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"How could I be the one who failed in the palace fight?"

In 2019, Yang Tianzhen withdrew from the operation and management of the main business of One Heart Entertainment. At that time, there were many rumors, such as "falling" due to the failure of the palace fight, being "exiled" to the live broadcast business of Internet celebrities, etc. Talking about this, Yang Tianzhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

After 10 years of entrepreneurship, Yang Tianzhen is more concerned about "herself". She said that she had experienced "a lot of inner struggles" in deciding to withdraw from the company's main business, but she firmly "stood for herself". She sighed, "I really love myself too much." Therefore, she would rather give up being an excellent entrepreneur and become a happy person.

Before quitting the company, Yang Tianzhen took a two-month vacation and told her partners that she would no longer be involved in the artist management business. This decision was "not understood by everyone, from the inside out."

Another decision she made was to create her own IP. She made short videos, did podcasts, started a plus-size women's clothing brand, live-streamed products, wrote books, etc. She was very happy to cross over. She frequently appeared on stage. No wonder she said, "Before me, no agent was so high-profile..."

While entrepreneurs are creating their own IPs, Yang Tianzhen has already been doing it for three or four years. Today, although her title is still "Chairman of One Heart Entertainment", she has completely divested herself of her agent identity and pushed herself to the front, creating herself as an "Internet celebrity" or "artist". She incubated the company's new business segment - One Flower, and made One Heart Entertainment a benchmark for traditional brokerage companies to transform into the Internet celebrity economy.

Perhaps, five years ago, she was "advancing by retreating" to promote the transformation of this agency. To do this, Yang Tianzhen had to be decisive, so she believes that "never waste time, just do it when you want to."

As a boss, when talking about young people's confusion in the workplace, Yang Tianzhen said, "I am particularly opposed to the idea of ​​treating the company as my home." She believes that it is better to be loyal to oneself than to the company.

One afternoon in July, we "met" Yang Tianzhen at the One Heart Entertainment headquarters. During the conversation, she spoke freely and honestly, as if she was confessing everything without reservation. She intensively expressed many opinions and golden sentences, such as -

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Yang Tianzhen in the video program "Behind the Scenes Operator" jointly launched by "Entertainment Spring and Autumn" and Tencent News. There are more "golden sentences" in it:

-personal-
How to become a broker

Yang Tianzhen:My mother is a teacher. She was my English teacher and homeroom teacher in junior high school.yesWe are employees of state-owned enterprises, so our family is just a very ordinary family.

But I grew up in an environment where I was fully allowed to be free. My mother's educational philosophy for me was to let me make my own decisions and not blame her if I made mistakes. So, when I was very young, she was very conscious and analyzed everything for me, from what clothes I wore the next day to which school I went to... and finally let me make my own decisions. I believed that my decisions were very important since I was a child, and I grew up in an environment where people took themselves very seriously.

Behind the Scenes Operator:You must have been a leader when you were a student, right?

Yang Tianzhen:When I was a student, I was a top student and a student leader. Basically, I held all the highest positions a student could hold, from class monitor, student union president to chairman of the Nanchang Student Union. Basically, I had experienced the highest positions a student could hold.

Behind the Scenes Operator:You have said before that you are a "gangster". Have you done anything that gangsters do?

Yang Tianzhen:I think I am a person who values ​​loyalty. In many cases, I make decisions based on my emotions and my most basic trust in people, even though I shouldn't do things based on rational decision-making. Of course, there are right and wrong decisions, some that are rewarding, and some that cause me to suffer great losses, but I don't think it affects me to continue making such decisions, so I think that deep down, I have a full belief in the trust between people.

Behind the Scenes Operator:You went to Communication University of China for college and entered the entertainment industry after graduation. What was the opportunity that allowed you to enter this industry so smoothly?

Yang Tianzhen:My dream since childhood was to be a lawyer and go to law school... That seemed to be the life script I set, but by some strange coincidence, I studied art and majored in directing. But after I came to Communication University, I felt that this environment seemed to be more suitable for me. Because the classmates around me were more romantic, the daily study task was to watch movies. While my high school classmates had to bury their heads in the library to do homework every day, I watched 4-7 movies every day. Compared with them, I was living in heaven.

Although I am very satisfied with my university life, when I analyze my strengths and weaknesses, I find that I do not have the potential to be an outstanding director. To be a good director, you must have very strong creative ability. I think I am mediocre in this aspect.

So, after realizing that I couldn’t actually be a good director, I wanted to be a good producer, because I think a producer needs to understand the director’s creation and have the ability to raise sponsorship and make overall plans. But I didn’t know how to be a producer. At that time, I thought that a producer had to know a lot of people, and an agent could know a lot of people, so I thought about how to be an agent first.

