A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 105
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Director Who Dominates OTT
Episode 105
Action 14. Taking and Being Taken
-hahaha anyone who saw the recommendations tab while it was changed hahaha
-? Why the recommendation tab
-Let’s just go and see what happens lol
-??
-The push and pull is trending? What is this lol
-DNA match 100% lololol At this point, isn’t Netflix basically guaranteeing that Basa = Push and Pull Season 2?
-But the production company is absolutely denying it and refusing to admit it lol
-Author Hong Hee-young also denied it on social media lol but apologized saying there might have been self-plagiarism lol
-lol but why are you apologizing lololol
-Playing peekaboo without covering your eyes lol
-I know someone in the drama industry, they said Dohyeon-u wanted to do Milddang Season 2 but SBX demanded an insane amount for the rights
-How much?
-Can’t know exactly but estimated between 500 million to 1 billion won.
-Crazy, that’s too greedy for a 10-year-old drama.
-Is that a lot? Don’t dramas usually cost tens of billions to make?
-No no, it’s not selling the IP, demanding that amount just for ‘permission to make Season 2’ is ridiculous.
-SBX Look at those idiots getting their asses kicked lol They should have put the changed relationship on the channel and reorganized the push-and-pull.
-For real, they would’ve gotten at least 5% viewership
-They hastily put up reruns but it’s pointless. People go straight to “Netflix”
-hahahahahahahaha
* * *
Just like with Accomplice and Handtip Crawl, I still believe in the power that works possess.
Good works have more power than people think, and 【Push and Pull】 was a very good work.
I’m not saying this because it exceeded 25% viewership, swept all the awards that year, and made tremendous money.
That’s important too, but more than that, watching Milddang reminds me of myself in 2020.
When theater troupes were closing due to the pandemic aftermath, when I was frustrated wondering if I quit university for nothing, when I cried looking at Mother’s photo.
After working delivery all day, I’d come home and laugh watching this drama.
I wouldn’t be the only one.
When people openly said the terrestrial viewership ceiling was 15%, this work brought a quarter of the entire nation in front of their TVs.
People definitely found comfort in this work.
That’s why I chose this drama…
[【Push and Pull】, reverse hit syndrome after 10 years? Enters Netflix TOP 10!]
[【Changed Sides】, opening the era of short dramas? This week’s content power ranking 6th place!]
That’s why the reverse hit syndrome doesn’t feel like a big deal.
It’s a bit awkward to say this during such a touching moment, but we also spent an enormous amount on marketing.
【Changed Sides】 didn’t choose the usual drama marketing approach of maximum long-term, frequent exposure.
Instead, we poured all our firepower into 2 weeks.
To a degree that wouldn’t lose to Hollywood’s hundred-billion-won blockbusters.
Because I believed that once we could just light the spark, the rest would take care of itself.
So did my method work?
-10 years ago I stopped watching because all the crying over love seemed pathetic… but watching it now that I’m older feels different.
-Me too… I miss those times.
-10 years ago I couldn’t understand U-yeon pushing away Destiny? But after becoming a working adult, I get it.
-These days at work, there’s nothing but talk about coincidence and inevitability lol
Of course.
* * *
“Wow, how is this happening?”
“What does Dohyeon-u see? How does he make a 10-year-old drama reverse hit with a web drama?”
“Netflix is crazy right now. They’re burning insane money on Basa and Milddang.”
“I get Milddang, but why Basa?”
“I heard Netflix holds some shares in that.”
“Really? Netflix invested shares in that tiny drama?”
“Not that, maybe Dohyeon-u sold the broadcasting rights cheap?”
“Wow… He’s cunning.”
Working in the showbiz industry, you often witness incomprehensible syndromes.
A girl group on the verge of disbandment gets their life reversed by one fancam, one horse dance brings down Billboard, a demon-slaying idol animation conquers the world, that kind.
There’s a reason they say don’t try to interpret syndromes.
But this case was a bit different.
Dohyeon-u cast Hong Hee-yeong, Lee Eun-su, Go Eun-a, and Ji Seok-u from the start.
Meaning, he intended from the beginning to link the web drama with Milddang for one big hit.
This kind of thing usually ends in failure and becomes people’s laughingstock, but Dohyeon-u was different.
Because tremendous buzz came rolling in.
The buzz was so big that a challenge of watching Milddang while wearing 2020 clothes became popular.
Those who were students wore school uniforms, those who were soldiers wore military uniforms, those who gained weight wore clothes that looked ready to burst.
Of course, among them, handsome and pretty influencers were showing off their unchanged bodies and faces.
He had properly caught the wave.
At this point, whether ‘Changed Sides’ secured Milddang’s rights or not became meaningless.
-No matter how I look at it, the title ‘Changed Sides’ seems perfect.
-Yeah, while time changed… while relationships changed… it’s very ambiguous.
-Oh really? I thought it only meant U-yeon and Destiny’s stances changed.
A binge-watching craze also hit, starting with ‘Push and Pull’ and ending with ‘Changed Sides’.
When the situation became like this, some very embarrassed people appeared.
“Ah, damn. We should have done it when Dohyeon-u suggested it!”
“But Team Leader An said it was ambiguous too?”
“Even if it was ambiguous, I said we should at least have a meeting! I said Dohyeon-u isn’t someone who would do pointless things!”
