A funny way to fortune
Into this scene of chaotic and constant realignment came Papi Sauce, a professionally trained entertainer with a wicked sense of humor and a solid grounding in the culture of her generation.
There have been much better developed comedic formats on which her skits are based, but her material does not miss a beat, as most TV sketches do, when it comes to taking the pulse of the day.
When singles of an awkward age were to go home and face the pressure of marriage, Jiang came up with this punch line: "A: Why do Americans not ban weapons? B: It's none of our business. And why don't I get married? You ask. Because it's none of your business."
New technologies have thrown a monkey wrench into the machine that creates products of entertainment and mint new stars.
In the old days, stars like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi broke out by appearing in prestigious－and widely watched－movies. Later, television showed its prowess in familiarizing unknown faces to the whole nation.
In recent years, the star-making power has been shifted to, or is at least shared by, online platforms, which easily attract tens of millions of viewers.
While the hierarchy of big-is-better has not been demolished, the small screen of the computer and mobile gadget cannot be ignored any more. With every killer app comes its ingenious user.
The blog had Xu Jinglei, whose star was on the wane when she started posting chicken soup. The queen of Sina Weibo is Yao Chen, who was on an upward trajectory even without her socially conscious posts which made her a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
But grassroots personalities who rise from the bottom all the way to the top have not appeared yet. Most will have their 15 minutes of fame, then get pushed to the sideline and replaced by a new crop that represents new platforms.
It remains to be seen whether big capital can elevate a comedy newcomer like Jiang to a sustainable level of creativity and profitability.
Contact the writer at raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn
Related:
Internet star Papi Jiang secures $2m investment
Internet stardom brings fast fortune
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