Kim Yong-man, CEO of 'Kim's Video', what is the story of receiving a complaint from American lawyers?

CEO Kim Yong-man mentioned the New York cinema 'Kim's Video', a frequent store for Robert De Niro, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese.

Kim Yong-man, CEO of New York's 'Kim's Video', appeared as a guest on the tvN entertainment program 'You Quiz on the Block' (hereinafter referred to as 'You Quiz'), which aired on the 8th.

On this day, CEO Kim Yong-man talked about Kim's Video, a famous video rental store in New York. MC Yoo Jae-seok briefly introduced Kim's video. Starting with its first store in 1986, Kim's Video is a video rental store with a collection of 300,000 movies and 250,000 members. He then said, “I am the CEO of Kim’s Video, a cinema paradise in New York that is a favorite store for Robert De Niro, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese.”

CEO Kim Yong-man revealed that Todd Phillips, director of the movie 'Joker', was an employee of Kim's Video and even fired him. When asked about the reason for his dismissal, CEO Kim Yong-man did not say anything, saying, "Something like that happened to me in the US. It's company business, and that friend is also active and has honor (laughter)." He also revealed an anecdote about Kim's video appearing in the ending credits special dance at the end of director Quentin Tarantino's movie 'Kill Bill 1'.

CEO Kim Yong-man, who has a special interest in independent films, also singled out independent films as a factor in Kim's Video's success. CEO Kim Yong-man said, "There are two American film industries. There are commercial films representing Hollywood and underground cultural independent films. Kim's Video was the cradle of independent films from the 1980s to 2010. I also made films when I was a student. "I couldn't find an audience to show the film to. I started with the intention that if I made an independent film, Kim's Video would help me reach the audience as much as possible," he said. He added, "So, my favorite section of Kim's Video is student films. The Hollywood stars who visit also play supporting roles in Kim's Video."

When asked how he manages 250,000 members, CEO Kim Yong-man said, "In the beginning, I received $200. The deposit I had was about $40 to $50 million. I always had $40 to $50 million in the bank. 100%. “I gave it all back,” he said. CEO Kim Yong-man, who said that he had suffered a lot due to copyright issues as he ran a video rental store, said, "Copyright lawyers sued me a lot. Columbia Pictures also sued Kim's Video. They brought 50 police officers down, shut down the store, and the manager “We arrested about 10 level employees and confiscated the main server and all related materials,” he recalled of the situation at the time.

CEO Kim Yong-man, who revealed that Kim's Video started streaming before Netflix, currently the most famous streaming service, said, "Members have decreased by 30% since 2005. (So) we prepared a lot for the new wave. We created a database. “It wasn’t enough to pour water into a pot that was running out of money. In the meantime, Netflix came in,” he explained.

CEO Kim Yong-man, who said he donated the video tapes in the store, said, "We donated about 300,000. 30,000 to Dongguk University, 30,000 to the Korea National University of Arts Film Institute, 45,000 to Columbia University, and the State University of New Jersey. “I donated 35,000 to .”

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