A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 95
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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 95
“No, there’s no reason it can’t work, right? I told Dohyeon-u it would work out too.”
“Why don’t you just become the manager yourself?”
The SBX manager grumbled as he continued speaking.
“It’s ominous.”
“Ominous? Manager, did you get your fortune told?”
“No, think about it. What happened when Youngpal went up against Accomplice? Youngpal got ruined, right?”
“Not completely ruined. They did well overseas.”
“Anyway, they died domestically. Then what happened when Oxygen Warning went up against Handtip Crawl? It got blown away, right?”
“Hey, it didn’t get blown away. The ratings were actually good.”
“But it lost in terms of buzz. Considering the guarantee we gave Taeung, would that be satisfying?”
“Well… that’s true.”
The manager said while spinning his pen.
“We’re also doing Writer Moon A-yeong’s project with Tivic, right? Why would we need to help out a competing work?”
“What competing work? It’s a web drama. The release timing will be completely different.”
“Still, let’s not do ominous things. Honestly, how much would we get for licensing fees? Just a measly 5 or 6 thousand, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Let’s say we get executive approval and receive 5 thousand. But what if the web drama becomes a huge hit? The executives will complain about why we sold it when we don’t even have SVOD rights, right?”
5 thousand is big money, but it’s not money going into the manager’s pocket.
So it’s better to just stay put.
The manager doesn’t lose anything by not selling the rights.
It was a simple calculation.
“So it really can’t be done?”
“No. Tell them we can’t give it. Anyway, he’s the guy who ruined Youngpal, so there’s no need to show mercy, right? That Oh Ji-tae guy is still a wreck.”
“What wreck? I saw him eating well in the company cafeteria.”
“He’s scared to film projects. If a PD can’t film projects, isn’t he a wreck?”
“Sigh. I understand. I’ll make up something nice to tell Dohyeon-u.”
It was the moment when CP Nam, who had made bold promises to Dohyeon-u, was about to get up from his seat with a sigh.
“No, wait a minute.”
“Yes?”
“Hold on.”
The manager, who had been thinking deeply about something, opened his mouth.
“Was I being too passive?”
“About what?”
“We have the rights. So we could film it ourselves, couldn’t we?”
“You want us to film Push and Pull Season 2? Without any plan?”
“Who told you to film it?”
The manager looked at CP Nam with disdain and said.
“We should have Dohyeon-u film it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You, go find out through SSK how obsessed Dohyeon-u is with that project. Ju Yeong-hun, right? I heard he doesn’t get along with Dohyeon-u. Dig into that side.”
“What if he is obsessed?”
“I told you. We’ll have Dohyeon-u film it. We keep the project and settle it with outsourcing fees, wouldn’t that work? That’s what SSK does anyway.”
Strictly speaking, SSK isn’t an outsourcing service, so they don’t make projects without equity rights.
The only time they produce without equity rights is when the project scale is so huge that production outsourcing alone generates sufficient profit.
But there’s always a way.
CP Nam, who finally understood the manager’s intention, said.
“Would a web drama be profitable?”
“Does it make sense to crush Youngpal with 8 unknown actors? That was your project, wasn’t it?”
“…I have nothing to say.”
“And does it have to be a web drama? We have a YouTube channel too, and if needed, we could plan something like a mini-drama. Remember what MBX tried before? It failed spectacularly though.”
The manager continued.
“Dohyeon-u has ability. Whatever he makes, wouldn’t there be places to use it?”
“That’s true.”
“So first, go get the information. I’ll look into it too.”
“What if Dohyeon-u is completely obsessed?”
“What do you mean what?”
The manager’s lips curved upward.
“It’s simple.”
* * *
“500 million?”
Am I losing my mind?
I’m hearing things.
“You meant 5 thousand, right?”
He must have felt the absurdity in my voice, but CP Nam Yeong-su’s face remained calm.
“I didn’t know either, but the manager had a project he was preparing.”
“A project?”
“Yes. It’s not specifically decided on 【Push and Pull】, but he wants to produce Season 2 of masterpiece dramas that have received a lot of love from viewers. Push and Pull is on that list too.”
That’s ridiculous.
Even if the manager’s plan is real, I’d bet my salary that Push and Pull isn’t on that list.
Why?
Because there’s no SVOD.
It would be too big a project to proceed with just overseas licensing rights.
“So he says he has no intention of selling the rights, but I felt bad about my bold promise, so I somehow brought this.”
“And the result is 500 million?”
CP Nam’s friendly smile hardened.
He must have felt the discomfort in my voice.
Am I some kind of two-faced man?
Hong Writer thought I was arrogant and prickly, but the broadcasting station treats me like a pushover.
“Director Do. If you’re too sharp with me, I feel uncomfortable. Do you think I want to do this? I’m uncomfortable being stuck in the middle.”
“Yes. I’m sorry. But 500 million is an amount I absolutely cannot accept.”
“Then how about this? Our manager thinks highly of Director Do’s abilities. He says you’re someone who would do well at anything.”
“I’m grateful.”
“We’ll cover the licensing fee, so how about SBX producing with SSK attached?”
SSK should attach?
It’s probably not about sharing equity in a drama worth over a billion.
“You’re not suggesting production outsourcing, are you?”
