Samantha Ko and Lai Lok Yi Renew TVB Contracts
TVB has been facing a shortage of leading artistes after many decided to not renew their contracts. TVB sweetened the deal when renegotiating Lai Lok Yi (黎諾懿) and Samantha Ko‘s (高海寧) contracts, allowing greater freedom in their work.
Although working with TVB often means high exposure rates in international markets, many artistes hope to diversify their skills as well. Aside from his hosting gigs, Stephen Cheng (C君) became the Creative Director for J2 and co-produced Ghost Cleaning Ltd <凶宅清潔師> with Tony Hung (洪永城). Despite winning TV Queen, Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) left the company to work on a self-directed and scripted show where she will be the sole actress. She is also writing a script for a theater play.
Understanding artistes’ desires to develop their careers on multiple levels, TVB customized Lok Yi’s renewal contract to include opportunities for behind-the-scenes work for the first time ever. Lok Yi will set a new a precedent as his first self-produced variety series Walking with You <仨心友行> and Roar of Prosperity 2022 <虎年開運秘笈> had received good feedback. Working for TVB for over 20 years, Lai Lok Yi’s opportunities dwindled after executive Sandy Tsui (余詠珊) left the company. Although his drama Who Wants a Baby? < BB來了> with Ali Lee (李佳芯) received great reviews, he was not invited to star in the sequel Plan B <寶寶大過天>. The thought of leaving the company had crossed his mind when he felt the company did not prioritize him.
Contract negotiations with Lok Yi were at a standstill until Eric Tsang (曾志偉) reached out personally. In the end, Lok Yi agreed to extend his contract after being offered a generous seven-figure salary and great future opportunities. It is said that his new contract will be for two years, during which he must film one drama and focus on variety shows the rest of the time. To show sincerity, TVB asked Lok Yi to help produce next year’s Yan Chai Charity Show <慈善星輝仁濟夜>. The process of preparing for the show will be filmed as a reality show, revealing the hard work artistes put in as they transition to behind-the-scenes work.
Confirming that he has signed a new contract, Lok Yi is unable to divulge details due to confidentiality reasons. “All I can say is that talks went well, and that they offered a satisfactory salary. I’ll have more opportunities to try new things soon, so I’m very excited.”
TVB had also worked hard to retain Samantha Ko (高海寧) as her contract was negotiated for nearly two years. TVB successfully persuaded her to stay by promising to develop her career in China.
Source: On.cc
This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
