Discover fresh perspectives and research insights from LBS
Think at London Business School: fresh ideas and opinions from LBS faculty and other experts direct to your inbox
Sign upMade in China
Three LBS alumni share their views on China’s growing tech and creative industries
The economic powerhouse of China is transitioning as it has enriched a middle class looking for more. Developing homegrown entertainment is an important part of this switch to domestic demand.
Ultimately these creative companies hope to transfer success in China into global success. Three LBS alumni, who have built successful and fascinating careers riding the crest of this nascent industry, share how LBS has influenced their careers and what ‘Made in China’ will mean in the future.
Judith Zhai (EMBA2017)
“I think that in the near future, China’s middle class will be the biggest in the world,” observes Judith Zhai (EMBA2017). “This domestic consumption is focused on what might be termed lifestyle-orientated and so entertainment is very much focused on China, including Chinese movies, TV dramas, sports and lifestyle shows.”
Zhai is President of Strawbear Entertainment Group, a TV production company, and a former Alibaba Pictures Group vice president of strategic investment. In the beginning, most of the production companies in China focused on how to emulate Hollywood, says Zhai. Now they have moved to away from the Hollywood model. Today, cinemas are very developed in China, but in the first quarter of this year box office takings were lower than last year. And this is a sign of the maturity of the market, according to Zhai.
