What happens when a sociology major dabbles in accounting, dips into venture capital, and then rewrites her script—literally? You get Jean Zhou. Now a filmmaker and CEO of Wind Entertainment, Jean’s career plotline includes more genre shifts than a Netflix queue. She traded spreadsheets for screenplays and hasn’t looked back since.Key Highlights of Our Interview:Creating Stories: Founding Wind Entertainment“In 2019, I founded Wind Entertainment. Initially, we incubated writers and even won several Best Novel Awards. By 2020, we ventured into drama series, writing our first script, The Starry Love. It aired on four TV stations in China and was distributed to over 30 countries.”Sociology: A Bridge Between Business and Humanity“Sociology opened my worldview and helped me understand people better. Ultimately, the business world is about relationships—between people and people. Sociology gave me insights into the social mind and thoughts, which help decode the essence of business.”The Seeds of a Producer’s Journey“As a child, I had to go to bed at 9 p.m., even though TV programming continued until 10. That early frustration planted the idea in my mind—one day, I’d take control of storytelling. Fast forward to 2018, when I watched the TV series Ashes of Love and realized it was the most incredible thing to create a project like that. I decided it was something I had to try, at least once in my life.”The Limitations of AI in Screenwriting“While AI brings efficiency, its impact on screenwriting remains minimal. Scripts are tailored works of art, built to surpass expectations. AI, by contrast, is a summary of past material, often resembling a Wikipedia outline. Such drafts lack the depth and creativity necessary for a fully developed script that would appeal to buyers.”_________________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Jean Zhou --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.12 Million+ All-Time Downloads.Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Chapter 1: Who is Jean Zhou and what is her journey?
Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist humility for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. In today's episode, I'm thrilled to interview Jing Zhao, a TV and filmmaker from China.
Filmmaking is a multi-billion dollar industry that thrives on the art and business of storytelling. and for sure that shares stories from characters all around the world, how could I not feature someone who has mastered the craft of telling profitable stories? Jean's journey is nothing short of remarkable. From a small town girl to a sociology major,
She later transitioned into accounting and even moved to the U.S. to work as an accountant. But that wasn't the end. She went deeper into the business world, earning an MBA from Chicago Bull. Another bull privet took her into venture capital and then back to China. where she built her network and credentials from scratch in the entertainment industry.
Jin has written books, scripts, and produced both movies and TV series. How did she achieve all this? And more importantly, why? It all started with a simple childhood dream. which is a love for TV series. That passion transformed into a devoted career. Let's listen to the story of a storyteller.
Chapter 2: How did Jean Zhou transition from accounting to filmmaking?
My name is Jing Zhou and I stayed in a small town in China until 18 years old. And for college, I went to Shanghai. I did, I studied sociology. And when I was a junior, I transferred to Indiana University Bloomington in America and picking up accounting and finance as my second and third majors.
And after my graduation, I became a financial analyst in an engine manufacturing company called Cummins. And I did the financial analyst work for three years and went to Chicago Booth for my MBA. And during my MBA, I did some venture capital internship, including in SQL Capital China, Innovation Works, and Capital Today.
After my graduation of MBA, I went to a pre-IPO company called iReader Technology. It's a digital reading company, and I was in charge of strategic investment. Meanwhile, I was rotating among several business departments, overseeing APP, product design, operations, writer relationship, and copyright sales. In 2019, I started my own company called Wind Entertainment. It's my current company.
First, we incubated writers, and later on, we did several best novel awards. In 2020, we entered the drama series area and wrote our first script, which was released last year on four TV stations in China and distributed to more than 30 countries. The name is The Stereo Love. Every year we have two to three projects under development right now.
And we will start our first movie in a quarter and it's about gambling and crime. Above is the listing of my transitions. So when I look back, I figured I never planned all these because I just couldn't plan from a financial analyst in the engine manufacturing company to a producer. Tell us how you made through this transition. I got into sociology in Shanghai.
And first, I just didn't know what I should deal with. So when I picked up accounting and finance as my second and third majors, I figured one day I need to know more about business, know more about entrepreneurs. I chose to intern in all these venture capitals in China.
I wanted to know how the entrepreneurs, what they are thinking about every day and how they run a business because I have a goal to start my own business one day. So in my family, we have a travel company and also running a medical company. So that's how we have such a tradition. So I formed this kind of goal when I was very young.
So in Chicago Booth, I set a framework for the business analysis and the accounting and the finance helped me understand the business knowledge. And through the venture capital, I learned how entrepreneurs, how they swim in competitive world and how they run their companies. So this is a foundation set up for my future plan.
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Chapter 3: What role did sociology play in Jean Zhou's career?
Chapter 4: How did Jean Zhou establish her entertainment company?
And we will start our first movie in a quarter and it's about gambling and crime. Above is the listing of my transitions. So when I look back, I figured I never planned all these because I just couldn't plan from a financial analyst in the engine manufacturing company to a producer. Tell us how you made through this transition. I got into sociology in Shanghai.
And first, I just didn't know what I should deal with. So when I picked up accounting and finance as my second and third majors, I figured one day I need to know more about business, know more about entrepreneurs. I chose to intern in all these venture capitals in China.
