‘Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk “Exhausted” Making Netflix Show
They say the only thing as bad as failure in show business is success. The industry is rife with cautionary tales and monkey’s paw wishes that fill hungry creatives’ hands with gobs of money – but at what cost? When Netflix’s Squid Game became a sleeper hit, show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk perhaps unknowingly flipped the big red power switch on an IP merchandising machine that makes C-Suite ice-chewers who call all art “content” start to salivate. Having a singular creative vision for a massive property is extremely stressful and a gargantuan amount of work, which can breed a sense of resentment inside the creator.