ENTERTAINMENT
Mija "500,000 subscribers after changing to editor Kim Tae-hyun"
We met Mija, who runs the YouTube channel ‘Mizane Tavern’, at the Hankyung Ten Asia headquarters in Jungnim-dong, Seoul.
Recently, ‘Mizane Tavern’ surpassed 500,000 subscribers. Mija said, “I just uploaded my daily life without anything special, but thank you so much for visiting and subscribing.”
In the early days of YouTube, I had no idea how to run my channel. Mija said, "My former agency kept recommending YouTube, saying, 'Nowadays, it's the age of self-PR.' At that time, I really didn't want to do it. They said I had to create content that I could do consistently, but since I like alcohol, the only thing I could do consistently was alcohol. I “I started this because I couldn’t refuse the company’s recommendation,” he said with a laugh.
Mija said, "If you look at the early video, you can see me learning how to make alcohol. In short, I failed. Haha. It was hard and not fun. I had to pay several hundred thousand won to learn once, so it cost a lot of money." “I had to film it,” he explained.
About YouTube, which started like that, Mija laughed and said, “I had no idea it would turn out like this.” Mija said, "At first, I entrusted the editing to others, and the number of subscribers reached 80,000. Around that time, my husband said he was a bit disappointed with the subtitles and such, so he said he would try it himself. My husband is also illiterate, so he taught himself how to edit videos. In the past, “I incorporated the comedy know-how I gained while doing entertainment shows into my subtitles, and in less than a year, I reached 500,000. Sometimes it takes me an hour or two to write a single line of subtitles. I’m thankful to see them trying to find something funny.”
It is said that Mija and her husband Kim Tae-hyeon are running the 'Mizane Tavern' channel. Mija said, “When we say we are doing it together, people are amazed and ask, ‘Is that possible?’” He continued, "I don't have a separate camera. I usually film with my iPhone. Other YouTubers use multiple cameras and bring staff with them. I go out alone and film with my phone. There are times when my phone falls over and almost breaks. "Some subscribers are worried that it's dangerous when they see me wandering around late to film. I once fell asleep and ended up at the last stop of the bus," he said. Also, "I'm the type to be shy, but if I'm filming something outside, people are curious and snoop around to watch. There are a lot of videos that I throw away because my face turns red and my voice doesn't come out. Now, I'm a bit used to it. My husband is very shy, so I “The videos that appear are usually shot at home or in places with few people,” he said.
When asked how she gets content ideas, Mija said, "More than 95% of our channel is about what kind of food it is," and added, "Wherever we go, we take pictures of every nook and cranny. If there are a lot of people in an old, worn-out restaurant, there's a high chance that it's delicious." I answered. He continued, "It takes about an hour to walk from my newlywed home to my parents' house, and I purposely walk through the alleys and take pictures of everything. I also go to the market on purpose. I keep looking at things like YouTube and blogs and look for restaurants with visuals that people will like. “I put it down. I hold meetings with my husband, consider the season, whether it has been mentioned before, etc., and find food and places that fit the time and concept,” she said, revealing her own know-how.
Another know-how to attract the attention of subscribers is to set food in colorful colors to stimulate their appetite. Mija said, "It's not enough just the main dish, but the surrounding decorations are also important. Decorating takes a long time. Sometimes it takes more than half a day." When I told him that the cost of purchasing food would be high, he said, "I've never calculated it, but I don't skimp when filming for YouTube. I even bought 40,000 won worth of vegetables alone. I don't usually eat expensive food, so there are times when I feel vicarious satisfaction while filming. Not long ago, I went to Noryangjin Fish Market. “I went there and there was a crab worth 300,000 to 400,000 won. I plan to take a picture of it soon,” he said.
Born in 1984, Mija began her career in the entertainment industry in earnest by passing the MBC comedian recruitment exam in 2009. Since February 2020, the YouTube channel ‘Mizane Tavern’ has been opened and operated. The main concept of the video is drinking alone, drinking with friends and family, and eating snacks. Mija married comedian Kim Tae-hyun in April 2022.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
