Kim Min-young, head of content for Asia at Netflix. He worked on many hit works such as “Squid Game”.
Did you know that the head of Netflix’s content production in Asia (excluding India) is a Korean woman?
“Squid Game” “Crash Landing on You” “Itaewon Class” “Kingdom (Korean work)”…….
The person behind all of these hit works is Kim Min-young, vice president of Netflix’s Asian content division.
Every time a Korean work becomes a hit around the world, there are almost always whispers in Japan that “Korea is facing the world (in comparison, Japan is…”).
However, Kim”Success is a hit in your home country.”I said,Staff aiming for a global hit say, “There’s no ticket to go overseas here.”He admonishes me.Don’t allocate Asia’s resources to the West and stop doing business with fictitious “global customers”,and.
Kim is thisStayed in Japan for a year and a halfand has been “revamping” Netflix Japan.
In order to emphasize local strategy, internalConversation is Japanese. Kim herself is fluent in English, butWe will never force you to speak English because we are a global company.. An interpreter was present at production meetings during his stay in Japan.
For Japanese staff, the excuse that “people who are not good at English” such as “only people who can speak English will get promoted in foreign companies” may not be valid.
Are “born global” and “making English the official language of the company” already outdated? The hit maker’s work philosophy was filled with the conditions for Asia to win on the world stage.
I’m a “questioner”, and I don’t tell you, I make you “find out on your own”
——“Squid Game” (2021) was an unusual hit, becoming the first non-English non-English work on Netflix to top the number of viewers, and the first non-English speaking or Korean work to win a major award at the Emmy Awards, winning six awards. have become.
Was your mission in Japan to “make a Japanese version of the Squid Game” (= create a worldwide hit)?
If you can do that, you won’t have to struggle (lol). The huge success of “Squid Game” was unexpected. To be honest, I expected it to be a record-breaking hit in Korea, but I never expected it to become a huge hit worldwide.
I’m often asked to tell me the formula for a hit, and if there is such a thing, I’d love to know it.
As the Netflix Korean team,A drama that makes Korean viewers think, “It’s definitely a Korean story.”I wanted to makeWe will never compromise on showing Korean things.was.
However, as a Korean, it would be impossible for me to do the same thing in Japan or other Asian countries and become a hit.
I’ve read a lot of Japanese manga since I was a child, and I’ve studied Japanese live-action dramas at work, but I don’t really understand the sensibilities of Japanese viewers. The Japanese creative team is responsible for creating works that will resonate with the Japanese people.
The same goes for the teams I oversee in Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia, where each country produces independently.
My role is to ask many questions to the teams in each country..Iquestioneris known as.Things to consider when making various decisions during the production processThoroughly investigateThat’s what I’m trying to do.
–What kind of specific questions do you ask?
The first question to ask is, “Why do you want this project to be given the green light?”
There are many reasons why,millions of dollarsNaturally, it was a decision that would require a production budget.Even the people themselves are scared.The reason for assuming that it did not work or was not a hitI’m coming up.
If you continue to have this kind of interaction, you can see the enthusiasm of the team. We also ask about the target audience, and verbalize the relationship with similar programs and what meaning this project will have for viewers. What is the message of this program? Listen to it from different angles.
The last thing I ask is, “This project is…A must have projectIs it?Is it good to have?” Then I started listing a lot of reasons, and then I asked again, “Is this a must-have project or would it be nice to have one?” ” I hear.
Then I would get all kinds of reasons again (lol), and then I would ask again, “Is it an essential work, or is it at the level that it would be nice to have?” Finally, if the answer is “essential,” we’ll give you the green light. If it was “I wish I had it,” then it would be “Let’s try again!”
A strategy that looks like a glittering slogan but is complicated
–It’s a tough process…
If you keep asking multiple-choice questions, you will eventually run out of excuses.That kind of psychological trickBut there is.
When you fail, think about why it didn’t work. Creating a work is an accumulation of small decisions. It is very important to look back on whether each decision was correct.
However, it is difficult for creators to directly face their own errors in judgment and the reality that their intentions were not conveyed. I’m human, so my pride gets hurt. Even so, we can only become stronger by facing reality.
Of course, some people blame failures on external factors.. “Audiences couldn’t keep up with this sensibility” and “This genre is over.”Something like that.In such a case”Don’t blame the viewers”That’s what I say. As a boss, he also plays the role of a villain.
then when you failA workplace where phrases like “I told you so” or “I knew I would fail from the beginning” are unhealthy.is. Netflix culture“Commit even if you disagree.”I think this idea is important.
–So it’s clearly defined as Netflix culture.
