TV
PD of 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon' makes comeback with 'Jjin Fan Area'
ENA&Channelship 5Ya's new entertainment show 'Jin Fan Zone' is the first sports entertainment show in which fans become the main characters. The first season contains the stories of Hanwha Eagles fans. Neutral Zone MC Jo Se-ho will be joined by Hanwha Eagles' regular fan members Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Tae-gyun, In Gyo-jin, and Lee Jang-won to show off the power of Hanwha's most popular fans in the entertainment industry. It will be co-produced by Studio Supadupa and Egg Is Coming and broadcast on ENA. , will be released simultaneously on YouTube Channel 15 Nights.
Above all, since 'Jjin Fan Zone' is the first sports entertainment show to feature fans rather than players as the main characters, the production team's aspect is also raising expectations. Despite the highest viewership rating of 3% and the average viewership rating of 1%, the self-generated fandom led to petitions against abolition and even truck protests, and Park In-seok, the producer of 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon', who gained great popularity among the 20s and 30s, resigned and joined as a freelance producer. It's the first work. Accordingly, PD Park In-seok draws attention by revealing his honest feelings about presenting 'Jjinfan Zone' to viewers in an interview.
Producer Park In-seok made a quick comeback by presenting 'Jjinfan Area' 3 months after 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon'. Ig said, "Players must play to maintain or improve their form. I think it is always better and more thankful to play than to rest. But in fact, if it were not for a professional baseball-related project, production would not have been possible this quickly. I don't think I would have gone in. I accepted the offer because the plan was interesting, but two days later, news of Ryu Hyun-jin's comeback arrived, and although I didn't expect that the Hanwha Eagles' performance this season attracted unprecedented attention, I feel good. So what happened? “It seems like the last few weeks have been really non-stop, with the premise of having to record everything from the opening game,” he said.
He continued, "Actually, I feel pressured. To be honest, I started 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon' without any pressure. I started with a bit of an empty mind, thinking that I wanted to do something fun with good people rather than good grades, and I received unexpected love. Now, I'm just a little bit anxious just because it's my first project after leaving the company. “I feel pressured, but at the same time I am also very excited. I am the same person and the same PD whether I am at the company or now outside. I plan to work hard as I always do,” he said.
Producer Park In-seok also honestly revealed the lingering feelings of his previous work, ‘The Tale of Hong Kim Dong’. He said, “I always miss you and always want to see you,” and “I also want to thank the members and production staff who worked hard together, as well as all the memories and moments of affection that fans have shown me in various ways. I want to say thank you once again to the fans who gave me so much love.” “I don’t know what else will happen in the PD’s life, but thanks to the fans, I think the moment I produced ‘Hong Kim Dong-jeon’ will be remembered as the happiest moment while living with the title of PD,” he said.
In addition, "The filming site staff for 'Jinfan Station' is mostly made up of directors from 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon', and many of the directing staff joined as soon as possible. I feel comforted while working with them, and I miss them even more. ' When I was first recording 'Jjin Fan Zone', my juniors who were assistant directors of 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon' came to the filming site as a surprise. I was really surprised and it was a great help. It really is a strange program until the very end. I am also in constant contact with the members. “Of course, if I get the chance, I would like to invite the ‘Hong Kim Dong-jeon’ members to the ‘Jjin Fan Area’ even if I am forced to do so,” he added.
In addition, he also mentioned the reason why he chose sports entertainment as his next project. Producer Park In-seok said, "I don't know if I can answer this in an interview, but the truth is, I'm crazy about sports. When I was young, I would sleep in late and if I didn't watch the morning sports news, I would roll over and cry. My future dream was to be a baseball player, and after realizing the reality of talent, When I dreamed of becoming a producer instead of a baseball player, I applied to other broadcasting companies as a sports producer rather than an entertainment producer. After people around me found out that I was doing this program, I received a lot of congratulatory calls, saying, 'You've finally gotten to do sports entertainment.' “He burst out laughing.
Not only that, “After the first recording, at least this is clear. It is a very real situation where no one is acting in a broadcast style, and it is a picture of a new entertainment that has never been seen before. It is difficult to say for sure whether it will do well or not, but it is still an obvious material. It seems to be a meaningful and exciting challenge rather than making an entertainment show with a realistic theme, so I like it. First of all, there is only one program like this in Korea, 'Jjinfan Zone'. That was a big factor in why I accepted this project in the first place. “It’s simple and new,” he said.
He also talked about why he chose the main character of the first season to be a Hanwha Eagles fan. Producer Park In-seok said, "When the program takes its first step, everyone will want to develop it into a long-running seasonal entertainment show. It would be great if the first season goes well and 'True Fan Zone' can expand in various ways. With the 'Hanwha Eagles' fan as the first main character," PD Park In-seok said. The reason for choosing it seems to be that ‘no one will object when choosing a Hanwha Eagles fan as the first protagonist.’ Thinking a bit broadly, this program cheers and supports a specific team and promotes a specific company. It is not a project to push forward. The basis lies in the 'underdog.' I believe that the hopeful message of baseball is that 'there is no law preventing today's last place from becoming tomorrow's first place, and a dramatic reversal awaits us in our lives at any time.' “I believe that it is permeating in. I wonder if there is a team that better matches this than the 2024 Hanwha Eagles,” he said.
