‘Jigumabul 2’ PD: “Panibottle Ethiopia Pickpocket Incident Was Our Biggest Crisis” [Interview]

ENA 'Jigumabul World Travel 2' Ends on 8th
YouTube and Broadcast Targeted with 'Smart Planning'
"Forced Directing? An Era That Doesn't Work... Viewers Know"

During a trip to Ethiopia, someone spits a mouthful of saliva and calls out, claiming it splattered on their pants. Pretending to apologize and wipe the pants with their own clothes, they steal the wallet from the pocket. Even veteran YouTuber Panibottle (Kim Jae-han), who has one million subscribers, fell victim to this cunning pickpocketing method, and the incident was broadcast as it happened on ENA’s ‘Jigumabul World Travel 2’ (hereafter ‘Jigumabul’).

Kim Hoon-beom, the PD met at ENA headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, recalled, “When Panibottle was pickpocketed, I was dancing with GwakTube (Gwak Jun-bin) in Bollywood (India). We had prepared considering the security of each country, but pickpocketing was unexpected.” He added with a laugh, “It was the biggest crisis for the broadcast, but many around me asked if it was good because it created content.” It was an incident that occurred during the process of capturing natural moments with minimal intervention from the production team.

Unlike other travel entertainment programs, ‘Jigumabul’ has a production team of 3 to 5 people including directing and camera crew. This is different from other shows where dozens of people swarm around to film. The main footage is essentially shot by the three YouTuber cast members (Wonji, Panibottle, GwakTube) holding GoPro cameras themselves. From the start, the show targeted YouTube content consumers by recruiting YouTubers and planning according to their creative style. PD Kim explained, “Travel YouTube often features first-person perspective footage, and we thought it would be interesting to show the surrounding situations as well, so the production team followed along.”

Viewers in their teens to forties tend to watch TV programs not at the scheduled broadcast time but freely on various platforms such as online video services (OTT) according to their own schedules. They can watch anytime, anywhere through various devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets. This change accelerated rapidly around the pandemic. Content creators also needed to plan accordingly.

‘Teo,’ the production company founded by ‘Infinite Challenge’ PD Kim Tae-ho, partnered with ENA to cleverly utilize the strengths of both YouTube and broadcast channels to create ‘Jigumabul.’ As a result, it is regarded as embracing both sides’ target audiences. The production team credits youthful planning and flexible working methods as the secret.

PD Kim said, “Typically, broadcast entertainment has a script and requires the cast to follow it. It’s rewarding and fun only if it proceeds accordingly, but I felt that was a bit greedy.” He added, “If the cast says, ‘Isn’t it okay not to do it?’ I usually let it go. If they don’t want to, that’s natural. There’s no need to force it. Nowadays, viewers can tell if something is forced.” He emphasized, “The biggest strength of ‘Jigumabul’ is spontaneity and naturalness.”

What makes good content in this era? PD Kim answered, “Something sustainable and expandable.” He said, “There is synergy when creators with diverse experiences gather. Various opinions come out, leading to new and interesting experiences. There is also openness to collaboration with various partners.”

He continued, “‘Jigumabul’ was unfamiliar to many viewers at first. If Season 1 was confined to a specific audience, Season 2 was enjoyed by elders and children as well. We are grateful not only for the YouTube views but also for the high broadcast ratings.” He promised, “If there is a Season 3, we will not be complacent and will show new things.”

Will there be a Season 3? PD Kim said, “We are currently planning a ‘spin-off’ travel episode as a prize for the winner. The outline will be clear around July when the production team returns from vacation.”