'Soulful, hard-work key to success,' Martin, Nam say

YoungSong Martin, left, founder of Wildflower Linen, and Nam Su-jin, a music producer and pianist active in Hollywood after an interview held with The Korea Times in Hannam-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 24. / Courtesy of Wildflower Linen Korea

By Kim Ji-soo

YoungSong Martin, 55, and Nam Su-jin, 46, could well have been lifetime friends.

But the two ethnic Korean leaders in their respective fields in Hollywood came to know each other just two years ago through a group that supports Korean culture at the University of Southern California. The camaraderie as leading players in a competitive field must have bonded them. The two were in Seoul during the Christmas holidays and sat down — on Christmas Eve ― for an interview with The Korea Times.

Martin’s success as Hollywood’s foremost party planner has been documented not only with her success in planning for the Obama White House but also in Korean network shows. She has also branched out her business Wildflower Linen to Seoul.

“I remember walking into the White House’s East Wing and meeting First Lady Michelle Obama who had her arms open wide and greeted me as the person who changed the White House event,” said Martin. “That was awesome,” she said.

An example of YoungSong Martin’s work done in pink. Martin is the president of Wildflower Linen, a leading designer and producer for specialty table linens and chair covers for event rentals.

Nam, 46, is a well-known music producer in Hollywood who has worked in some 30 Hollywood movies including the second and third editions of Sam Raimi’s “Spider Man” and “Ghost Rider.” She has also worked with Korean directors on dramas such as “Bad Man” in 2010. She was voted one of the 6 rising music producers at the 2002 Sundance Festival. Nam recently created a song “Yuna’s Song” for the controversial film “The Interview” featuring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

This summer, the two worked with a Korean restaurateur Vivian Han to feature Martin’s creative designs with Korean food at a music-themed party at Nam’s house in Hollywood.

But when asked if they saw the hallyu effect or anti-N.K. sentiment affecting the culture in Hollywood, the two strangely said “No.”

“The hallyu effect is mainly toward a certain age group, the young,” said Martin, rather than widespread. “But I do receive questions about K-pop singers like Girls’ Generation when I go abroad to such places as China,” she said.

“There was Psy’s Gangnam Style,” said Nam, to which Martin agreed. The music video was so creative that American friends first alerted them to it.

The two said they also did not see any anti-N.K. sentiment influence the Hollywood mechanism, either.

Regarding the controversy over the film “The Interview,” Martin said that perhaps Koreans may be too sensitive toward the North Korean factor.

“As a maker of music for films, I don’t think about those issues,” Nam said, adding “A movie is a movie.”

She knew that “The Interview” was a satire about a living leader but never doubted the legal issues because lawyers and other experts at Sony would have checked it thoroughly.

“Any content produced these days is well likely to prompt controversy,” she said, pointing out to how “Memoirs of a Geisha” sparked protests for using actresses from China or the United States at that time. “It’s up to the individual how to respond to it,” she said.

It was only at this reporter’s prodding that the two power figures struggled to their “Korean-ness” reflected in their work.

Martin said that their “can do” spirit helped them adjust to life in the United States. Martin who emigrated in the 1970s first started out as a fashion designer. But when the fashion business met a slump and was swamped by M&As, she shifted to wedding and party planning extensively using linens.

“Sure there were times when I was ruled over but I always vowed in my mind that I would show people what I was capable of,” she said. Martin who recently branched out in Seoul said that she finds contrarian development in Korea now where “People seem afraid to try. They themselves place a limit. I would like to ask them, ‘have they tried?’” she said.

Nam said that she found Korean curiosity helpful _ a curiosity that drives them to try new things and develop a sense for work. Korean curiosity however can work as both side of a coin

For those looking for success, both women revealed their inner tips.

“You have to know yourself in and out, first and foremost,” said Martin said. “Also, your tomorrow should be different from your today.” When she was working to create either the wedding scene for the film “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” or White House events, she seized on the fact that “it was an event that was to celebrate a happy occasion,” Martin said.

She advised Koreans to loosen up on the competition; “We all can live together, just fine, thank you.”

Nam largely seconded Martin’s words. She said that when she started out as a music producer in the white male-dominated Hollywood landscape, she took out Asian and romantic music from her demo tape as people would not know that she was a female and Asian. But she had a wake-up call in 2003 when she took part in a BMI workshop and found herself competing with five white males.

“The teacher however called me over that time, and that I had the best musicality among the six participants but I was only trying to compete with others,” rather than focus on the music she can do best.

But above all, hard work pulled them through.

“You have to pour your soul into what you do,” said Martin.

“I work hard at what I do, what I like doing,” said Nam. “What I do is work with emotions, and people’s emotions are pretty much the same in Europe, in Korea or the United States,” she said.