Video | Shanghai start-up links Hollywood talent to Chinese fans, and brands
As the founder and CEO of FansTang, a Shanghai-based start-up that brokers endorsement deals between Hollywood talent and Chinese brands, Adam Roseman says his team works as 'an educator of China in Hollywood'.
Adam Roseman, an Investment banker and private equity investor turned entrepreneur, phones between one and three Hollywood celebrities each week. Their conversation never veers away from China - a subject about which most stars, he has observed, have "very little knowledge".
"I talk to celebrities about why something is what it is in China, why they need to understand the cultural differences, and why they need to appreciate [them]," he said. "It's a huge part of our business."
FansTang has done much more than just talk. Since its creation less than two years ago, the 50-man team with offices in Los Angeles, Beijing and Shanghai has signed more than 150 Hollywood celebrities and sports stars. The firm helps them engage with fans on Chinese social media and secures endorsement deals for them from brands in the mainland.
Among its clientele are Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, stars from the American TV show The Vampire Diaries and The Gossip Girls, Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr, and American professional basketball player Wayne Wade. All are passionately followed and discussed by their Chinese fans.
The idea for the business started during Roseman's stint as a banker in China a few years ago. The businessman said he had noticed a significant increase in consumption of Hollywood-generated content, especially TV shows, among Chinese due to access to internet.
