Q7: Hi, Nicho~ Actually I’m from Shanghai and I’m wondering where is your office. LOL~ Actually I was wondering Is there any difference between starting a new business in Hongkong and especially like in mainland China.
NIC: I don’t think we should draw a line between any country, especially that we’re as one now. If you hold on to the same principles, may it be Hong Kong, or mainland China, or the states, or Africa, I think it should be the same. And my office is in the 红坊工业区，所以…. (Q: is it very luxurious? Nic: It’s OK; we might expand in the summer)
Q8: Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Hi, Nicholas. Do you have any short term or long term plan on your company or on your personal life? I remember that you are like action movies, are you still going for that? Do you have any plan in the future to have you own film shot? (MC: sorry this is irrelevant to entrepreneurship, so… N: That’s all right~ MC: Is it OK? )
NIC: Actually you know it’s kind of related, and although it’s kind of a… it’s not a business secret, but a lot of people think why did you all a sudden open a post-production company when you’re an actor. Does it sound that ridiculous? Am I jumping from acting to cooking? I am not. Actually if you think about it deeply it’s quite linked together if I have enough bargaining power and trust between the directors and the producers, to say look my company can handle this now. What about I participate in your next movie, and I do the post. Now, isn’t that a win-win situation? So do I have plans? Yes, I do have plans in making new movies and I hope that I can bargain the deal that I can also handle the post production part if… we have all seen that you know the last real big success in Hongkong——《桃姐》. We were really lucky to be able to o the colour correction part, although I wasn’t in it. But hey we got to the Venice Awards.
Q9: You were 30… I’m sorry; you were 23 when you founded your company. So you were so young, did you ever feel like you missed out on life? And how do you deal with these regrets?
NIC: Yea…~ I tried to think that I lived my life fully. That’s why I’m going for, call me greedy, but I’m going for every opportunity and yet why shouldn’t you? Right? A lot of people ask me that question do I regret anything. Like I said I would take I would fully commit to my education if I have the chance to buy back 15-year’s life but I don’t, I think I have lived my life fully. I have two very cute sons and they’re healthy. I’m just grateful. I hope everybody should think out of the box sometimes, I’m getting lots of questions whereas “how to pursue a dream?” or “Is this OK?” “Are we going too far?” “Where do you draw a line between reality and visions” Leonardo Da Vinci In 1493 I think, it was 1493 that’s a “Judy air screw”—— What we know today as a helicopter. I’m pretty sure back in the time then people call him crazy “what? That thing flies? ——well whatever…” 500 years after, we are… I mean it’s a very well-known transportation device. It was 1493. So don’t doubt yourself, you may get a lot of negative inputs or comments. My mom, my families told me, they were seriously, in words “You won’t make it, you won’t be a successful businessman.” I got tons of those. And my dad you know all worried because it’s just very seldom for one leaving entertainment business actually make it from the scratch in the business world. But that’s me, that’s the rebellious side of me. I like proving people wrong.
The boy: Sorry we’ll only have time for about two more questions? The lady in the front row there
Q10: So Nicholas, I wonder…you mention that you have a competitor in Shanghai, right? So how are you going to lead your team to defeat your competitor?
NIC: Yeah, competitors are everywhere. And I like the thought of friendly competition. Only through that will the clients know who is better, and that makes us to excel, to thrive more for excellence. If anything was monopolized by only one grand name, they won’t fight. There is no one to be in the race, you can walk that marathon and still win, if you are the only walking or running, right? We just do our job as we should every day. Regardless if there is a competitor, if there is Steven Spielberg‘s DreamWorks coming into Shanghai or not. I’m just doing my job, as should my staff.
Boy: Our last question will go to the guy in the black shirt.
Q11: Hi, Nicholas, my name is Ken, as you mentioned the skill of post-production in Hong Kong is not that far from the western industry. The only difference is in terms of culture. So I want to ask do you have any plans to bring the Post Production Office to the international market by overcoming this barrier.
NIC: Wow, right now, I have to say I don’t have that ability yet, because I have put my efforts and investments into, first, handling our whole China. But I do believe that… you know… what’s that movie called? 《金陵十三钗》right? Christian Bill came to us, you know he China-based movie. So you know if you ask me about that, that’s something really far away, but I hope one day or maybe through IPO will I get the chance to go overseas and reach that goal, but me alone I really can only do that much.
Boy: Our last question will go to president Tony Qian. Will you do the honours?
President: Nic is a surprise, now can I ask a question not tied to entrepreneurship? Everybody wants to ask that kind of question.
Boy: Sorry, sorry, I won’t entertain this, but I don’t know if he is feeling generous?
President: You know some of us who sitting here are a little bit older than most of the people here. And some of us grew up with movies related to your family. So, no, but I wasn’t gonna ask about that, I was gonna ask that there must be a lot of family pressure, you know, maybe implicit, to live up to the family fame. You know, maybe founding a new company, finding your own place, making your own name. I just wonder how …your view on this, how you live through this? Must be a lot of expectation that a lot of our students also feel. Before you say you have to find your own passion, a lot of our students also feel the pressure from our family. A lot of family expectation. So for you with the particular family you have with the fame, you must feel that ten times more than the typical student, I want to hear what’s your view on this?
