Losses at Huayi Brothers Media one of China's longest-running private sector film studios, hit $567 million in 2019. CEO Jerry Ye (aka Ye Ning) has resigned and will be replaced as head of film operations by James Wang Zhonglei, co-founder of the group and its current deputy chairman.The company issued several dozen documents to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on Wednesday, covering the 2019 losses, further losses in the coronavirus-hit first quarter of 2020, and plans to raise some $325 million...
Jerry
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It must be nice to be wanted. A year ago Jerry Ye (aka Ye Ning) was in the thick of things, promoting $40 million fantasy adventure film “Mojin The Lost Legend” co-produced by Wanda, Huayi and Enlight Media. But only a few months later Ye, a long-time Wanda lieutenant, crossed the floor and joined Huayi Brothers Media as CEO. At the time Wanda was busily reshuffling its movie operations, accommodating the Legendary Entertainment acquisition and trying to refinance the segment.
If Ye felt passed over, he isn’t saying. But since that time Wanda and Huayi appear to be engaged in a tit-for-tat battle sparked by the loss of the valued executive. Huayi has made much of Ye’s “strong distribution capabilities and operational experience.” Ye spent 14 years at Wanda and was named exhibitor of the year at the 2012 CineAsia convention. A founder of Wanda Pictures, Ye was also producer of “Mojin” and smash hit “Goodbye, Mr Loser.” Now entrenched at Huayi, Ye has helped launch a new animation division and will be instrumental in building on the STX deal.