FEATURE
Na Yeong-seok is this year’s god of communication
Revered producer had his finger on the pulse of YouTube throughout 2023
2023.12.26
Credit
Article. Myeongseok Kang
Photo Credit. Channel Fullmoon YouTube

On December 5, producer Na Yeong-seok livestreamed on YouTube with Jungnam Bae to respond to a Short that had accused him of cutting his losses with Bae by cutting all ties. After an hour of livestreaming—during which Na said, “Let’s show them the miracle of burying a toxic Short with a positive one”—the two put up a succinct Short on Channel Fullmoon to clarify their position. The video manages to present inconvertible evidence against the rumor in the span of just 50 seconds. And the plan to “bury” the rumor is working: Searching for the two men’s names on YouTube now returns the original stream at the top of the results. There are also several Shorts summarizing the same video. The rumor can’t be pushed away completely—the problematic Short had been viewed eight million times when they did the livestream, and searching about Na and Bae calling it quits still throws up Shorts that claim the rumor to be true—but at least Na and Bae’s video comes up first now, which will also lead people to leave comments explaining the truth on videos that spread the rumor, and the men’s own Short explaining the situation pops up alongside the problematic one. 

On May 12, YouTuber Calm Down Man invited Na onto his channel for a livestream. Then, on May 26, Na went on Channel Fullmoon and streamed for the first time, explaining that he learned how to stream on YouTube thanks to that invitation. Previous to that stream, the bread and butter of the channel was the celebrity quiz show The Game Caterers (the first part of the third episode of the series’ second season, featuring artists under HYBE, remains the channel’s most-watched video with over 4.6 million views as of December 17). There never used to be a way for the channel to clear up rumors, like the one concerning Na and Bae, for example. But in just six months’ time, Na has figured out how to successfully fight back against badmouthing through YouTube Shorts and streams. He devotes much of his two-and-a-half-hours-long first stream to the career of his writing partner Kim Dae Ju, with whom Na has created several shows. It’s a rather modest approach to a YouTube debut for the famed producer of such hits as 2 Days & 1 Night and Earth Arcade, both of which appeared on regular old TV (KBS and tvN, respectively). As it turns out, Kim has gone on to co-host the stream again and again, the pair trying out such popular YouTuber activities as reading the Na Yeong-seok entry on website namuwiki and streaming games together. The behind-the-scenes series starts out with Kim but Na goes on to bring on employees at Egg Is Coming, his content creation agency, as well as writers of popular Netflix series like Siren: Survive the Island and The Devil’s Plan—a move from a small group of friends to a more diverse guest list and covering more ground. Despite his background in legacy media, Na has fully embraced the YouTube format.

