to more than break even, which was the goal. Here’s the quick overview, but a detailed report will hit everyone’s inbox by the end of the meeting."
The executives, quick at evaluating matters of money, scanned the charts before nodding in approval.
Since they refused to house and feed the contestants, or provide new costumes, or stage props during this ’optional’ performance, expenses were much lower.
Especially when compared to the obscene amount of money spent to feed and house the contestants in Korea, not to mention what went into preparing for the stage.
A few execs even felt some pity for Wilfred Forbes, who had to foot the performance bill, but even more felt pity for themselves that the contestants had spent all the money instead of leaving some behind to be added to their quarterly bonuses.
But with the profits higher from incentivizing attendees to spend even more money on buying votes that were "worth more", it was truly a successful event.
And because there was a sign of profit, the greed that was previously curtailed began to rear its ugly head, and the executives began trying to figure out a way to increase profits while shaving money.
"Director Forbes is really a genius at making money. His proposal really worked. Is it possible for us to keep the same schedule for the final stretch? Housing and food are major expenses, and cutting them will bring us considerable savings. And although we have to provide some funds for the stage, if we force the contestants to repurpose things used in past performances as they did for the surprise performance, we can slash expenses for the final stretch by atleast 50%." A sharp-faced woman with bright red lipstick and a sharp bob asked.
"I second not giving the contestants housing, but we should provide at least breakfast and lunch. Otherwise, we lose valuable footage time due to the contestants traveling to get food. We also don’t want someone to faint because of a lack of food again. We can’t have another parent complaining and get a lawsuit that way." A potbellied man eating a sandwich added.
"I like the idea of both, but we have to think about travel. Many of our contestants don’t have vehicles, so traveling every day for practice might not be feasible for many of them. It may cause some friction."
"If this is truly their dream, they’ll find a way to make it work. Back in my day, we would walk 10 miles to get to school because we were real men and didn’t have pansy like things like school buses. With all the modern conveniences that have been built, I’m sure they can find a way."
"Oh. Well, if you put it like that, I’m on board."
"Me too."
As the room seemed to be in agreement-
"No. We will continue providing food and housing." A cold voice came from the speakers of the room.
"But-"
As all the executives stared at Bing Yongsun’s face, which had taken over the screen, he continued speaking slowly.
"Accommodations and food are the bare necessities to provide if you want to justify contestants grinding their bodies down for 16-18 hours a day, preferably more. If we can’t provide that and the contestants have to come in every day, we’ll lose 3-4 hours a day to travel time alone, and practice time will be drastically reduced, resulting in a terrible performance. That’s not acceptable. Additionally, quite a few top-ranked contestants are wealthy enough to have their own spaces for practice and would most likely host their teams there, which means there will be no footage of the final performance’s preparation. We are already dealing with an issue where a contestant lied, claiming he had worked on producing a song that was stolen, and you want to give the remaining contestants the opportunity to do so again? The first time around could be said to be an oversight on the PD and the judge who was supposed to be in charge of working with said contestant, but if it happens again, what’s the excuse? Are you all not tired of bringing down the show’s reputation and the future group? Or do you crave repeated embarrassment in the public eye? Is that how Americans do things? Cause another issue when the previous one with a Record Label isn’t resolved?"
As Bing Yongsun reminded them of the main issue they needed to address at the meeting, the executives’ protests died down.
But the creative director who had helped raise BTZ to the amazing heights they were at now wasn’t done speaking.
"Also, you’re all attributing the success of the event to Director Forbes’ cost-cutting and impulsive organization of a performance showcase, and while that may be a contributor, let me share some deeper numbers."
Bing Yongsun said, raising several sheets of paper and beginning to read through them.
"Yesterday was the high school graduation of one of the most talked about contestants of the show. You all know him as Ariel Matisse. Due to his popularity, his school had to shift the graduation venue from a small theater to the arena of a local college that could hold 10000 people. The PD took advantage of the situation and charged a modest $ 10-per-person fee for those who didn’t receive friends-or-family tickets to attend the graduation. Over 3,000 people bought tickets. Not to see him perform, just to see an 18-year-old give a speech and cross the stage to receive a diploma. And to make it clear, this graduation was streamed online, and well over 100,000 people watched it. I’m sure you can do the math on that."
Over $30,000 to attend a graduation? And that wasn’t even counting the parking fee or the concessions sold.
And the streaming numbers.
For a kid who hadn’t debuted yet?
What the hell?
As the executives stared open-mouthed, Bing Yongsun continued speaking.
"When the surprise showcase was announced, we received a 5000% leap in customers reaching out to ask if contestant Ariel would be attending and why it was scheduled so close to a graduation that’s been scheduled since the beginning of the school year, and if we were being exclusionary because of animosity between Ariel and William due to William’s relationship with a board member." Bing Yongsun paused, and although he was being viewed on video, for a second, it seemed like his dark eyes turned to glare at William Forbes before returning to their usual calm.