In fact, when I graduated, I had multiple job offers, including from a world-class advertising company, some stable jobs that would allow me to obtain a residence permit, some pretty good positions at TV stations, and some pretty high-level positions at production companies. But I rejected them all. I started out as a small publicity intern at an agency.

Behind the Scenes Operator:In fact, it just means planning your life in an orderly manner, right?

Yang Tianzhen:I should say that I did some preliminary practice, because I started working in my junior year, and before I graduated, I had probably worked seven or eight different jobs. I may not have a clear idea of ​​what I want to do, but at least I have ruled out what I don't want to do. For example, I have firmly ruled out that I will never work in a TV station - because I am from the Broadcasting Academy, and most of my classmates go to TV stations - but I think working in a TV station is too boring, so I know very clearly what I will not do, and I think this is also a good thing.

At that time, I didn’t say that I would definitely become an agent or an excellent agent in the future, but I knew very well that I would definitely not work in a TV station. I knew very clearly what kind of career I wanted to choose and what kind of life I wanted - I didn’t want a monotonous, day-to-day, low-cost job.

Behind the Scenes: To outsiders, you seem like a strong woman with a strong aura, but what are you like in private and how do you evaluate yourself?

Yang Tianzhen:There is definitely a little girl inside me, and she is also a happy and healthy little girl who is always there, visible and cared for.

Many people look strong on the outside, but they have a weak energy inside. They try desperately to hide the weak energy inside, and only want everyone to see their appearance. I think that is a very fake energy. I think my rationality, my energy and my maturity are enough. I like myself very much, so I don’t mind exposing the little girl inside. That is also the part I like.

-industry-
Brokers are essentially value-added services

Behind the Scenes Operator:One of your most famous labels is artist agent. What methodology do you have as a behind-the-scenes promoter?

Yang Tianzhen:I think that artist management is essentially a value-added service. So it includes two aspects: the first is service, and the second is value-added. Many management companies may provide services to help artists sign contracts, negotiate business, or do other things.

However, to become an excellent agency, the most important thing is to achieve added value. That is, the image of the artist himself or the resources he possesses are all his past stock. So how to create incremental value?

Therefore, we need to reposition him, magnify his strengths, and cover up his weaknesses as much as possible. Only in this way can we find the labels and strengths of the artist and continue to cultivate them. Basically, this is the process.

Behind the Scenes Operator:In fact, artists are also a kind of "product", but unlike the Internet or physical products, they have emotions. So how to avoid the particularly emotional side? What are the means and methods?

Yang Tianzhen:As an agent, you must be emotionally stable and have a stable value system. You should know what is important and what can be discarded. Artists are more emotional when doing a lot of work and will make judgments based on their own perceptions. However, I think the value of an agent lies here, that is, you have to make rational, data-based, and even cruel decisions.

If you can’t let your emotions fluctuate just because the artist is in a bad mood, I think you are a bad manager. But you can’t be without empathy either. If you can’t sense the reason why he is in a bad mood and can’t be on the same wavelength with him, he won’t be able to accept all your plans and suggestions. So, in fact, a manager must be rational at the bottom, but at the same time, he must be emotional in his way of expression and his touch.

Behind the Scenes Operator:What do you think is the most important thing in coaching artists?

Yang Tianzhen:You have to be more professional than the artists.

Behind the Scenes Operator:Is it just like what you said just now, taking both sensibility and rationality into consideration?

Yang Tianzhen:No, (professionalism) is a cognitive ability, which has nothing to do with sensibility or rationality. Whether it is sensibility or rationality, it is a kind of operating system, but cognitive ability is your information volume. You ask me what is the most important thing? I think the input of information volume is very important. Some people have this ability, but their brains are empty and they can't make any correct decisions. Therefore, as an agent, he must have professional knowledge in this industry, or professional knowledge of the content he wants to operate. If he does not have it, he can only rely onLucky.

When entering the artist management industry, you must have a certain cognitive foundation. Whether you choose to accumulate in the process is different for each person. Some people may accumulate their drinking capacity, while others may accumulate their information. In fact, it doesn't matter. I think in any industry, just like being a journalist, some people make outlines seriously, some rely entirely on the performance on the spot, and some do nothing, right? So I think for every profession, it is not that there is only one way to succeed. If your personality traits and your ability traits are strong enough, then you can create your own set of methodologies, and the same is true for being an agent.

Before me, no agent had ever been such a high-profile agent, but I think there is nothing wrong with this. I have done what I should do, and as long as my abilities are strong enough, I will have room to play freely.

-marketing-
I never chase hot spots

Behind the Scenes Operator:Many people think that you are a marketing expert. What are your secrets for efficient marketing communication?

