[Herald Interview] YouTube star seeks reach in creator economy

For Ddoddunam, a creator who runs an eponymous YouTube channel, his first career in marketing was something he entered by accident, but which, in hindsight, readied him for a more fulfilling life as a creator.

“I never thought I would end up as a marketer in the credit card business, fresh out of college. I was thinking more retail,” said the video creator, who shares travel tips with about 512,000 subscribers on his channel. The 37-year-old quit Shinhan Card in April after nine years.

“What I’m looking for now is a community of my own on travel that spans multiple social media platforms,” Ddoddunam said in an interview with The Korea Herald earlier this month, referring to developing more engaging campaigns to attract followers to not only his YouTube but Instagram, TikTok and blog.

Ddoddunam, who has not publicly disclosed his real name, said marketing at Shinhan proved more valuable than expected. Familiarity with consumer spending habits across industries is a skill set that helps him strategize and grow the channel, he explained.

Ddoddunam began as a travel blogger two years into his Shinhan job, with his username (“Ddoddeonam” in Revised Korean Romanization) meaning “leaving again” in Korean. He found it rewarding to see his followers respond to his content, most thanking him for travel tips on spotting the best vacation hotels and making the most of mileage programs for flights.

Being a successful travel blogger on Naver for a year led Ddoddunam to launch his YouTube channel in 2018. His content attracted those looking for actionable travel tips, in addition to those seeking the pleasure of armchair travel by watching someone else taking trips.

In a way, Ddoddunam had uniquely positioned himself, serving two audiences with different needs. The creator identifies himself as the go-to for travel advice.

Growing popularity prompted the rebranding from a blogger to a video creator. There was another reason: Being a blogger felt like being used, Ddoddunam said.

“I got paid way better being a YouTuber than a blogger,” Ddoddunam said of how the decision eventually led to more profitable promotions in a rapidly burgeoning creator economy -- a loosely defined aggregate of wealth and resources held by people producing content, amassing followers and getting paid for their influence.

According to a Goldman Sachs Research report last year, the creator economy is expected to be valued at around $480 billion by 2027, from $250 billion in 2023.

“I’m more of a grinder than a rainmaker, though,” Ddoddunam said of how he has become the envy of some looking to run a business by monetizing a side job.

One of the worries pressing creators, Ddoddunam added, is to stay engaging. Follower counts could be whipsawed anytime if content no longer feels relatable or loses creativity.

“The key is to keep asking yourself what your viewers would think about the clips you’re about to post. Would they stream the entire video or fast-forward just to see how it ends?” Ddoddunam asked.

This routine cannot be a one-man job, the creator noted, adding he is currently looking for someone who could help with not only his YouTube productions from shooting to editing, but also manage his operations in general.

“I have to be on the constant move to sustain this business. I can do that with a full-time helper,” Ddoddunam said, explaining his decision to move into an office in downtown Seoul.

The office hunt played out well. Ddoddunam was selected as one of the creators entitled to rent support from a government-backed program that aids independent creators. The contract is good for a year, renewable for another. It is a boon that certainly helps clear one of the key hurdles facing creators planning to expand, according to Ddoddunam.

“It’s physically tiring to do the work all alone,” he said, “but the work has been more than satisfying -- it’s an immense pleasure.”