Netflix Asia Exec Explains Secret to Success – The Hollywood Reporter

The worldwide smash success of Squid Recreation has develop into an particularly candy second of vindication for Netflix government Minyoung Kim.

Kim joined Netflix in 2016 as one of many streamer’s very first content material hires in Asia, the place she was tasked with establishing the corporate’s first small workplace in Seoul and compelling a skeptical Korean leisure trade to take an opportunity on working with the nonetheless domestically unknown international video service. Quick ahead 5 years and Netflix has not solely discovered a foothold in South Korea, Squid Recreation is on observe to develop into the service’s most-watched present ever, whereas Kim’s staff has dedicated to spending over a half a billion {dollars} on Korean content material in 2021 alone.

As competitors with world rivals like Disney+, HBO Max and Apple TV ramps up, many analysts imagine Netflix’s robust lead in Korean leisure to be one of many firm’s key strategic benefits. Kim’s profile at Netflix has risen in tandem along with her successes. At this time, as vice chairman of content material for Asia, she is chargeable for overseeing Netflix’s content material selections throughout the whole Asia Pacific area apart from India — together with key progress markets like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and Australia/New Zealand (“She’s such a badass,” considered one of her colleagues lately informed me).

“The explanation Squid Recreation has such nice that means for us internally is that it’s good proof that our worldwide technique has been proper,” Kim says. “We’ve all the time believed that essentially the most domestically genuine reveals will journey finest, so having a present that’s about actually genuine Korean video games and characters develop into actually large not solely in Korea but in addition globally — it’s such an thrilling second for us.”

Squid Recreation stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon and Jung Ho-yeon as a bunch of outcasts lured by a mysterious group into taking part in kids’s video games for a money prize — with lethal excessive stakes. The present premiered on Netflix on Sept. 17 and is at the moment No. 1 on the platform in 90 international locations.

The Hollywood Reporter related with Kim through Zoom from Seoul to debate the artistic elements which have made Squid Recreation so explosively well-liked and what’s coming subsequent for the present and its seemingly franchisable IP.

At what level did you understand Squid Recreation was changing into this large world phenomenon and what was that second like for everybody concerned within the present?

For me, Squid Recreation was actually a studying second, as a result of it’s tough to count on one thing you’ve by no means skilled earlier than. One thing like this has all the time been our ambition, however I by no means thought {that a} Korean-language present, with a Korean childhood sport at its core, could be racing in direction of being our all-time world primary present.

So, when it first launched, it gave the impression to be getting a number of consideration from our members, however Korean content material tends to be fairly well-liked. So we simply stated, “Oh, okay, that is one other considered one of our successes. That’s superior.” We’ve had Kingdom, Candy Residence and others which have additionally completed very well.

However then internally I began getting messages from my colleagues from all around the world — LA, London, different locations — saying they cherished the present. So, I believed, hmm, my colleagues should genuinely be actually liking this, as a result of you need to actually take pleasure in one thing to hassle writing an e mail and reaching out like that. However they’re my colleagues, and naturally they’ve their eyes on what Netflix reveals are on the market, proper?

However then I began seeing an increasing number of posts on Instagram and TikTok. After which I watched as HoYeon Jung’s Instagram following grew from 400,000 to over 14 million in lower than a month. And even on LinkedIn, most of my entire feed began to be about Squid Recreation, which is de facto uncommon.

So, sitting right here in Korea, it began to really feel very surreal for us. One of many actors informed me how he was on a small personal aircraft on a visit to France lately, and he seen that every one three passengers sitting round him — non-Asians — have been watching Squid Recreation. That’s after we began feeling, like, “Oh wow, that is getting actually large.” It’s a worldwide phenomenon that has develop into a part of the zeitgeist.

In your view, what’s it in regards to the present that’s helped it develop into such a phenomenon? What parts do you see because the secrets and techniques of the present’s success?

Primary, the style itself is one thing that has world enchantment. The director additionally needed to ensure that even for those who don’t already know these very Korean kids’s video games, the barrier of entry could be low and you can nonetheless simply take pleasure in it. He put a number of focus into ensuring the foundations of the video games he selected have been quite simple — and I believe this simplicity is a giant ingredient of the worldwide success. And the entire look and mise-en-scène was one thing we labored exhausting to verify was interesting. We additionally imagine content material that’s capable of generate dialog has one of the best probability of getting actually large. And Squid Recreation has a number of these memorable, meme-able moments that folks can mess around with, and which drive dialog. So I believe that was one other issue.