Yang Tianzhen:In fact, I think the essence of marketing is very consistent in all walks of life. When I was taking an EMBA marketing class at Peking University, our teacher proposed a triangle theory, which is actually the triangle relationship between your audience, your product and your media. For example, if you want to make an artist today, what channels will his fans see him? This is a triangle relationship, and all the operations in the middle are called marketing.

I think marketing is not something that comes out of nothing. Marketing is about taking advantage of the situation. It is to find the greatest possibility based on a stable positioning. Who will like it? If the path and method are right, and the two ends are connected in series, there will be flow between these three points. This marketing theory is definitely not invented by me. It has existed for a long time. It’s just whether you can understand and apply it in your industry.

Behind the Scenes Operator:Everyone can actually learn theoretical knowledge, and some people actually chase hot topics...

Yang Tianzhen:I don’t follow hot topics. I never follow hot topics! Whether I am making short video content or being an artist, I don’t follow hot topics. I think that if you follow hot topics, you will fall behind. The traffic you get from following hot topics is not yours. It belongs to the hot topics. You are just helping the hot topics to increase traffic. The truly valuable and memorable things must be a unique content point created by you, so I don’t follow hot topics.

Behind the Scenes Operator:Can it be understood this way, that we will not actively chase hot topics, but will create hot topics?

Yang Tianzhen:I don't do it with the purpose of creating a hot topic. My methods are very simple. I take what I have and maximize it. At the right time, it may become a hot topic, or it may not. This is not up to you to decide. However, after you know this methodology, if you do it this way every time, there will always be a time when it becomes a so-called hot topic.

Behind the Scenes Operator:The content on your self-media platform is a bit mixed, including workplace analysis, daily life, new book recommendations, etc. Do you have a clear positioning for yourself?

Yang Tianzhen:I don't think it's necessary, becauseNumber" or "being a person" are two different approaches. If you are creating an account, you should always use the same way, say the same content, and even the same template, but when you are being a person today, people's lives are diverse. So, I am Yang Tianzhen, my lifestyle, my travels, my shopping, and my reading experience, that is all me. So these are two different ideas of being a person and creating an account, which is more flesh and blood, richer and more diverse, and more real.

Behind the Scenes Operator:In fact, you are developing your own personal IP. Now many entrepreneurs are also developing their own personal IP. Do you have any experience or suggestions in this regard?

Yang Tianzhen:Many entrepreneur friends have approached me many years ago because they wanted to create a personal IP and hoped to cooperate with me. I always advised them not to do so unless there were very special reasons or the personal IP could bring volume to your business. Because when the personal IP is directly linked to the business, it means that you personally cannot have any problems, otherwise the entire business will be over.

I personally think that this may seem like a shortcut, but it is actually very dangerous. However, many people may want the traffic bonus after their personal IP becomes popular, and many people like to be noticed. For example, I once had an entrepreneur friend who asked me, how can I become famous by dating a female star? I was very shocked by this question, because he did not ask me how to pursue a girl, he asked how to become famous by dating someone. I said, you mean you can become famous without dating. He said yes. This is what he was thinking. I said, what is the value of this to you? He said the value is that after I have dated a female star, it will be easier for me to chase other girls later - this is what he wanted.

When it comes to personal IP, everyone has different demands. Some people may really want to serve the company, and they think that after their products have personal IP, it will be easier for everyone to understand what the product is. Some people do it for vanity, or for personal satisfaction - I don't think there is right or wrong here, it's just everyone's choice.

So, if you ask me today what advice I have for creating a personal IP, my advice is - don't do it.

-Start-up-
Oppose the idea of ​​treating your home as a company

Behind the Scenes Operator:You have been an entrepreneur for more than 10 years. Have you ever had any particular struggles in the process? Or what kind of life bottlenecks have you faced during the process of starting a business?

Yang Tianzhen:In 2019, when I decided not to do brokerage business, I felt that the card point was very important. I understood who I was. Should I force myself to make sacrifices and contributions for the greater development of the company, or resolutely give up satisfying myself and pay for my personal growth? I firmly chose myself. From that moment, I knew that I would never be an excellent entrepreneur. I gave up becoming an excellent entrepreneur, but I would definitely become a happy person. So at that time I knew very clearly that I loved myself too much, and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

At that time, I took a two-month long vacation. After two months, I firmly talked to my partner team - I would no longer do brokerage business. This decision was not understood by everyone, from inside to outside. At that time, there were many rumors outside that I failed in the palace fight in our company. I felt that this rumor was completely inconsistent with my personality - how could I be a person who failed in the palace fight? But in fact, it was because everyone didn't understand you, why would you withdraw from a business that was already doing well? Because most people don't understand the relationship between themselves and social responsibility, or social identity.

