Saram Entertainment’s Soyoung Lee Plots Global Gains

With a client list that includes stars from global hits like Squid Game and Pachinko, Soyoung Lee, CEO and founder of South Korean talent agency Saram Entertainment, tells World Screen about how the company is riding the continued Korean wave worldwide.

WS: Tell us about how you’ve built Saram into a powerhouse Korean agency over the last two decades.
LEE: As a founder, since I have led the business for 25 years (10 years of marketing and 15 years of entertainment), I’ve been asking myself and my employees the following questions constantly: How is the world changing, and how will we change accordingly? When faced with such questions, the employees of each department of Saram Entertainment always provide me with smart options. I have been trying to make the best decisions utilizing this information, which has given me some deep inspiration. In the end, I believe that those moments of choices and decisions came together to create Saram Entertainment, which is what the world sees today.

WS: What has the success of Squid Game, Pachinko and more meant for your clients exploring opportunities outside of Korea?
LEE: I think those projects have served as a signal that Korean artists can now become global artists and perform worldwide. Even if the languages and cultures are different, the achievements of the creative teams and actors behind Squid Game and Pachinko are an example that good stories, great content and talented artists can be praised and loved by people all over the world. In addition, when watching these projects succeed, I think there will be an opportunity for overseas industries and big studios to turn their attention to creatives and actors of various ethnic backgrounds that they previously hadn’t worked with due to differences in language and culture. People will now get more opportunities from their unique charm, fresh face and character individuality rather than being considered for the actor’s race.

WS: For some, the emergence of Korea as a content hotspot has been a surprise, but this has been a long-in-the-works strategy. I understand government support has been beneficial.
LEE: As the industrial value of content is set high, support can be provided at the government level or anywhere. However, the content industry is different from other developed industries by providing physical support under someone’s initiative. Korean content is so popular worldwide because creators, artists, staff, and even those who create business model systems and supporting programs can show it to a greater audience through each type of content. Various people in unsung jobs or behind-the-scenes work also have contributed together through their knowledge and expertise accumulated over a long time. Like me, those who work in the Korean industry all believe in the power of story, the originality, and the amazing power it contains. This means that content starts with the power of a single story that can move everyone’s heart. The power of content, which is highly regarded in Korea now, ultimately starts with the story. For a long time, many Korean directors and artists have worked hard, and there are so many storytellers who have and will continue to create amazing stories and great content.

WS: What other conditions are in place in Korea that have helped foster this highly creative landscape?
LEE: The reason Korean content is both creative and attractive comes from the high expectations the Korean audience sets for quality programming. The Korean public has excellent taste and has come to expect fresh programming with compelling narratives and strong casts. Of course, it also has to be visually solid to catch the audience’s attention. The same goes for music because you can’t forget the pleasure of listening.

Additionally, the content industry has grown amid a tremendous survival from a competition where movies and dramas will naturally be eliminated if they do not meet the highest standards and tastes of the public. The producers and creators with craftsmanship in each field put their respective philosophies and values into this huge story. They rarely neglect to develop a way to communicate with the public. In this way, the Korean content industry leads us into a higher and more evolved place where our audiences and the public shape the growth.

WS: Tell us about how talent management firms like yours work within the Korean landscape. How is it different from U.S. agencies?
LEE: Korean management companies differ a lot in size and personality from one company to another, so I don’t think I should say that my current story applies equally to all management companies. Saram Entertainment is one of the largest management companies in Korea in terms of size. Our company is internally divided into many departments with various professionals from specialized backgrounds to support one actor; the management team oversees casting and scheduling, the PR team delegates domestic media, the advertising team handles advertising contracts and hosting, the global team leads global affairs opportunities, the casting strategy team manages scripts and offers, the media content team monitors and creates in-house content on YouTube and various new media platforms, and the administration strategy team is in charge of the contract, legal issues and overall company management support.

In other words, when an actor reviews and starts a project, Saram Entertainment’s system will support the client from start to finish. The scenario and data analyzed through the casting strategy team are delivered to the actor. Then, the management team exchanges opinions with the production company, which then focuses on matching actors and roles that can create the most positive synergy. After the casting is confirmed, we provide physical and emotional support so that the actor can perform better in their best conditions. When they start shooting, 24/7 support is provided so the actor can perform well. And when the project is released, the PR team conducts PR activities to ensure that there is media interest in the actor. The advertising team creates great advertising contracts and takes care of the actors on the advertising scene. The global team builds strategic relationships with overseas PR agencies for these actors or businesses that utilize various pipelines to run works overseas.

The biggest difference between Korean management companies and U.S.-based ones is that we have teams such as public relations, legal and advertising in one organization. In contrast, in the U.S., these are handled by various individuals or companies. The business model is an excellent advantage to Korean management companies as we can create a synergistic branding strategy for each actor.

WS: What can American agencies learn from the Korean model? And vice versa?
LEE: Korea and the United States have entirely different systems. Korea has expertise in allowing multiple teams to move systematically and conduct integrated branding strategies within a company for one actor. Because each department of the U.S. agency is subdivided and divided, it is possible to expand each professional more independently to produce results for actors. Since each other’s strengths and personalities are clear, I think we can achieve better results if we benchmark the factors that can be taken in each system.

Additionally, the U.S. agency and the Korean management company are systematically entirely different, creating a more positive top-level synergy in carrying out various projects and actors’ businesses together. When you work, sometimes it’s completely different, so sometimes it suits you better. Partnering with many foreign agents, we can expect amazing journeys and positive results that we never imagined.