The first episode of the second season of actor Lee Seo Jin’s show NEWYORK NEWYORK, which follows Lee and Na as they explore New York City, is titled, “We’re back after 4 years, downgraded more than ever!” The title derives from how Lee responds when asked how shooting the show has changed since the first season four years earlier: “It’s … downgraded,” he says. The show is filmed with a barebones crew and the kind of cameras a tourist might carry around with them—which explains why an on-screen caption compares one of the camerapeople to a pro YouTuber. When Egg Is Coming moved headquarters to a building that gave them rooftop access, Na started the series Sizzling with Na, a show where he barbecues with Jung Woo Sung and Hwang Jung-min. Na also previously started the show Nattering with Na by eating delivery food with Lee in a poorly lit room inside the Egg Is Coming offices. Producing such scaled-back, “downgraded” shows would be rather difficult in the world of traditional media. Sizzling with Na is essentially just a retooling of that earlier show, and in similar fashion, the show turns into Chatting with Na when he has a larger group of guests, like the many members of SEVENTEEN—the kind of change that a show on traditional TV would struggle to make. Na runs with the freedom YouTube provides to slash away at legacy media’s old way of doing things, giving birth to something entirely new in the process. Hwang looks comfortable out of the studio and in natural light as he grills up some meat, discussing his debut in the film The General’s Son, his love of theater, and how he felt about seeing Oppenheimer. He jumps between these points of conversation, but it all goes to show how tightly intertwined his life and his career in movies are. Viewers are treated to the actor’s natural way of speaking and expressing himself as he weaves between topics as well.
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Na may see his current stint at Channel Fullmoon as having been a long time in the making. He’s been filming on location rather than on sets ever since 2 Days & 1 Night (KBS), even giving the people who appeared on the show a camera to walk around with the same way travel YouTubers film themselves today. And his current practice of talking to staff and crew on his livestreams has its roots in the KBS series as well, where Na often had behind-the-scenes workers appear in the episodes. He worked with 2 Days & 1 Night alumni Kang Ho Dong, Eun Jiwon, and Lee Su Geun when making New Journey to the West (tvN), and also created several shows revolving around another of the show’s alumni, Lee Seo Jin, from Grandpas Over Flowers to Youn’s Kitchen (tvN). Even from his days in traditional media, Na was already creating an arc that extended between different shows based on the relationships between the people who appeared on them. And whereas that continuity suffered from fragmentation back then, on YouTube, such continuity is key to tying all his content together. The SEVENTEEN members’ appearance on Chattering with Na, for instance, followed their getting to know the producer through previous appearances on The Game Caterers and NANA TOUR with SEVENTEEN, the latter of which is scheduled to air on January 5. Because no one’s been able to watch NANA TOUR yet, some might find how chummy Na and the boys are together on Chattering to be somewhat unexpected, but fortunately they did a livestream immediately after shooting Chattering and before uploading it to demonstrate the idol group and the producer are already on close terms so that viewers wouldn’t be caught off guard when watching the show later. The stream fills the gaps between the three series, creating one grand continuity defined by the relationship between the SEVENTEEN members and Na. He’s making content that focuses on the connections between individuals, and that translates to a narrative that can be expanded on endlessly. What he seems to have picked up from creating for YouTube and from fellow YouTubers is less about the what and more about the how: He’s been using this same approach since long before his YouTube days, but on this new platform, it works that much better.

 

Season two of NEWYORK NEWYORK was born out of something Lee said on Nattering with Na; similarly, the series God of Communication—where Na organizes a company track meet for the Egg Is Coming staff to foster communication—provides the impetus for the creation of Driving with Na and Egg Arts Center, shows focused on Na driving the staff in a shuttle bus and providing them with fun learning experiences. In all cases, the shows spring forth not because of any particular format but from the relationships in Na’s life, which naturally lead to all sorts of different concepts for his content. And because all of this takes shape within the self-contained world of Channel Fullmoon, everyone from superstars to the Egg Is Coming staff have a chance to form new relationships and tell their stories. This was clarified and fleshed out in a livestream review of the second season of Earth Arcade, one that touched on the relationships that deepened throughout filming it between those who appeared on screen as well as Na himself. Director Park Hyun Yong was present for the stream and made it clear that he was one of those people who grew closer while working on the show, and showed off his sense of humor while going over his directing career in another stream. Stars can be themselves, and staff and crew are given a chance to talk about themselves on camera as well. All these relationships create continuity, which leads to a form of storytelling that itself ends up as new content, positioning Channel Fullmoon as a one-stop shop for livestreams, talk shows, travel programs, variety shows, and more. Practically speaking, Channel Fullmoon has become the face of tvN in the YouTube world.

It can’t be an easy task for Na to realize his dream of becoming the “god of communication” and keep all lines open for talking with the Egg Is Coming staff. They panic the minute they see him in Driving with Na, and part of what makes Earth Arcade so amusing is that he doesn’t try to control or even understand the Gen Zers who appear on the show. But there’s no doubt about it: Na is one step closer to being a communication god this year, having found a way to give everyone at Egg Is Coming a voice, even if his method of communication often makes for awkward situations with his staff. Na, who’s arguably accomplished everything there is to accomplish in the world of traditional media, is now a YouTuber—and one who has shown it’s possible to bundle up a huge cast of characters and their viewpoints under one channel at that. He’s also reinvented himself as a creator in the process, proving exactly why people need to change themselves and adapt to new environments. It’s not easy to change your own thought process, but we can still adopt, adapt, and respond to our rapidly changing world in a way that aligns our way of thinking closer to the ideal. But not everyone is gifted with the same sense of vision as Na Yeong-seok has. He’s got the creativity of a director, the vision of a media planner, and the instinct of a YouTuber—the full package, as far as Korean variety shows go.
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NANA TOUR with SEVENTEEN
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