Cultural exports are making their mark in the world these days, as can be seen from the power of the hallyu boom. Culture-related products have emerged as an important factor in countries' national competitiveness, but money and power are not enough to create a culture. Only people can create a culture, using their imagination and steadfastness. One of the key players responsible for spreading Korean culture worldwide is Song Seung-hwan, 48, the CEO of the Nanta production company PMC Production.
Nanta's successful advancement to Broadway
Nanta, a non-verbal performance, is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Korean productions that have successfully debuted on Broadway in New York in the United States. And Song Seung-hwan is the first person who comes to mind when talking about Nanta. After a year and a half of being the first Korean production to be staged in an off-Broadway theater, Nanta closed on August 7, disproving predictions that it would have to close earlier than scheduled. Major U.S. dailies, including the New York Times, published reviews about Nanta, while influential American broadcasters such as NBC and ABC covered the production. Americans visiting Korea recognize Nanta posters at first glance, while U.S. media outlets continue to request coverage of Nanta.
Nanta debuted in the United States in March last year at the Minetta Lane Theater under the title "Cooking". So far, some 150,000 people have seen the performance, with the average number of viewers per show reaching 280 people. Early on, the performance recorded profits of 50,000 dollars thanks to large numbers of local viewers. Attracting foreign audiences is a must on Broadway if a performance is to be staged for a long time. Nanta, completely non-verbal, succeeded in drawing the attention of New Yorkers by blending unique Korean rhythms with elements of cooking.
Debut as child actor
Born in Seoul in 1957, Song debuted at KBS as a child actor at the age of eight. His childhood acting career was quite successful: he received the Dong Ah Acting Award in 1968 and displayed impressive acting skills. After graduating from high school, Song enrolled at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in the Arabic Department. To prepare for college, Song suspended his acting activities in high school and engrossed himself in his studies. Encouraged by his parents, he finally passed his college entrance exams, but the acting talent he had inherited from his parents was impossible to ignore. Song dropped out of college and gained skyrocketing popularity as a radio and TV show host and TV drama actor. He also played the role of the second-generation Allan in the theater play "Equus".
But even popularity did not stop him from pursuing new things. In 1983, he starred in the KBS drama "Burning Sea" and director Lee Du-young's movie "Day and Night", seizing the opportunity to tour the world for 98 days, during which he visited the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States. But the trip also inspired him to try something new in life. Upon his return to Korea in 1985, he founded "Hwan Performance", which has grown from a tiny firm with just two desks to a successful performance production company. Since then, Song's company consolidated its position in the music record industry by successfully staging the concerts of such top singers as Lee Seung-hwan and Cho Deok-bae. During that time, Song met Kang Su-ji in New York and decided to try to make her a star. Thanks to her talent and cute looks, Kang's first three albums were enormous successes.
Song invested his revenues, about 700 million won, in musicals. But his musical "Whale Hunt" was a failure. However, that bitter experience taught him the necessity to accumulate capital and devise special measures to secure talented performers. That's how PMC Production was born.
Global Nanta overcomes language barriers
Song co-founded PMC with his high school classmate Lee Dong-ho. Song took charge of planning and producing, while Lee took care of management and accounting. That was in December, 1996. Since then, the two have constantly been searching for cultural content that they could utilize to explore overseas markets. Song was intent on finding a cultural item that was both uniquely Korean and at the same time transcended cultural and ethnical barriers. What he eventually found was Nanta. It was completely Song's own idea, originating from his attempts to introduce theater plays to foreign audiences. But the first stumbling block was language. To overcome that barrier, Song first thought of the traditional folk music samulnori, whose beat and rhythm brought cooking to mind. He also realized that a play must be based on stories about real life. That's how he came up with the idea of creating a performance that depicted real-life stories happening in the kitchen to the rhythm of samulnori. That was the beginning of Nanta. One of the most impressive moments in Song's life was the day that Nanta debuted in New York in September, 2003. It was the first Korean musical to debut in front of American audiences on Broadway, the haven of world-renowned productions. Song, an emissary of Korean culture, is not just a Korean star; he is now also a globally renowned performance producer.
Born in 1957 in Seoul
Graduated from Hwimun High School in 1975
Dropped out of Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies in 1977
(Graduated from Hankuk Univ. in 1996)
Founded Hwan Performance in 1989
Produced Nanta in 1997
Presently CEO of PMC production, professor at Myongji Univ.
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