I wanted to know how the entrepreneurs, what they are thinking about every day and how they run a business because I have a goal to start my own business one day. So in my family, we have a travel company and also running a medical company. So that's how we have such a tradition. So I formed this kind of goal when I was very young.
So in Chicago Booth, I set a framework for the business analysis and the accounting and the finance helped me understand the business knowledge. And through the venture capital, I learned how entrepreneurs, how they swim in competitive world and how they run their companies. So this is a foundation set up for my future plan.
Later on, I found that sociology helped me open my world to the world and also know more about people. So the help of the sociology is the business world is finally a world between people and people. The understanding and the social mind and thoughts will finally help understand the rules in the business world and the essence of the business.
And the second help of sociology for me right now is designing, choosing story, tests the maturity and the insight of the producer, especially on her knowledge of the society and the human heart. So it's actually a lot of help. That's what I didn't figure out before, but I really appreciate it now.
Despite your passion for TV series, how did you build your track record? How did you grow your network in the entertainment industry and eventually launch your first TV series?
When I was very young, like six or seven years old, the TV programming always broadcast to 10 p.m. in the night, but I was forced to go to bed at 9 p.m., so... That probably is the early impulse for the decision to finally become a producer. So in 2018, after I watched a TV series called Ashes of Love, I feel like it's just the best thing in the world to do such a project.
And once in a life, we need to try. So I looked for the producer of that drama crazily and I applied my writer resources and I kept showing my passion. So I convinced him to be the co-producer of the sequel. to the Ashes of Love. The sequel is called The Starry Love. And that was the one that was released last year on four TV stations and distributed to 30 countries.
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Chapter 5: What challenges did Jean Zhou face in the entertainment industry?
And you need to have a detailed development plan, distribution plan, and of course, potential great directors and actors. So that's how we can accomplish this. is the classic chicken and egg dilemma.
From your experience, how did you overcome this challenge to take that crucial first step? How did you gain recognition early on so as to build momentum and eventually move up and accelerate your career?
I think the first thing is definitely you need to first establish some connection with this industry. This is a must, but it doesn't mean that you need to work three or five years in the industry to prove that you have the experience. Like, for example, in my cases, I only work in the upstream chain of this entertainment industry. I work in a reader technology.
That company is not an entertainment company or it's not a drama series movie company or producing company. But that company has a lot of connection with the copyrights. So that's how I entered the entertainment industry from the resources because I got connected with a lot of writers and the writers later on they become a very key resource in the producing in this area.
I think I have a business analytical framework to analyze all problems. So in this industry, after taking a close look, you will figure out that the most, the core thing is accountant. So from the very beginning, I focus on the accountant side and I communicate with writers, which I didn't do that a lot 10 years ago.
But I started and I learned to communicate with all the creators, the writers, directors, actors. I tried to understand how to make the accountant look best. So that's the first thing. And secondly, I know the business language. The entertainment industry, the TV drama or the movie, it's a very capital intensive industry.
So on the producing side, on the business side, you need to manage the business by managing cash flow and managing all the numbers on your balance sheet or on your four forms. Because I come from the business background, I can...
translate all these elements into all tools that i need to use so i am aware of all the risks and all the opportunities absolutely yes after you established connection with the industry you may take the risk to do a whole project to show that you will have further experience but that step is definitely very hard that you can focus on the key of the projects.
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Chapter 6: How does Jean Zhou leverage business skills in filmmaking?
So the key in the producing projects is content. We all agree that content is the most important element in the trends. If you spend a lot of time in the content, for example, I spent a year writing the book, The Light of the Story. So I analyzed many elements in the story. I figured out some ways to
draft a great story and that's the resources and that's the skills that investors would value in the entire chain.
From what I've gathered, there's no such thing as pure luck or magic behind success. In today's social media-driven world, weird people make overnight success seem real. But the truth is, every success story is built on a lot of groundwork. You shared how writing a book became a learning journey for you.
Similarly, it's about getting closer to the right circles, meeting relevant people, learning from them, letting them get to know you, and fostering relationships. That's how opportunities start to align with your interests. Even if the first step is more like taking an unpaid job, it gets you in the door and builds momentum.
But I remember you mentioning that when you decided to leave your previous job to pursue your passion for TV, the industry wasn't exactly booming. It was already facing challenges. And then COVID hit, making things even harder. Yet you still took that leap, perhaps partly for educational purposes.
So I'm curious, what was the state of the TV industry in China when you decided to make that transition? How did the pandemic reshape things?
And what's happening now in the industry? 10 years ago everybody was looking at this industry and people from all kinds of industries they wanted to come here to make quick money and speculators and have money they actually in the past 10 years they gradually left this industry at the beginning of any drama tv projects it's really hard to get money right now
And we have micro drama series impacting our industries. The situation, it's just hard. But the good thing is the technology and the content, the bar is getting higher and higher and the audience demands more and more and they are willing to pay more. So therefore, there are more and more great projects coming.
Right now, if there are people still in the network industry, they are just people who really love this industry. They love great work and they have passion for great projects. The best writers and best projects, they make more money than ever before. I will just say for quality creators, they are getting better.
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