However as a artistic government, I believe the essence of the present is its commentary on social injustice — class divisions and monetary inequality, and even gender-related points. These social injustice points aren’t solely Korean — the entire world is scuffling with them. These parts made the present resonate strongly outdoors of Korea as properly.

The final piece of Korean display content material to completely take the world by storm, after all, was Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. It’s fascinating how each titles thematically revolve round inequality and the morally corrosive results of latest capitalism. What do you make of the similarity?

Effectively, they’re two very several types of content material, however I believe for those who have been to attract some commonality between them, each actually hit on the social dilemmas of sophistication division — points which are common. On the similar time, each tales are informed in a really interesting and entertaining manner. I believe that’s what’s actually tough — to have such a profound message, however to make it actually entertaining to comply with the narrative because it unfolds, even when the viewer isn’t focussed on that larger message.

You talked about that you just suppose Squid Recreation‘s style was key to its success. How would you describe the style? Loss of life sport social thriller?

Effectively, the comparable titles that we often speak about are Battle Royal and The Starvation Video games — survival thrillers constructed round video games, which world audiences have proven they love. A distinction is that usually these tales have been very YA, and Squid Recreation isn’t YA — however every character nonetheless has a really robust character and backstory. My private tackle the explanation we love YA content material is as a result of YA characters are likely to have an emotional rawness to them, and so they’re typically very true to what they suppose and really feel — they’re not so sophisticated and so they present their true colours. In Squid Recreation, though it’s not a YA story, every character actually reveals their true colours in each ugly human moments and actually heartwarming moments. A powerful issue of Squid Video games‘ success is the best way these robust characters mix so seamlessly with the gaming ingredient of the premise.

I suppose the gaming side was a stroke of genius when it comes to the present’s binge-ability, too. There are moments the place it’s virtually like watching a online game, and also you merely need to see who wins.

Yeah, I believe the gaming makes it simpler so that you can are available and keep in. However I might say the artwork — the set design, costumes and all the colours that make it appear like you’re in a fairyland taking part in a childhood sport, besides you’re taking part in for money and preventing to the demise — was one other large piece in making the present profitable. The distinction of life-threatening moments and enjoyable music. These have been all parts that helped non-Korean audiences benefit from the present too. The profound social message is simply the muse of the present.

Have been there any artistic selections that got here all the way down to a debate between cultural authenticity and world accessibility?

Squid Recreation, or ojingeo in Korean, is an actual children’ sport right here, however not all Koreans really understand it. My technology is aware of it, however my niece’s technology in all probability wouldn’t. So, initially, we knew we needed this present to journey however we have been nervous the title Squid Recreation wouldn’t resonate as a result of not many individuals would get it. So we went with the title Spherical Six as a substitute, wanting it to be extra normal and useful for telling folks what the present is about — there are six rounds to the sport. However, later, director Hwang prompt that perhaps we should always return to Squid Recreation, as a result of it’s a singular present and this sport is the essence. I believe the extra genuine title has really performed very well. The title, Squid Recreation, along with the eye-catching paintings, actually seize curiosity inside our service — particularly for audiences who’ve by no means watched a Korean present earlier than however are on the lookout for enjoyable issues to observe.

It’s exhausting to even think about the present being known as Spherical Six now. The quirkiness of “Squid Recreation” simply looks as if the proper hook.

Yeah, I believe we are likely to underestimate the curiosity that a number of our members and viewers have. In making an attempt to make it very easy to grasp what the present is, we might have made a giant mistake. I’m so glad director Hwang steered us again to Squid Recreation — it sparks curiosity and captures the story so properly.

Have been there different notable features of the challenge the place you gave important notes?

Effectively, when it got here to us, the challenge was within the format of a movie. We felt that the movie format, at 120 minutes, would drive us to simply jam in too many tales. There was a lot within the Squid Recreation story and IP to unspool. Additionally, as you in all probability know, director Hwang had written it 10 years in the past, and the world had modified since then. So there have been some parts that we needed to replace to mirror extra of what our audiences need at this time. So, in turning that movie right into a sequence and making it a bit extra related to a decade later, we went by a really collaborative course of with director Hwang. He put a lot power into it. It was positively a great expertise for us on the studio facet, and I do hope it was satisfying for him too.