Sometimes I give the green light for a project, and sometimes I don’t.howeverThey can still make a show even if I object.That’s the culture of “commit even if you disagree”is.
I want them to have the courage to go through with the project on their own even if their boss says no.That’s why.
I also have a veto power that overrides everything, but I haven’t used it so far..
I trust the teams in each country, and if I say no too much, the teams will become discouraged and won’t take risks. It’s unhealthy.
It’s a huge business, and if information doesn’t flow properly, the organization will deteriorate.Like thisSlogans are business strategies, not shiny idealismWhat is it? Netflix has a big budget and a huge team.A healthy team environment is important to ensure profitsWhat is it?
There is no need to allocate Asia’s resources to Europe.
——Your motto is “Local for local first.” How can we achieve this in Japan? Japan is the only country in the world where “Stranger Things” season 4 did not reach number 1 in its release week (1st place was “Spy☓ Family”). Isn’t it quite special?
“Local for local” is something I keep repeating to both national teams and the PR team in the US..
In order to impress people, you must first tell the story that you know best.
If it’s a project in Korean, it has to be the one that appeals most to Koreans. That’s why it’s important for us to be a hit in our own country.
Netflix has a feature that analyzes the preferences of viewers and recommends similar programs regardless of their location.What viewers want is “discovery”So Netflix fills that need, and viewers enjoy discovery. That’s how it works.
So, first of all, Japanese people create works that feel real and impactful locally in Japan.Netflix’s system takes care of finding a global audience. That’s the way of thinking.
It’s OK even if it’s a hit in your home country, but a flop in the rest of the world.is.In particular, comedies, comedy shows, and variety shows have strong regional characteristics, so if they become a hit in that region, they will be successful.That’s what I think.
vice versaWe’re not looking for a work that wasn’t good in its own country but became a hit worldwide.. A project that was not popular in Korea but was popular in Europe is no good. Since Europe has its own content production department, I’m sure the work would be even better if left to them.
As a company, we want to use resources in Asia for our members in Asia, not for Netflix members in Europe.
What do you say to your team with a sour taste?”There’s no ticket to Europe here.”That’s what it means. We don’t want to compromise on local impact.
Stop doing business with fictitious “global customers”
According to Netflix, non-English titles account for approximately 30% of all viewing time worldwide.
Things have changed since I started working at Netflix. At the beginning, only projects in English were brought to us, and all the creators said, “We want to make it in English on a global platform. We want it to be seen by audiences around the world.”
However, as “Kingdom (Korean work)”, “Squid Game”, and “Alice in Wonderland” became hits around the world, creatorsEven if you make it in your own words and do what you are good at, it will be seen around the world.I started to realize that.
Of course, there are still many people who say Hollywood is their goal. It’s huge, and I used to admire Hollywood.neverthelessEven if you create it in Japanese or Korean, it can be seen all over the world.I think it was a big change for me to realize that.
–Rather than conforming to “world standards,” the idea has emerged of inviting the world towards us.
that’s right.That’s whyWe are particular about the quality of subtitles and dubbing, so you don’t feel like you have a wall.That’s what I’m trying to do.
However, this does not mean producing programs aimed at a “worldwide audience.”.There is no such thing as a “global program for a global audience.”.
At Netflix’s global conferences, I often say to the American team, “Sure, that project would have been a hit in America, and it would have been a hit in South America, and it would have been a hit in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.But it hasn’t been a hit in Japan and South Korea, the biggest markets I’m in charge of.That can’t be called a global hit.”and.
–That’s a big change in thinking. Does this mean that we are moving away from the Hollywood-centric view that “Hollywood is the pinnacle of entertainment” and “works that Hollywood is not involved in are not global”?
Yes, I am still learning. After “Squid Game,” “global hit” became the keyword.
What I’m currently fighting over is, which is more global: a non-English hit film planned by Hollywood, or a “squid game” that has no Hollywood involvement? Everyone has to change their way of thinking.
I want to convey to the creators I work with that although there may be regional differences in culture and way of life, human emotions are universal. Social problems and moral dilemmas are becoming increasingly similar around the world. It is precisely in times like these that we need to change our way of thinking.
I am in charge of sales between Japan and the US.Japan needs outside stimulation
–You mentioned that millions of dollars are at stake in your decision. How do you handle pressure?
The official answer is that I go camping, watch a bonfire, and relax (lol). Actually, I’m the type of person who gets scared after taking action. When something happens, the first thing you do is move, and then later you think, “How could something like that happen?” I’m grateful for that because it’s my personality.
