“I started The John Kim Show in 2019 as a vlog to discuss the issues of climate change, technology and education — these are projects that Amasia supports too. When the internet first rolled in, venture capitalists (VCs) began blogging to share on best practices. Then came podcasts like Harry Stebbings’ The Twenty Minute VC, which helped get entrepreneurs off the ground. With video having become a popular medium on e-platforms, I feel The John Kim Show allows me to better reach out to start-ups that want to work with VCs.”
“Engagement hit an all-time high after I met Nas (Nuseir Yassin, from Nas Daily) at the end of last year. I had been averaging 200 views per video, but after he helped me rethink the contents of the channel, the first video hit 170,000 views!
Back then, we had just co-invested with Jay-Z, and Nas asked me to think about why that company wanted Jay-Z as an investor. It wasn’t because he had reach into a technology or VC audience, but because he had mass reach. If I could deliver that kind of audience and combine that with the fact that I’ve worked with multiple start-ups to scale up to over a billion dollars, that would be an incredibly strong value proposition.”
“The John Kim Show offers me a real multiplier effect because I get to spend time with my kids while raising awareness about my company’s interests in start-ups. In an episode about toilet paper, my youngest son Nathanael plays the bespectacled CEO of a large toilet paper manufacturer who wants to enlarge his empire — by making people believe toilet paper is essential. I would have loved to cast Robert De Niro in the role but in start-up land, quick turnover is essential. Plus, my kids happen to come free!”
“I always thought video gaming was really bad for kids because it’s so addictive. But when my eldest son Kyan got interested in computer programming and video games such as Super Mario 64, I decided to research video games and discovered they can improve memory, fine motor skills and so on. For one episode, I had my second son Luke (who also loves gaming) interview a radiologist, who said he did so well for his first scope, his boss figured he was a gamer because ‘playing a first-person shooter game is a lot like doing a scope’. That was surprising! I package information in interesting narratives so they’re sharable and add value. And to provide engaging and authentic content — that’s gratification for me.”
This article first appeared in the June/July 2020 issue of A Magazine.