Real-life resilience - Squid Game

Welcome to another weekend edition of The Resilience Brief, where we dive into stories of real-life resilience. Sometime I wonder if there is a finite amount of stories to share, but then I am reminded that resilience is EVERYWHERE. Even in an extremely violent TV show that woke the world up.

Squid Game is a heavy hell. It’s hard to watch - insane amounts of violence, complex social issues and (if you don’t speak Korean), a lot of subtitles. But that didn’t stop it from becoming a global sensation in 2021. It broke streaming records, woke Netflix up to the power of global content, and catapulted its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, into the spotlight. But behind the show’s “overnight success” was a 13-year journey filled with rejection, financial hardship, and unwavering belief in a vision that the world wasn’t ready for.

Before Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk was a South Korean filmmaker with a handful of critically acclaimed but modestly successful films. In 2008, during the aftermath of the global financial crisis, he found himself struggling to make enough to stay afloat. Job opportunities were scarce, and he was in severe financial distress, at one point selling his laptop for cash to survive. He spent his time in internet cafés reading about survival games and economic disparity and, if you watch the show, you know these are two themes that are the foundation of the story.

He initially wrote Squid Game as a movie script, but every studio he approached turned it down. The concept of pitting desperate individuals against each other in a deadly competition for money was deemed too violent, too risky, or simply too unrealistic. He was repeatedly told that no one would ever fund such a project. With no takers, he shelved the script and moved on, focusing on making films that had a better chance of getting produced.

For over ten years, Squid Game remained nothing more than an idea in Hwang’s drawer. Meanwhile, he directed other films, building credibility but never experiencing massive commercial success. However, as global economic inequality deepened and battle-royale-style entertainment became more accepted (The Hunger Games, Black Mirror), the tide shifted.

In 2019, Netflix was expanding aggressively and was willing to take creative risks. The platform saw the potential in Squid Game - a high-stakes drama with universal themes of survival, desperation, and moral dilemmas. Hwang adapted the movie script into a series, maintaining creative control, and poured everything he had into it, even losing eight teeth due to stress during production.

In September 2021, Squid Game premiered and smashed records. It became Netflix’s most-watched show, resonating deeply with audiences worldwide and providing one of the most popular Halloween costume choices that year. The very thing that studios once deemed “too extreme” became a cultural phenomenon.

Squid success

Hwang’s journey is a great example of resilience in action. His story shows us all that timing is critical, but persistence is also key. Sometimes when we hear a “no” it just means that the world isn’t ready for the idea. We just need to remind ourselves that it doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.

Secondly, I say this many times, but it’s another reminder that rejection doesn’t define us. In fact, it’s part of almost every creative pursuit and, frankly, life. We will never make everybody happy and we can’t lose faith in something we strongly believe in.

Additionally, sometimes within that rejection is the actual inspiration. In other words, the obstacle is the way. In Hwang’s case it was his personal struggle that fueled the themes of the show, which makes it more relevant and powerful. Guaranteed that when there is a real piece of us in the output that we create, it always lands better with the audience. Because they can see themselves in our stories.

Lastly, adaptation is crucial. The original idea was a film script, but it wouldn’t work for studios. With Netflix showing interest, he had to rework an idea into a 10-episode structure. In fact, he had never worked in TV before, so it was a huge change for him for to write, produce and direct 10 episodes.

Applying these ideas into our daily life

For any professional in this modern world, resilience isn’t just a nice trait to have - it’s a necessity. Here are just two ways to apply Hwang’s lessons to our own work and continue to build our resilience:

1. Turn rejection to redirection. When a project is rejected, is it the idea, the timing, or the format that is not working? If we can insist on constructive feedback, we give ourselves the best chance to turn it into something better. It might require a rethink, but seeing the “rejection” as a chance for redirection is a powerful reframe and is so easy to do. Invite the feedback and simply ask “what do you think this needs to get to where you want it to go?”

2. Stay up to date on industry shifts. Hwang’s success was partly due to recognizing that the cultural landscape had changed, plus Netflix was looking to expand into Asian content. He was able to leverage that and adapt accordingly, throwing himself at a new format that he had never worked in before. This is happening right now with AI and all of us. Businesses are looking for people to demonstrate that they’re interested in evolving with the technology, rather than resisting it.

Squid Game is a reminder that resilience in the face of setbacks can turn an abandoned script into a global sensation. Whatever profession we are in, the lesson is that we need to believe in our work, adapt when necessary, and never let rejection be the final word.

Keep rolling.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carre @ Resilient Minds