It was the entertainment companies that had turned away from Dohyeon-u’s casting rounds.
Can’t do it because it’s a web drama, can’t do it because rights aren’t cleared, can’t do it because there’s source material…
All the things they said became stupid nonsense from idiots.
What’s more amazing is that Dohyeon-u told the truth every time.
“The rights will be cleared soon, and although it’s a web drama, we’re aiming to get it on OTT.”
“Moreover, because there’s source material, I think it will transcend the limitations of the web drama format.”
Looking at it now, nothing he said was wrong.
“Ah damn… If he had such plans, he could have been more specific…”
Those who just rejected Dohyeon-u’s casting proposals were still okay.
It’s a bit disappointing but they could catch the next opportunity.
“President. I heard something… You didn’t give him advice and hassle him in front of Dohyeon-u, did you?”
“…”
“You didn’t, right?”
“…”
“Ah, President!”
Those who mocked Dohyeon-u’s choices and actions were the real problem.
If there were those screaming in panic at 【Changed Sides】’s success, there were also those screaming in joy.
D.P Studio who hit a home run from their first production, Surfer Entertainment who gladly lent Oh Ha-eun, Hong Hee-yeong searching for neighborhood resident Moon Ah-yeong,
SSK who grabbed 30%, Netflix who took 25%, and Kim Tae-seong receiving love calls from pouring agencies…
But there were also those who welcomed a slightly different form of joy.
“If we announce it now, it might sound like marketing… It’s also funny to hold a press conference for something like this.”
“So I think it would be better to consult with Director Dohyeon-u first.”
“R-really? You two?”
“Yes. Seriously.”
Ji Seok-u and Go Eun-a had actually become a couple.
It wasn’t particularly strange.
They had shared their most shining moments together, went through similar hardships afterward, and were now shining together again.
They had started dating while meeting separately to prepare their acting, determined to make this project a success.
From around the time filming ended.
Given their age, both were seriously considering marriage.
Even Dohyeon-u, who had most situations figured out in his head, had never considered this possibility.
‘Should I reveal this? What if it gets treated as marketing like you said? Things are already going well, so do we need to add more? What would be the wise choice for both of you?’
What ultimately came out of Dohyeon-u’s mouth was a request for time to think, but…
There was no need for that.
[The Birth of a Coincidental yet Destined Couple?]
[Ji Seok-u and Go Eun-a, Love Riding the Spring Breeze!]
Paparazzi shots of the two strolling along the Han River made headlines.
At first, there was suspicion that they might be a showwindow couple.
“I don’t know about Go Eun-a, but I want to get married.”
Ji Seok-u’s bold statement turned the situation around.
His straightforward approach without backing down triggered people’s enthusiastic reactions.
“But how long have you two been dating…?”
Dohyeon-u, who was a capital T when it came to anything except work, couldn’t understand it to the end.
Anyway, it was inevitable that the buzz around 【Milddang】 and 【Changed Relationship】 would explode uncontrollably.
[【Milddang】 enters TOP 3. Makes new history.]
[【Changed Relationship】 overcomes disadvantage of 20-minute episode format and enters TOP 10!]
-SBX is so fucking stupid lololol
-These guys are seriously thick-headed lol
-What’s the point of reruns? Who looks up broadcast schedules to watch reruns these days?
-Peasant channels that don’t support 1.25x speed…
With the situation like this, SBX could no longer turn a blind eye.
* * *
“Secure the project.”
“The thing is…”
“Whether you buy the IP with money or persuade Dohyeon-u with words, Manager Park, you’re responsible.”
“President. What people are saying…”
“Who cares about public opinion? The problem is that we can’t do anything!”
From SBX’s perspective, it was an unfair situation.
It was true that Milddang was trending, true that rerun ratings were decent, and true that overseas licensing inquiries were pouring in.
But now people viewed ‘Milddang’ and ‘Changed Relationship’ as one set.
The perception that you had to watch ‘Changed Relationship’ to complete the entire journey of the work.
So it was really awkward to do anything with just Milddang’s rights.
The responsibility for this situation had to be borne by the manager who had ruined the licensing deal.
“…I’ll try to make it work somehow.”
The manager left the president’s office lost in thought.
‘Let’s think realistically.’
Even if they offered 200%, no, 300% of the production cost, there was no way Dohyeon-u would sell the IP.
Paying 100% of production cost plus alpha to buy pre-launch IP meant taking on the risk, but the work had already become a hit.
There was only one possible method.
Securing overseas distribution rights.
While Netflix had the subscription-based SVOD revenue model, bundling rights to sell to overseas broadcasters was also big money.
For that…
‘Let’s start with a gift.’
Just hand over Milddang’s rights for free.
Then attach title sponsorship under the name of production support.
Getting millions of won in revenue just by adding ‘Milddang Season 2’ to the title?
There was no reason to refuse.
Everyone knew that ‘Changed Relationship’ was the sequel to ‘Milddang’.
That’s what he thought, but…
“5 billion should make it possible.”
“Wh-what? 5 billion?”
“Yes.”
“Director Do! Do you think that makes sense? Asking for 5 billion just to attach a title?”
“Yes.”
“Are you calling that reasonable…!”
“Manager.”
Dohyeon-u smiled as he interrupted the manager.
“Isn’t the side holding something important the one with power?”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Amoy Sisiw
That was cathartic.