However, I believe from the bottom of my heart in the power of Asian content. The creative communities in both Korea and Japan are still developing. I think Japan is a “paradise for imagination,” with a wealth of original works. Netflix isA system that uses world-class resources and technology to utilize their talents and create images.must be made.
External stimulation is needed when it comes to how characters look and how the story develops.I think so.
How can we sell the greatness of Asian content to American Netflix?The sense that seems obvious to me may not be understood by executives at the American headquarters..
This means that you will be in the opposite position from the Q&A session with my subordinates earlier. Attend global board meetings, educate yourself about the Asian market, and more! And pull out a lot of budget. That’s my job.
If you don’t love it, you can’t do it, and it requires patience. I think we have been able to do this because we have trust in the Asian creative community.
——The live-action version of “ONE PIECE” ranked first in the global top 10 in terms of viewership for three weeks in a row, and it seems to have been hailed as a success story within the company. Is this a successful example of a Japanese team pursuing a local goal?
“ONE PIECE” is a project of the American team. The American side was having trouble grasping the essence of the original work, and approached the Asian team. Therefore, we decided to form a global team with personnel from the United States, Japan, and South Korea to cooperate.
The person in charge of Korea has lived in LA and is a big fan of Japanese anime and manga. Of course, the people in charge on the Japanese side were raised on Japanese manga. The Americans are familiar with the tastes of American audiences and Hollywood-style production methods.These personalities worked together to produce the work.It’s actually the first time on Netflixwas.
–What part did the American side have difficulty with?
Although the background and setting of the story are European and American, the philosophy is very Japanese. The idea of “friends” and the character settings are Japanese.
On NetflixStudy session to compare Marvel character settings and Japanese manga character settingsI did too.
Stereotypes can be broken without choosing the customer.
——From the perspective of snobby Western critics, Asian content seems to have the impression that it is childish, adult-oriented, or patriarchal.
Who says that? Don’t just watch adult stuff, try watching Netflix movies first! That’s what I want to say (laughs). That kind of prejudice is prejudice, and I think we need to fight against it.
It was the same with Korean dramas. When it comes to Korean drama, there is a stereotype that it is a romantic comedy about a cute girl who is saved by a prince riding on a white horse.
However, the Korean wave brand and fan base are so huge that they cannot be ignored.When I joined Netflix (in 2016), I had two goals.To get Korean fans around the world to watch Netflix and also to watch Korean dramas other than romantic comedies.was.
To achieve the first goal, we prepared a lot of existing Korean romantic comedies. As someone in charge of content, I have to perfectly meet the demands of my fans, regardless of my own tastes, and I have to expand the Hallyu market.It’s not my job to judge the fans.. That’s what I thought.
“Kingdom (Korean production)” met the second goal. There are no so-called good-looking actors in this drama, and it is a zombie drama that is different from traditional Korean drama. This expanded the audience. As we gradually expanded the definition of Korean Wave, the world followed suit. Thanks in part to the huge success of the movie “Parasite,” people started to notice the diversity of Korean dramas.
I’m sure the same thing will happen with Japanese content. However, there are limits to natural increase.In that sense IIn-house sales person who promotes the wonders of Japanese content to the entire Netflix companyThat’s right. I think that the industry as a whole needs to work together to promote the diversity of content.
——I can finish my stay in Japan. Is my current feeling a sense of accomplishment, “the mission is complete!”, or is it because there was still more I could do?
Content production from Asia is finally at the starting pointI just stood there.My goal is to eliminate the names “Korean wave” and “Japanese content”. I want people to think, “I watched a Netflix drama over the weekend. Come to think of it, it was made in Korea.” “Now that I think about it, it was made in Japan.”
To achieve this, we need more and more hit works such as “Squid Game” and “Alice in Wonderland.”
The live-action version of “ONE PIECE” isMany people watch it without even realizing that the original work is Japanese, and that’s its strength.That’s right.
For Asia’s entertainment industry to become independent and sustainable, it needs a certain level of size and scale. It’s no good if only Korean dramas become big. We need to grow in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia as a whole.
We want to discover talent from all over Asia and inspire each other. Only then can we stand on par with Hollywood. That’s my goal. We still have a long way to go, but I think we must all work together to make this dream a reality.
*This article was first published on January 21, 2024.
Source: BusinessInsider
Emma Warren is a well-known author and market analyst who writes for 24 news breaker. She is an expert in her field and her articles provide readers with insightful and informative analysis on the latest market trends and developments. With a keen understanding of the economy and a talent for explaining complex issues in an easy-to-understand manner, Emma’s writing is a must-read for anyone interested in staying up-to-date on the latest market news.