'Jinfan Zone' is a program co-planned/produced by 'Supadupa' headed by PD Choi Jae-hyung, who directed '2 Days & 1 Night', 'Egg Is Coming' with producer Na Young-seok, and ENA, which has emerged as a dark horse. It is attracting attention because it is a new type of project that is released simultaneously on YouTube and YouTube. The feeling of working on a fresh project right after leaving the company must also be special. Regarding this, PD Park In-seok said, "I am so happy and excited about this unprecedented collaboration attempt. After leaving my job, my life became a bit unstable, but on the other hand, I learned about a much more flexible world. The world is changing. They say the broadcasting industry is in crisis, but A new model of the world has always been born in times of crisis. Supadupa, Egg Is Coming, and ENA, all of which are colorfully intertwined around the 'Jjinpan Zone', seem to be companies that are greedy for 'good content' rather than the existing framework and practices. “The field for flexible production has opened up, and I think all I have to do is do my best,” he said emphatically.
Producer Park In-seok also expressed his trust and affection for the cast of ‘Jjinfan District’. First, regarding Jo Se-ho, who is reuniting as the MC of 'Jjinfan District' following 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon', "When I received the proposal to plan this program, the first concern I heard was how to attract viewers who are not baseball fans to become loyal viewers of this program. We needed someone who could represent fans of various teams in a neutral area, sometimes represent viewers who don't know what to do, sometimes take care of guests, and sometimes make them laugh. In addition, another important role was thought to be to withstand the stress of fans of both teams. “It was like a punching bag to take on. That’s Jo Se-ho,” he said.
Regarding Cha Tae-hyun, "As the main character is a Hanwha Eagles fan, the person who comes to mind first is of course Cha Tae-hyun. When I was on '2 Days & 1 Night' with Cha Tae-hyun, this person was watching Hanwha games whenever he got the chance. And he felt good. He said, "He didn't like me at all (laughter). And he is a person surrounded by such goodwill that I wonder how many people in Korea dislike Cha Tae-hyun. He is actually a good person. I thought he would be a good central axis of the program." .
Regarding Kim Tae-gyun, "Kim Tae-gyun was one of the players who received the most love from fans during his playing days. Now, I wanted to see him become a fan again and show his support to others. That's how different the story and emotions will be from other fans." I thought it would be possible. Hanwha fans like Kim Tae-gyun at the plate, but I think they would also love Kim Tae-gyun cheering next to me and send infinite support with a very loving heart. And when I actually met him, his tone of voice was very bright, starting with his impressions. “He was young,” he said, expressing his expectations.
Producer Park In-seok also revealed an unexpected side of In Gyo-jin, saying, "When I monitored a few broadcasts, In Gyo-jin had madness in her eyes. If you look at the MBTI information, it says she is an introvert (I), so I thought this person might not be normal." In fact, while meeting, I was reminded of Kim Jun-ho, who I had worked with on '2 Days & 1 Night'. He is a very sensible and funny person with facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, and energy. After meeting In Gyo-jin, I thought, 'Ah, that's it. I can do it.' “I heard,” he said, raising curiosity.
Regarding Lee Jang-won, "Cha Tae-hyun recommended it a lot. He said, 'I want to boast that there are brains like this among Hanwha fans.' It seemed like he was sincere," and "In fact, my wife is a fan of the Peppertones for a long time. She led me to the Peppertones concert. When I went to the show, I felt that Lee Jang-won was full of sense in every word he said, even though he didn't say much. When I thought about the combination, rather than people with the same tension and characters, people with slightly different determination were mixed under the name 'Jjinfan'. “I thought the program could develop in a much more three-dimensional way,” he said.
Finally, regarding Kim Hwan, "In fact, Mr. Kim Hwan contacted me first, saying, 'I'm a true fan too,' while a plan for a 'true fan zone' was circulating in the industry. Suddenly, back in the day, when I was directing the YouTube channel 'Gura Cheol', I was introduced to the old line. I remembered that Mr. Kim Hwan appeared on the show. It was really funny at the time. How can I say it? There was a salty fight. In a way, it matched the color of Hanwha, the team I support. After seeing his performance during the first recording, I thought it was all right. “He said. In addition, he said, "All of them became close friends after one recording. It was a quick friendship created by the cultural base called 'Hanwha Eagles'. Every day, the group chat room is on fire."
Producer Park In-seok revealed the secret story, "Actually, I really wanted to hire a female MC or a female Hanwha fan. But I received a lot of rejections." He added, "The project called 'Jinfan Zone' had more barriers to entry than expected. 'Channel Ship Five Nights' Both ENA and ENA are young channels, and the program production direction that I also aim for is to make them young. It has already been quite some time since baseball content began to appeal to young female fans. We hope that many young female performers will appear, whether as regulars or guests. “I hope you will expand the horizons of this program,” he said, drawing attention by leaving an enthusiastic love call.
Producer Park In-seok said, "We plan to diversify the composition as each episode progresses. We plan to include more diverse and desperate cheers by inviting ordinary Hanwha fans, and we plan to continue knocking on celebrity fans of all ages and genders who support various teams. This program "It is not a 'good-to-know zone' but a 'deep-fan zone.' I think it is a place that anyone can enjoy if they are happy with the one point our team scored and are upset by a small mistake," he said, adding about the direction of the program and watching. By conveying the key points, it raised expectations for the birth of a sports entertainment that not only Hanwha fans but also baseball fans and viewers can enjoy.
The first sports entertainment show with fans as the main characters, 'Jjin Fan Zone', will be broadcast on ENA at 7 PM on Monday, April 8th without baseball, and will be released simultaneously on Channel 15.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
