Charlie Corwin and John Penotti, two co-CEOs of SK Entertainment, spoke at a panel organized by the Milken Institute on Monday. The pair, who play Crazy Rich Asians and . Responsible for presentations like Delhi Crime, Talked about how the future of entertainment is changing, leveling the playing field, and letting unseen stories shine through.
Citing the example of Squid Games, Penotti claimed that the media landscape has changed radically after the success of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. He particularly praises Netflix’s overdub algorithm, saying it allows people to consume foreign language content without compromising on the quality of dialogue.
Penotti also noted that Hollywood is no longer a center for creativity, adding that Hollywood budgets are now shifting to smaller studios in emerging markets, allowing filmmakers to tell their stories on a global stage.
The two, set to produce a TV show on the famous Thailand cave rescue, are no strangers to foreign language films. Talking about the success of Delhi Crime, Penotti explains that people around the world want to hear stories they can relate to, while still being taken to a new and unknown place. According to her, the global audience was able to resonate with the treatment of the women portrayed in the Delhi crime and therefore were able to share “similarities of different experiences”. At the same time, Delhi Crime, like Crazy Rich Asians, was culturally unique. According to Corwin, people “want to see common feelings play out in different settings” and this is why stories focusing on class differences against unique cultural backgrounds such as Parasite have been particularly popular.
Corwin also points to the financial viability of emerging markets. He says that in countries like the US, the majority of the population already subscribes to streaming services, so if value is measured in the number of new subscriptions, countries like India and South Korea are where the money is to be made. To appeal to those demographics, shows need to showcase their point of view. “You don’t see ads for Netflix and Amazon. You see ads for shows like Delhi Crime that require people to subscribe to a streaming service to watch,” Corwin argues.
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