Chapter 187: Entering the Market Together

When the twelve group leaders arrived at the office, Ma Tengdong called out the names of the four lead artists—Tian Zhi, Tang Shuping, Jiang Min, and Song Quanping—and handed them each a file folder.

The presence of these folders piqued everyone's curiosity, but no one dared to speak out of turn. All eyes were on Ma Tengdong.

"What you're holding in your hands are the comic books your four studios will be working on. Inside are the plot outlines, the core themes of the comics, and the main character designs," Ma Tengdong explained.

Hearing this, the four artists tightened their grip on the folders, their curiosity growing even stronger, as if they were being scratched by an itch they couldn't reach.

"I know you're eager to take a look, but there's no rush. You'll have plenty of time to review them later. First, let me go over some important points that you must remember!" Ma Tengdong's face grew stern as he scanned the room, his intense gaze making everyone feel a sudden seriousness.

"First, these four comics only have basic outlines, and even these outlines are incomplete. However, the portion provided already contains the core ideas and characteristics that the entire comic series will convey. The character designs are also only for the main characters. Your studios will be responsible for fleshing out the rest of the plot."

"One person's ideas are ultimately limited. To make the storylines more engaging, the boss has instructed me that each studio must establish an internal scriptwriting team. This team will develop the plot further while staying true to the comic's core ideas and characteristics. The members of the scriptwriting team should be selected internally, but be careful not to let any unqualified individuals slip through. Additionally, employees who are not part of the scriptwriting team still have the right to offer suggestions. If their ideas are good, you should adopt them!"

At this point, Ma Tengdong paused, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then continued.

"Second, the copyright for these four comics belongs to the company, but your names can be credited. Does anyone have an issue with this?"

After he finished, Ma Tengdong calmly looked at everyone present.

"No!"

"No!"

Everyone either shook their heads or verbally agreed, showing no objections to Ma Tengdong's requirements—and not daring to have any. After all, the company had already provided the most important elements of the comics. All that remained for them was to develop the plots further and create the artwork.

Regarding the plot, Ma Tengdong had already mentioned that a scriptwriting team would be formed within each studio to discuss it collectively, which would reduce the significance of any individual's contribution.

Their other task was to translate the plot into artwork. This wouldn't be done by them alone; everyone in the studio would contribute, further diminishing their individual importance.

In this studio setting, their roles as lead artists would be more about management. Their influence on the creative content of the comics was greatly reduced.

Even though Song Quanping and the others still held the title of lead artist, the prestige associated with that title had been weakened. They weren't like many manga artists in Japan, where the lead artist was the creator of an entire comic series.

But since the company had already provided the most crucial elements, they couldn't possibly claim ownership of the copyright. They weren't foolish; they understood this well.

However, the company had thoughtfully considered their feelings, allowing their names to be credited on the comics. At least in terms of reputation, they would benefit.

"Since there are no objections, let me go over your specific work arrangements," Ma Tengdong said with a smile when he saw that everyone had no objections.

"Training sessions will continue, but the daily training time will be significantly reduced, fixed at two hours each day. This decision was made by the boss personally and won't change in the short term. The training sessions will continue until the boss believes your skills no longer require improvement; at that point, the training sessions may be canceled."

Hearing this, the twelve people immediately nodded in agreement. They had no objections to improving their skills, especially when the company was paying them to do so. It was an opportunity they wouldn't refuse.

Among them, Jiang Min even showed a hint of regret. He was currently eager to learn more professional knowledge, so the significant reduction in class time left him feeling disappointed. However, he resolved to make the most of his free time by seeking further guidance from Kato Hide.

"After you take the files back, don't rush to finalize the artwork. Have your studio members practice drawing based on the original sketches until they are thoroughly familiar with the character designs and can achieve a consistent style and level of quality."

"Your studios can also try drawing the plot, but this is for practice purposes. The goal is to help you find your footing and stabilize your skill level. This process will also allow you to continually refine the plot and help the scriptwriting team work together smoothly."

"Once the boss decides that your work has reached the required standard, you'll be allowed to start finalizing the artwork. Do you understand?"

Finally, Ma Tengdong raised his voice, snapping everyone to attention.

"Understood!"

Everyone stood tall and responded in unison.

"Any other questions?"

Ma Tengdong asked as he looked around the room.

Seeing everyone shake their heads, Ma Tengdong nodded silently before saying, "If you have any issues, report them to me promptly. Now you can go back and gather your studio members. The offices and drawing rooms for the four studios have already been assigned, and there are nameplates on the doors. Find your assigned space."

After waving everyone off, Ma Tengdong pondered for a while before remembering that the boss had instructed him to coordinate with Yan Wenhan to establish distribution channels and make use of the resources from Jiuding Newspaper Company that would benefit the comic company. This would save a significant amount of money, reduce the time needed to set up distribution channels, and increase efficiency.

He was also instructed to contact Gavin Peter from Jiuding Publishing Company. Together with Yan Wenhan, the three of them were to discuss how to establish distribution channels in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Particularly in Japan and South Korea, even the powerful Jiuding Newspaper Company had almost no channels established there.

Now that Jiuding Newspaper Company had solidified its foundation in Southeast Asia, it was the right time to enter the Japanese and South Korean markets.

Jiuding Animation Company and Jiuding Publishing Company also needed to start setting up distribution channels.

This time, the three companies could work together, deciding on which types of channels to separate and manage on their own, and which to set up collectively. This would strengthen their efforts, gain more attention from channel providers, reduce the difficulty of setting up channels, and improve efficiency.

Moreover, this would prevent the waste of time, manpower, and resources caused by duplicating channel construction.

Of course, apart from the shared channels, each company would still need to establish its own individual channels.

But no matter what, the most important point emphasized by the boss, Xia Yu, was that whether in South Korea or Japan, the three companies must enter the market together. Their branch offices should be located in the same place, advancing and retreating together. This wouldn't only facilitate communication, but also serve as a display of strength to outsiders, deterring any ill intentions.

After all, just seeing the names of the three companies would naturally lead people to associate them with each other...

With this in mind, Ma Tengdong found the contact number for Jiuding Newspaper Company and made the call.

"Hello, is this Manager Yan? This is Ma Tengdong, the General Manager of Jiuding Animation Company. Here's the situation..."