[VIDEO NEWS] Young animator earns big turning his ideas into Kakao Talk emoticons
2) “I’ve earned 300 million won ($264,414) so far.”
4) Where are you going?
“I’m getting a cup of coffee before I go to my office.”
5) What did you use to do?
“I used to work as a 3D animator. I wanted to earn a lot of money and I read an article that people earned a lot making emoticons, so that’s how I started.”
6) How did you come up with ideas?
7) “Making people laugh with absurd things felt fresh and exciting. I tried to draw things as rough and simple as possible, but I made their expressions very lively.”
8) Could you tell us about your process?
9) “Most people are systematic. They draw rough sketches first and then work on them, but I do it all at once. Other people might say I’m reckless, but I don’t like things rigid.”
10) Could you be more specific?
“I like short funny video clips and videos on Facebook. Sometimes, these bunnies look funny when I’m drawing them. It was funny to put nasty comments with smiley faces. Comments like ‘Are you even thinking?’ I also drew them without a soul.”
11) Which one is your favorite emoticon?
12) “My favorite is the rabbit holding a stick. People thought it was a piece of chicken, but it’s a carrot.”
13) Do you have any other famous emoticons aside from ‘Woori’?
14) “Luckily ‘an emotional guy’ was well liked from the start, but I failed a lot after that.”
16) Why do you keep trying even after you failed?
17) “I started making animations because I wanted to. Before, I had to follow set rules, so I couldn’t bring my strange ideas to life. But with this I could show my craziness and it felt great to see people enjoying it.”
18) What does the emoticon ‘Woori’ mean to you?
19) “The second stage of my life? Becoming a creator wasn’t a part of my plan. I feel weird and great at the same time when I realize I’ve made a great career out of this. I think emoticons are becoming more than just simple means to convey messages or feelings.”
20) What is your ultimate goal?
21) “To live forever as a guy who makes emoticons. It would feel really great if I could keep making emoticons after 10 years and still get a lot of love.”
Video sourced from Joong Ang Ilbo
Video produced by Ahn Na-young
Translated by Chung Yu-soo
Edited by Josh Doyle
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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