Chief Change Officer
#400 Jean Zhou: Flipping the Script—From Spreadsheets to Storytelling
Fri, 30 May 2025
Jean Zhou’s journey defies every linear career chart. After starting in accounting and dabbling in venture capital, she found herself chasing something spreadsheets couldn’t capture—emotion. That led to Wind Entertainment, a bold bet on storytelling rooted in sociology, psychology, and a lifelong obsession with television. In this episode, Jean reveals the early frustrations that sparked her producer dreams, why she believes storytelling is a survival skill, and how her sociology background became the secret sauce to building character-driven dramas that resonate worldwide. This is the story of how data met drama—and lost.Key Highlights of Our Interview:How Bedtime Curfews Sparked a Creative Fire“Growing up, I had to go to bed at 9 p.m. while TV programs ran until 10. It wasn’t fair—and it burned into my brain. One day, I wanted to be the person who decided how stories end.”From Sociologist to Storyteller“Sociology gave me a backstage pass into human behavior. Understanding people—not just markets—is what powers great storytelling. It’s my foundation, even in business.”Wind Entertainment: Building Stories That Travel“In 2019, I launched Wind Entertainment to nurture writers. By 2020, we were producing our first TV drama. That show, The Starry Love, aired on four stations and sold in over 30 countries.”Why AI Can’t Write Your Script“AI summarizes the past. It can’t write to surprise, or break molds. A drama needs rhythm, tension, and emotion tailored to the buyer—it’s art, not automation.”Finding the Market in Emotion“In venture capital, I was taught to find value through data. In storytelling, I learned to find it through emotion. A great script isn’t just written—it’s felt.”_________________________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.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.18 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 1.5% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>170,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Chapter 1: What inspired Jean Zhou's journey into storytelling?
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 Zhou, 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 transition from accounting to entertainment?
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 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're thinking about every day and how they run a business because I have a goal to start my own business one day.
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Chapter 3: What role did sociology play in Jean's storytelling?
Chapter 4: How did Wind Entertainment come to fruition?
Chapter 5: Why do emotions matter in storytelling?
Chapter 6: Can AI truly create compelling narratives?
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're 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.
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Chapter 7: What challenges did Jean face in the entertainment industry?
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, test 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. 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.
I was the co-producer in the content area of that sequel. So through this project, I built my network and I accumulated my reputation as the co-producer. In terms of convincing business partners, I think the first thing is you really need to have previous projects or previous relevant experience. And you need to have splendid scripts on your hand.
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 upstream chain of this entertainment industry. I worked in a reader technology.
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