Many people consider their social status more important than themselves. For example, many people’s WeChat names will first write the company name, followed by their own name. Every time I see these people, I feel a little distressed. I wonder why they consider their social status so important? Everyone is themselves, but many people don’t seem to care about this, or are very insensitive.

I am a person who always wants to figure out who I am, so after a lot of inner struggles, I stood firm for myself. From then on, I felt light and relieved.

Behind the Scenes Operator:You mentioned earlier that writing books is also something you are interested in. You recently published a new book "Go Meet". What was the opportunity that led to writing it?

Yang Tianzhen:In 2022, I gave myself a very long vacation. For four months, I traveled alone to more than 20 countries and regions. During the trip, I observed how people in different parts of the world lived, and then I thought about how to spend the rest of my life. In this process, I found that my cognition had changed dramatically.

The first article in my new book is called "Unconditional Love". I used to think that there is no unconditional love in this world. Everyone gives conditionally, and the exchange of love must be rewarded. But in the process of traveling, because of the encounters with some people and things, I found that there is really "unconditional love" in this world. I found that our stubborn views on some things, or some fixed views, may be a false concept, so I open my heart to accept and embrace all possibilities in this world.

One thing I am afraid of is "uniqueness and fixity". Sometimes, I will read the comments under the short video platform or podcast. Many people will raise sharp objections to some of my expressions. I am not afraid of opposition. What I am afraid of is that behind his opposition is the absoluteness of a certain cognition, that is, black and white. He cannot see the diversity of people, the multiple possibilities of things, and the growth and change of people. He will always stay at one point. I think this is a huge blind spot in cognition.

I am not saying that I have great ambitions to change this, or that I can help people improve. I just feel that I see the diversity of events, and the impact has changed me. I want to show this diversity through myself. Some people can hit it, and some people can't. If they hit it, they may gain something. This is just a little wish that grows from my heart. I am afraid of people with particularly stubborn ideas. They will think that things that are inconsistent with their cognition are wrong, which makes it easy to be unhappy.

Behind the Scenes Operator:A popular word nowadays is "relaxation". How do you think we can achieve this?

Yang Tianzhen:My state is that if I am anxious about a problem because I haven't solved it, I will solve it. If it is beyond my ability and I really can't solve it, I will give up. There is no point in being anxious. So I will distinguish whether it is something I can solve. If I can solve it, I will solve it quickly. I won't delay it. If I am sure that I can't solve it, then I will just leave it at that and wait for fate to decide.

Anxiety does not play any role in this process, and we need to face it rationally. When rationality becomes a habit, it becomes an attitude towards things, and in fact, it becomes a person's value. So when you travel with me, you will be very happy, and I just enjoy every moment.

Behind the Scenes: In many people's impressions, you are a person with high emotional intelligence. Nowadays, many young people will self-deprecate and think that they lack emotional intelligence. What advice do you have?

Yang Tianzhen:Many people have misunderstandings about emotional intelligence, and think of it as the ability to please others. I think this is exactly the manifestation of low emotional intelligence. Real emotional intelligence must be a win-win situation - satisfying yourself and helping others. Whether it is speaking or doing things, achieving this effect is called high emotional intelligence. So the premise is to find a way to make yourself happy first. Sometimes, in order to accomplish something, you keep aggrieved, compromised, and flattered, and in the end you are very painful. Even if the thing is done, you still don’t feel satisfied.

The first step to high emotional intelligence is to have energy and become a confident and energetic person. In the process of dealing with people, just be yourself and everything will be solved. Think about it, the people we like and accept in our lives must be happy and energetic people. They do everything easily, so you will naturally like them. But some people are full of hatred and frown every day, and you definitely don't want to deal with them.

Behind the Scenes: You have been in business for 10 years. Do you have any unique management methods?

Yang Tianzhen:As a boss, I am particularly opposed to the idea of ​​treating the company as one's home. Every year when we hold our annual meeting, I can't stand the idea that "we are a big family". I think this is not a big family, it is a company. Everyone comes here to work, and the purpose of work is to - first, support yourself, and second, grow.

Therefore, I think it is best for everyone to set a goal when they go to a company, for example, I am here to make money, the company can make me money, can let me survive, or I am here to get resources and experience, I can leave if I get it here - if you have a better choice, you can leave, if you don’t have a better choice, you can negotiate with the company when you are able to. I welcome my colleagues to make various requests to me, as long as I think he can do it and he matches, I will satisfy him.

I also appreciate those who take the initiative to ask for things. In fact, when they get better requests, it means greater responsibility and dedication. Therefore, for young people, "loyalty" is the key to success.”This matter is actually not that important. Instead of being loyal to a company, it is better to be loyal to yourself.