Byun Seung-min, CEO of 'DP' "Collaboration with Netflix? Feels like we're playing together, not supporting"

Byun Seung-min, CEO of 'DP', revealed his thoughts on collaborating with Netflix.

On the morning of the 22nd, a meeting was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul to talk about Netflix and Korean content. The event was attended by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Netflix content managers, and domestic content creators.

At the event, we talked about the Netflix collaboration experience of the creators, who are the protagonists of Korean content, and the future vision of Korean content. In particular, Ted Sarandos visited Korea for the first time since he was appointed co-CEO of Netflix.

The event consisted of three parts. In 'Korean content for tomorrow, PART 1, with domestic production partners', Seungyong Lim, CEO of Yong Film, who produced 'Dokjeon', 'Ro Ki-wan', '20th Century Girl' and 'Call', produced 'Squid Game' Kim Ji-yeon, CEO of Han First Man Studio, Byun Seung-min, CEO of Climax Studio, which produced 'Hell' and 'DP', and Kim Soo-ah, CEO of Climax Studio, which produced 'Solo Hell' and '19/20' participated.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos explained the relationship between each representative and Netflix. He said, “I knew about CEO Im Seung-yong in advance because of director Park Chan-wook's 'The Handmaiden'. They are doing '20th Century Girl' and 'Call' together. CEO Kim Ji-yeon continues to make good partnerships. I watched them captivate the world with the 'Squid Game'. Personally, I'm a huge fan, so I'm looking forward to season 2. CEO Byun Seung-min shows great quality and variety. I am also looking forward to ‘Ballerina’, which is scheduled to be released.”

Each representative expressed their feelings about the collaboration with Netflix. CEO Lim Seung-yong said, “When it comes to post-production, Netflix sets a very high standard. It was impressive and unfamiliar to do post-production to make a quality work of good quality for all audiences around the world. It was a strange experience because I always made movies. My nephew came to the United States, and after the release of '20th Century Girl', so many people saw it, so it was surprising and fun.”

CEO Kim Ji-yeon said, “From the start of 'Squid Game' to receiving the Emmy Award, there were many dynamic and fun things. It seems to have been the biggest fruit and harvest that could have been achieved through Netflix in the global era. When I created a series with a rather strange story, he became a good partner. Experiments and challenges together seem to be the fundamental reason for the good results. There were challenges and difficulties, such as 'Will our culture communicate while running the award race together', but I think it's fortunate that we got good results.

CEO Byun Seung-min said, “Consumers who consume modern video content seem to have to see the stories they want to hear and be accompanied by novelty that is different from the existing ones. It was nice to feel like we were running together instead of supporting each other. When we worked together, the questions the creative department asked were impressive. What was unfamiliar but not bad was the marketing method. I thought it seemed like they were carefully delivering the contents that they had worked hard to accompany various events offline,” he mentioned the impressive marketing method.

When asked if Netflix has any requirements, CEO Kim Soo-ah said, “I hope there will be more entertainment in Korea. I think there will be more Korean IPs representing Netflix. There were many cases where production was done per week, so the cycle was fast. I know that Korean Netflix is trying to make a lot of effort to take that term flexibly,” he asked for concerns about entertainment production.

Representative Kim Ji-yeon said, “Since the success of Season 1 of Squid Game is giving us full support for Season 2, we hope that more active support will be given to works with such potential. I hope that Korean contents such as squid games will come out,” he said. CEO Byun Seung-min said, “When planning, I sometimes emphasize stimulating parts so that viewers do not deviate. In order to be sustainable and show fun, I think we can make it fun if we do it the way Netflix did best for a long time and accurately in marketing.”

Representative Lim Seung-yong said, “Creators who can produce good results can be prioritized over director Ki Sung, but shouldn’t there be a need to focus on Korean movies, dramas, and stories themselves. In addition, when a new face, actor Noh Yoon-seo of '20th Century Girl' came in, he just talked about the work itself. I look forward to moving forward with an open mind so that actors can enter the work anew.”

Reporter Lee Ha-neul, Ten Asia greenworld@tenasia.co.kr