“It sounds like that when put that way… But we shouldn’t see this as an independent job, should we? Now that SSK is independent, there’s a mountain of work to do with us, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I heard SSK is also handling Writer Moon A-yeong’s project. Then we’re in the same boat… Couldn’t you think of it as getting our hands in sync first?”
Ah, so since SSK became independent, terrestrial broadcasting became a big client?
And if you don’t want to be hated by big clients, you should do outsourcing production service once.
“If you don’t like that, there’s also a way for SSK to take responsibility for part of the production cost and share equity.”
“What would you estimate the total production cost to be?”
“We’d have to cast the original actors, and the original director’s fee has gone up a lot… We can’t leave out the location shoots and props that were symbolic in the original, right? Visual beauty and mise-en-scène are naturally things we have to take care of.”
He’s long-winded.
“Including licensing fees, I think around 5 billion would be appropriate.”
“5 billion? This is more expensive than Accomplice? Accomplice’s net production cost was around 3.5 billion, wasn’t it?”
Perhaps embarrassed by his own words, CP Nam cleared his throat.
But his attitude hadn’t changed.
“Well, that’s because it was unknown actors and an unknown writer. There was hardly any location shooting either, right?”
In other words, whether we do external production or secure equity with a 5 billion valuation, figure it out yourself.
From SBX’s perspective, there’s nothing to lose.
Wow, this level of shamelessness is actually a talent.
Thanks to that, my head cleared completely.
“Thank you, CP. For speaking so honestly.”
“Not at all. This might seem like an unreasonable request, but if you break it down one by one…”
“No, that’s not it. The company was telling me not to do it and I was stubbornly insisting, but with this, there seems to be no way.”
I smiled at CP Nam.
“It was a project I really wanted to do, so it’s quite disappointing.”
“What? Then…”
“I’ll cheer you on as a viewer.”
* * *
“He says he won’t do it?”
The Manager leisurely spoke while drinking coffee.
“He won’t do it?”
“Yes. He left without looking back.”
“How was the meeting atmosphere?”
“He was kind of arrogant? Clearly showing he was in a bad mood.”
“Really? Looks like we scratched him properly. Good job.”
“Of course.”
To be honest, from a certain point, Dohyeon-u’s atmosphere felt ominous so I couldn’t scratch him.
But it sounded like admitting I was scared, so I didn’t say it out loud.
“Don’t worry. Dohyeon-u will do this.”
“How do you know?”
“Hong Writer called me. She wants to try it lightly and asked for copyright permission at a reasonable level.”
“Ah…!”
“I don’t know how much Dohyeon-u offered Hong Writer, but he’s making an effort, right? And you know what’s even more amazing?”
“What is it?”
“This is being done instead of Moon Ah-yeong’s project.”
“What? Does that make sense?”
Nam Yeong-su frowned.
“Even if Handtip Crawl exploded, would SSK assign a safe tentpole to Dohyeon-u? There are many seniors there, right?”
“It was Writer Moon Ah-yeong’s request. She’s rivals with Hong Hee-yeong.”
“Ah, that’s right?”
“Right. Plus, Dohyeon-u had dissed Oxygen Warning. How happy would Moon Ah-yeong be to bring Dohyeon-u over? Anyway, since Director Kim Dae-hyeon is a principled person, the CE’s role won’t be that big either.”
“Then it makes sense.”
The Manager nodded.
“From what I found out, it seems like CEO Han Seong-hun told him to prove himself with free production since he dissed Moon Ah-yeong’s project? As a CEO, it’s annoying. Leaving profitable work to do unprofitable work.”
“Then Dohyeon-u is in a tight spot?”
“Right. He wants to do it himself, and the CEO is giving him hints… No wonder he got angry at you? If he was really going to drop it completely, he would have left with a smile.”
CP Nam Yeong-su, who had been thinking deeply, nodded.
“I heard that too. That Dohyeon-u is incredibly stubborn despite his appearance. Even during his tadpole days, he insisted on casting 8 unknown actors.”
“Right. He’s definitely going to do this.”
Then there was a knock at the door.
“Who’s here?”
“Oh, I called him.”
The one who opened the door and entered was PD Oh Ji-tae, who had been Youngpal’s main director.
“You were looking for me?”
“Hey, Oh Ji-tae. Are you going to keep playing around?”
“I’m not playing around…”
“You’re making season 2 of this.”
The Manager pointed to the proposal on the table.
【Push and Pull】 Season 2.
20 minutes X 12 episodes.
Oh Ji-tae picked up the proposal with a puzzled expression.
“Suddenly make Push and Pull season 2? In a 20-minute format?”
“Dohyeon-u was really into this. He came to buy the rights from us, but I thought of you and turned him down.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. Don’t you have confidence to make it?”
“No! I do!”
The Manager chuckled and said.
“Go out and start development. When material development is finished, report directly to me.”
A moment later, after Oh Ji-tae left, CP Nam Yeong-su looked puzzled.
“Are you going with two tracks? Developing it directly too?”
“What two tracks when we don’t even have a plan? It’s obviously a bluff.”
“Ah…”
“Dohyeon-u, that guy apparently has pretty good information networks. I’m showing him. That we’re serious too.”
The Manager smiled.
“That should drain all his arrogant attitude, right?”
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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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