Have you heard this common saying, “Laughter brings good luck. With mirth comes fortune.”? A smiling face has powerful forces that make people feel happy. Jae-Phil You has always been a good influence on many people with pleasant smile and good impression. His positive energy is truly unique. He debuted as a comedian with an open audition and he is also a singer who has released two mini albums. Besides, he is currently working as a reporter on a famous entertainment program. Let’s find out how to make positive and challenging attitude through the interview with him.
1. Now you’re at the college in department of Business Administration, how do you cope with studying?
I have taken this semester off inevitably, because I got too busy at work thankfully. When I was in school before I took a break, I was one of the earnest students that wanted to get good grades. I entered the department of Computer Engineering, but I thought it was not my thing. Therefore, I transferred to the department of Business Administration the following year. Unlike normal college students who want to be employed in a company, I’m in the entertainment industry now so I didn’t study TOEIC or any certificate needed for job recruitment. Notwithstanding, I’m going to return to school this year even if I am busy, because I want to graduate from Gachon University.
2. What’s the secret of your various activities? (as a Singer, Comedian and Reporter)
There’s no special secret because I am not as skilled as many other seniors. Nevertheless, talking about many challenges that I took, I think that there’s no one shot. Therefore I walked up the stairs step by step slowly. I failed the comedian test when I was 20 and with that experience, I applied for an audition program called ‘Superstar K’. When I tried the SBS comedian test again after discharging from the army service, I could pass the test finally thanks to the previous audition experiences. Thus, the key is to take steps gradually.
3. What made you dream of becoming an entertainer?
I was happy when I gave people a buzz since I was little. At school, I liked to take the microphone in front of the whole school. Plus, I respected Yoo Jae-seok, who is the most famous comedian in Korea, after watching a program ‘X man’. I think it is so awesome to earn money by doing what I want to do at the same time like him. However, becoming an entertainer can be seen as only a vague dream and my parents wanted me to study hard and get a great job, so I entered the department of Computer Engineering. But this major didn’t suit me well and I wasn’t sure that I could do better than other students. I thought that I was good at being humorous and hosting, so I took the comedian test after some deliberation.
4. You have been working as a reporter for 3 years on an entertainment program, do you have any personal tips?
Reporters, as you know, meet many celebrities and they have to make a comfortable mood and good interviews in such a short time. Therefore, I tried to become familiar with the interviewees. I did a lot of preliminary research about them because I should ask them more questions. If the interviewee was an actor or actress, I watched some of his or her work. In the case of singers, I saw a few videos of their concert and listened to songs. But I am still very far from an excellent host, I should learn more to be a good reporter.
5. What was the most memorable thing while working as a reporter?
One of my bucket lists is to go on a business trip abroad. It was because going abroad for work, not just for travel to rest, seemed so cool. Finally, my dream came true while working at the entertainment program. I’ve been in Spain to interview actor Lee Seo-jin and I went to New York a while ago to cover interviews for some celebrities of SM entertainment. I felt a sense of pride in achieving my personal goal and simultaneously, doing my work hard at the same time.
6. You always show the public a bright side, where does your positive energy come from?
As you know, I always keep smiling and speak little loudly in front of the cameras and many people remember me with that image. But my real personality is relatively calm and quiet compared to how I appear on TV. When the cameras are turned on, something powerful that I don’t even know wells up inside me. That is why there is difference between my reality life and working life. I still don’t know exactly about what the energy is. Maybe it is because that I love this job that I can overcome my native character.
7. What are your plans for the future?
I am pretty well known as a reporter now, but I started as a comedian, so I don’t want to give up my comedian life as well. Therefore, I launched my Youtube channel called ‘Folkswagen’ a few years ago and I have uploaded some videos with humorous contents that are produced by myself. Furthermore, I had only released mini albums, but I aspire to make digital single album as soon as possible. My ultimate goal is to wear several hats like multi-talented entertainer while doing my best in my present position and to be the best host in the world. Lastly, I want people to recognize me as “a person who is so fun and emits positive energy”.
8. In closing, is there anything you’d like to say to your junior students in Gachon University?
I think taking classes in school is a very important thing because you are students. However, I want you to create an energetic effect with an appropriate use of your time out of school. It can be a good influence on your college life. Additionally, I think people are hesitant when they get to challenge due to self-consciousness. But your challenging spirit and will is incomparably more amazing than anything, so please don’t care about what others would think and just do what you want. When my first record was released, for example, the vast majority of listeners responded that it was strange. After releasing the second one, however, I received less harsh criticism than before and somebody even said they liked this song. I believe that if you continue to look for what you really want, you can get credit from people someday.
Well, happy things don’t happen all the time. But positive people are not discouraged when even something bad happens to them and they try to keep a lot of precious memories. Our interviewee, < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |