What is Blimey?

Blimey aims to bridge Korean and Malaysian culture. We upload our videos under several categories, namely travel, cultural differences and Q&A Korea. Our videos feature travel in Malaysian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru, cultural differences between Malaysia and Korea, travel tips for recommended restaurants and tourist spots in Korea for our international viewers and other easily digestible content to interact with people in an entertaining way.

What makes your channel unique?

We think it¡¯s the bright and bubbly energy the three of us create. Just like our channel¡¯s name ¡°Blimey,¡± we like to present videos that make people say ¡°For real?¡± or ¡°Awesome!¡± and we believe that our combined energy triples the effect. Each one of (the three founders) is unique in their own way. Dasol is the oldest unnie but shows her cute and sometimes indecisive side in the videos. Yerim is organized and practical, which is why she does our accounting, and Jade is proactive and passionate. Our personalities empower all three of us to make great videos.

How did your connection with Malaysia start?

Initially, we uploaded videos to experience international cuisines and cultures but the videos about Malaysian cup noodles and snacks got the most reactions, which led us to focus on the country. Our videos featuring Malaysian food significantly exceeded our other videos in the number of hits and even attracted a lot of Malaysian viewers. This motivated us to cover more Malaysian content. Malaysian viewers tend to encourage us rather than leave aggressive comments. We read every single comment and always appreciate them.

Name a few differences between Korea and Malaysia.

Korean culture is conservative and family-centric due to Confucian influence, and this is similar to Malaysia¡¯s religious culture. In Malaysia, large families get together and greet the elderly during holidays just like Koreans do. On the other hand, the dating culture differs in both countries. While a Korean doesn¡¯t usually face enormous pressure towards marriage when starting to date someone, a Malaysian takes dating far more seriously, usually considering marriage prospects. Some Malaysian viewers told us that it took two years for them just to get to know each other and get intimate.

How do you plan, shoot and edit videos?

We try to upload two videos per week and do all the planning, shooting and editing ourselves. Our planning meeting has us chatting for hours at the table on what we want to cover. We try to pay attention to what our viewers want to watch from us such as Malaysian food or a music video recommended by many subscribers. Since all three of us know how to edit videos and find the results satisfying when we do it ourselves, we all take part in the editing.

What has been your most memorable content?

Fasting during Ramadan in May this year was definitely our most memorable experience. We did it once last year, but this year, we fasted on days randomly chosen for each member. It was torture for us not to be able to eat, but we think it was meaningful content for both viewers and producers because we got to share the culture. Though none of the channel¡¯s three founders are Muslim, we considered it a great opportunity to bond with our subscribers, many of whom are Muslim.

What do you want your viewers to get from your channel?

We have different religions, cultures and even daily lifestyles. We were impressed to see cars stop for us when we crossed the street (in Malaysia) with only hand gestures when there was no cross walk. One viewer interestingly called it ¡°hand power.¡± We hope that people from both Korea and Malaysia can grow closer together by learning about each other.

What places do you recommend visiting in Korea and Malaysia?

We¡¯ve been to numerous tourist sites in Malaysia, but sunset at Johor Bahru was unforgettably beautiful. We want to take our parents there, too. Penang also offers great cuisine. Though walking everywhere gets physically challenging, we remained excited knowing where the good places were. It would be easier to discover more content if we lived in Malaysia, but since we live in Korea, we try to visit Malaysia as often as possible. We¡¯re now developing content about trips to Busan and Jeju-do Island. We heard Malaysia is No. 2 in the number of visitors to the island. Even those with dietary restrictions on meat can enjoy a variety of seafood on the island, which makes their Korean experience more comfortable and fun.

What advice do you have for aspiring video content creators?

What people see on screen seems all positive and fun, but it¡¯s not all sunshine and rainbows; endless effort and patience are part of a creator¡¯s job. Many might expect to see big subscriber numbers and fame when starting their channels, but what¡¯s more important is the spirit of challenge and willingness to create something original. Don¡¯t worry that things won¡¯t go well even before you start, just give it a try and above all, remain patient and keep doing what you believe is right.