Are you able to share the per episode manufacturing funds for the present? Visually, it’s very memorable and it actually doesn’t look low cost; however from a manufacturing perspective, you may see the way it was maybe fairly reasonably priced. The costumes are poppy and crowd pleasing, however they’re quite simple as properly — largely jumpsuits. The identical goes for the a lot of the set design — it’s a really authentic, candy-colored dystopian world inside the sport, however you may inform that lots of the units are moderately flippantly dressed sound phases. The present will need to have develop into a really phenomenal return on funding.

To be fully trustworthy, for a Korean present, it was among the many high for us when it comes to funds. In the event you have a look at the units, the ambition was really fairly large. As a way to assist the artistic imaginative and prescient of the director, the quantity of funding we wanted to make wasn’t all that small. So, it was large for a Korean manufacturing — it’s simply that the guess turned out very well for us as a result of the viewers who loved it grew to become a lot larger than what we anticipated.

We’re speaking at a time when the competitors for high Korean content material is getting fiercer by the day, with Disney+ and HBO Max about to launch local-language content material plans within the area, and numerous native operators deepening their investments in streaming content material. You’re actually the architect of Netflix’s pioneering place within the Korean leisure panorama, so that you have to be feeling fairly good in regards to the robust lead you’ve staked out. How do you suppose Squid Recreation‘s huge world success will have an effect on perceptions of Netflix inside the Korean trade and the way is the competitors for Korean content material and expertise evolving?

Effectively, I work for Netflix, however merely as a Korean and Asian content material government working right here, I knew that by leveraging Netflix’s world distribution attain with the best way Netflix actually focuses on the artistic itself with all content material investments, all of this was going to profit the Korean leisure trade as an entire.

My ambition has been to essentially present [Korea’s] excessive manufacturing capability to the world. Korean content material has all the time been well-liked in Asia, however folks tended to consider Okay-drama as being all about good-looking males and delightful girls falling in love — the romance style was how folks recognized Okay-drama. However there have been so many nice tales past that particular style, and the manufacturing worth of Korean drama and movie is persistently actually excessive.

I’m very grateful to a few of our creators from the early stage who allow us to assist them inform these tales, as a result of we weren’t very large in Korea or in Asia but. However they selected us as a result of in addition they noticed the chance and the likelihood. And so they additionally felt chargeable for the truth that they needed to be the pioneers making Korean leisure larger.

Now, due to Squid Recreation, I see all of it as an evolution. We began with content material offers with [Korean production houses] JTBC and Studio Dragon and our first licensed reveals like Crash Touchdown on You; after which we did our first Netflix originals, like Kingdom, Extracurricular and Candy Residence. Now, due to Squid Recreation, the entire world, not solely Okay-drama followers, are beginning to actually know what the Korean leisure trade can do.

I do imagine the success of Squid Recreation and the curiosity in Korean content material it’s producing will in all probability make my life a bit tougher. However I do imagine that because the competitors grows, and the demand will increase, stronger Korean tales and even higher reveals can be prepared to fulfill it. Our creators proceed to have this want to up their sport at every stage and present the world what they’ll do, so I believe the entire trade will proceed to profit and Netflix will be capable to have even stronger reveals to please our members.

Lots of people all over the world are questioning what comes subsequent for Squid Recreation. The sequence is clearly arrange for one more season and Netflix lately introduced a shock diversification into gaming — and this present has “sport” proper there within the title. What are you discussing when it comes to what comes subsequent?

Effectively, the advantage of working at Netflix is that we’ve got so many nice skills inside the firm that I can deal with making an incredible present, after which we’ve got all these different specialists totally different areas of potential. We’ve been getting an amazing however joyful quantity of requests from the group — from the buyer product division, from the gaming group, from our different worldwide groups. My staff’s function is to essentially have a look at all of these alternatives collectively, to create that roadmap for the Squid Recreation IP. We’re a number of totally different areas — from video games, shopper product, and others — to essentially determine what we will carry to our audiences to extend their affinity in direction of our content material and provides them extra pleasure, whereas staying true to the world that our creator has constructed. Relating to a Season 2, we’re nonetheless having that dialog with the director and the producer, and hopefully we’ll be capable to come again to you with that reply quickly. So it’s all within the works, but when you consider it, the present solely launched lower than a month in the past. That is simply the beginning.

This interview has been edited for size and readability.