The improbable becomes the typical when talking about Li Jing's career.

It's an amazing rise that began in 1990, when she was put in front of a microphone - despite an utter lack of experience in, or knowledge about, broadcasting - because she was pretty.

She was 22 and had just graduated from Hebei Normal University's music department before landing a gig on the set of a TV program in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

At first, she did weather reports and street interviews. Li was so nervous between takes that she'd speak without stopping to take breaths.

"I had no knowledge about broadcasting and had the embarrassing experience of falling asleep during an interview," she recalls.

But she grew confident after passing several auditions and, in 1993, became the hostess of the local news program Good Morning, Beijing.

She later moved to CCTV to present a variety show.

And last month, she moved into a newly renovated back lot of Star Studio, one of the capital's biggest TV production bases.

Li arrives at 11 am and stays until midnight. She's there to film a 30-minute daily talk show program called Fei Chang Jing Ju Li, or very literally "Very Jing's Talk".

It's Anhui TV station's most-watched program, which Li not only hosts but also produces.

"I had gone from a situation where I was once totally intimidated and had no control, to a situation in which I have all of it," Li tells China Daily on her way to the TV production base.

This kind of turnabout is not a novelty for Li.

Her rise from supporting player to executive producer reflects her dramatic transformation from a television personality to the boss of the mainland's first privately owned TV production company, Beijing Fleet Entertainment Co Ltd.

As a trailblazer in mainland TV production, Li manages every aspect of her programs, including production, advertising and sales.

Her company recently acquired the rights to provide programming to national and local stations at the recent 2009 China International Film and TV Programs Exhibition.

While patience is not usually a virtue in the news business, Li made it her ally. She has allowed time to smooth the bumps in her resume that had once seemed insurmountable.

She moved directly from working at local to national TV stations when the line between TV production and government was virtually nonexistent.

"In the past, national TV stations only allowed producers who work for the stations to make programs," says Li, who changed the rule with Super Interview. "But now they will give the money to my company to produce programs."

Super Interview, which broadcasts every Saturday on Beijing TV station and has about 22 million viewers, is the first of a number of daily productions Li planned 10 years ago. The show has made her China's first successful independent TV show producer.

"I didn't have to work hard when I was at the national TV station," she recalls.

"Two hours of filming per week would be enough, and the rest of time, I just slept and hung out with friends.

"But as time went by, I couldn't help but wonder was that all there was to my life? What's the difference between that and retired life?"

The restless soul gave up her "iron rice bowl" in 1999, much to her parents' dismay. She studied literature and TV programming at the Beijing Film Academy before launching her career. She joined likeminded friends to plan China's first entertainment talk show.

She created the first show on a budget of only 40,000 yuan ($5,856) and promoted it at the Shanghai Television Festival.

"We couldn't afford to pay the 2,000 yuan to rent a booth. But thanks to our courage and passion, we stood beside others and set up a shabby platform, and yelled 'Super Interview'," Li says, giggling.

"It was really funny and ridiculous, you know, several young people audaciously putting tapes on the tables of big TV stations.

"We knew nobody and had no clue about selling our product, but we believed Super Interview was sure to be noticed if a professional TV producer watched it."

Her confidence came from the fresh design, colorful stage setting, powerful music and casual chatting style, which was in stark contrast to traditional talk shows of the time.

Within three months, the program became one of TV's highest rated. Viewers were impressed by the talk show's entertaining and humorous approach to interviewing celebrities. And the host's eloquence and unique opinions captured their attention.

"Talk show programs were serious and formal in the past," Li says.

"We tried to invigorate the atmosphere by inviting fans and making impromptu comical gestures and remarks."

Actually, most of Li's projects are on hold at the moment.

The majority of her 200 employees are women aged 25 to 35, meaning they aren't seasoned in creating TV programs but do keep up with trends.

"I like paving the way and creating my own style, and so do they," Li says.

"It's the era of the remote control in the TV industry. Audiences can choose any program at the push of a button. Fresh thinking and different viewpoints keep our programs progressive and interesting to viewers."

About 10 million people tune in to her talk show weekly. And the more successful she is, she says, the stronger her commitment to her work becomes.

Today's viewers consider celebrity interviews as another form of showing off, like walking the red carpet.

"It's boring if all the answers Jay Chow gives are the same. If celebrities play it safe when discussing their personal lives, people will switch the channel," she says, laughing.

"Viewers are smart and celebrities are trained in their responses, so we must reveal stars' unknowns."

She has no problem tossing tough questions their way, eliciting audiences' laughter and tears.

"If I was an audience member, I would like to know how Jay Chow makes music and what kind of girlfriend he has," she says.

Li is also committed to producing other primetime TV programs.

One of the two most popular is You Are Beautiful, which has 2 million viewers daily. The fashion program tells audiences how to spend less money to improve their looks.

Very Jing's Talk, which has 15 million viewers, was China's first celebrity-interview talk show airing daily at midnight.

She is also planning two more programs this year.

One is about making stars into ordinary people by stripping them of their stage wardrobes and makeup, while the other is aimed at kids.

"You can never lose sight of your work," Li says.

"I always feel pressure, but I always also enjoy it. In a media-saturated society audiences need something they've never seen before."

Since receiving investment last year from Sequoia Capital China, one of the world's leading venture capital firms, Li's company has filmed more than 500 hours of programming annually. This was distributed to nearly 200 TV stations nationwide and viewed by more than 600 million people.

Women who are too open about their ambitions usually pay a price in Chinese society, but Li has made breakthroughs in this respect.

As the mother of a 5-year-old girl and wife of famous music producer Huang Xiaomao, she is often questioned about her aspirations.

But Li says she has already achieved what she set out to.

"All the recognition I received after the success of Super Interview was beyond my expectations," she says.

"The backstage work makes me feel real and stable, and what I'm doing now is acting on my other ideas. I am pretty satisfied."

Editor: Massie | Source: China Daily