"Of course, we reassured them that he would be, and the PD released teaser clips of Ariel practicing and saying that he would definitely be there, even if he had to get bitten by a radioactive spider to swing through the city or learn how to teleport and that fans should come because it was going to be the craziest performance that they had ever seen. The moment that was released, tickets for the surge. In the 24 hours after that clip was released, over 3,000 people bought tickets. Are you all still following me?"
The boardroom got even quieter as Bing Yongsun continued laying out the facts.
"If we go to the performance showcase, we already know which team won, but do you know the person who got the most extra votes with fans spending money?"
"Contestant Ariel?" somebody asked.
"Yes. 25% of the bought votes belonged to Ariel. That means 1 in four people bought extra votes for him. 10% of the votes went to Benjamin, 8% to Levi, 7% to Carlos, 6% Jamie, 3% to Mathew. Of all the extra votes bought yesterday, contestant Ariel’s team snagged 59%. While the remaining 13 contestants split the remaining 41%. I hope you can see how absurd that is."
As the execs stayed silent while running their calculations, Wilfred was at his side, gritting his teeth from his aching heart.
The person who should have been benefiting from that was William!
Bing Yongsun continued speaking as he flipped the page.
"You’re already talking about EMV, ROI, and other metrics, and are touting the interest in the distribution of the surprise showcase, but do you know who the most mentioned team is? Team Bad Boys. The most mentioned person? Ariel. The most requested official performance video and shared fan video? Team Bad Boys. The most shared fancams? Ariel. The person who got the most growth on their personal social media? Ariel and Levi. I’m sure you can see who the common denominator in these situations is."
"Of course, the performance where people jumped out of helicopters would make the most noise and be the most talked about. It’s not a testament to Ariel; it’s a testament to Levi, who actually provided the helicopter. If he were on a team with anyone else, it would have the same effect. Especially William, since they’re so close." Wilfred Forbes protested, disliking the direction Bing Yongsun was taking.
Rather than presenting facts, wasn’t this just propping up a contestant to eventually use him to bash his nephew?
Unperturbed, Bing Yongsun answered calmly.
"But why didn’t he? Levi could join any team, but he chose that one. Levi has had many other teammates, yet he never offered up any personal help; he did so this time. You saw how hard he fought for contestant Ariel in Korea, and he’s done so multiple times. Yet he’s never done such a thing for other contestants, including William, whom you say he’s close to. Regardless, I’m not trying to argue with you. I’m simply laying out the facts that while you’re looking at profits and what to cut, look at the reason those profits are there. And look at how the profits increased despite a contestant missing."
"So you’re saying we should consider the wants and needs of a single contestant when we’re making a decision. I know he’s your favorite, and you see Shin Jiyoung in him, but this is a little too much! It’s not a one-man show, we’re forming a group, and he’s not bigger than the program," the woman with red lipstick complained.
"I said no such thing. I was just presenting some facts that you should all consider throughout the rest of our discussion."
"Facts that are praising only one person while clearly bashing my nephew." Wilfred shot back.
"If that’s the way you see it, so be it. All I’m saying is that we should follow the money and support the one who makes it rather than loses it." It was a sharp jab toward William Forbes and Wilfred Forbes, but before Wilfred could interrupt again, Bing Yongsun let out a small laugh before speaking,
"Do you know, according to the PD, Contestant Ariel originally didn’t plan on attending. She asked him about it in Korea before everything was set in stone, and he vehemently refused. Thankfully, he changed his mind at the last minute, despite the inconvenient timing. But imagine if he didn’t come, how much money would be left on the table? Or how much money we could have made from his graduation? And he’s not even reached his full potential yet. As an individual and as a part of a group."
As the executives were silently contemplating his words, Bing Yongsun added his final bit.
"Finally, all I want to say is that we’ve now reached a crossroads as this project is coming to an end, and the next phase is beginning. You see the numbers, and you know you have a guaranteed money maker in your hands. The general populace loves him. The fans love him. He has industry support from people who would surprise you. He’s marketable in every aspect except for maybe his personality, even though some people find that strange prickliness a bit charming. The contestants in the upper ranks love him. We see people slowly coming to the center around him. As we transition to the next phase of discussion, I want you all to keep that in mind, along with the long-term goal, when making a decision."
"You’re talking about what we’re going to do about William Forbes and the issue with Pacific Records?"
"Yes."
"Then let’s skip over the rest of the charts and have Director Forbes speak."
Despite the distance across an ocean and by technology, Bing Yongsun and Wilfred Forbes locked eyes.
The dark pair of eyes was placid, with no emotion visible in their depths.
And the blue eyes were gleaming with restrained anger.
And in that boardroom, a battle of wills began.