Dr. Kim Ji-yoon laughing at the Longtake studio desk

CASE STUDY — LONGTAKE, LIFESTYLE YOUTUBE

Dr. Kim Ji‑yoon, beyond the headlines.

Korea knows Dr. Kim Ji-yoon as the political scientist with 1.4 million subscribers. Longtake shows the rest of her: classic novels, art, travel, retirement and everyday life, told with the same sharp mind and a lot more humor. Since early 2024, ESC has planned, produced and run the channel, from series formats to brand partnerships.

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See our work

Client: Kim Ji-yoon's Knowledge Play · 2024–26

170K+

Subscribers in 2026, up from 1,700 in March 2024

100K

Subscribers just 10 months after our first series launched

26M

Total channel views, September 2026

How we made it

ALL WORK →

Dr. Kim Ji-yoon on The Odyssey, Longtake classics series

01 — The classics, retold

Our "Let's read the classics" series pairs a new film or series with the book behind it. Dr. Kim takes on The Odyssey, East of Eden, Demian and Anna Karenina like a smart friend, not a lecturer. It is now the channel's engine: East of Eden passed 1.4M views and The Odyssey 1M.

01 — The classics, retold

Longtake episode on retirement in your 50s

02 — Real life, honestly

Retirement, routines, aging and learning, talked through candidly for women in their 30s to 50s. Plus vlogs from art fairs, museums and neighborhoods. The retirement episode alone reached 920K views.

02 — Real life, honestly

Retirement, routines, aging and learning, talked through candidly for women in their 30s to 50s. Plus vlogs from art fairs, museums and neighborhoods. The retirement episode alone reached 920K views.

Dr. Kim Ji-yoon with guest Professor Jang Hyung-woo on Longtake

03 — Brands that belong

Samsung Electronics, 29CM, Christofle, iHerb and Wooyang Art Museum, built into episodes as stories, from a history of table manners to a Gyeongju art trip. Viewers watch them to the end instead of skipping.

03 — Brands that belong

Longtake classics episode on East of Eden, 1.4M views

WHAT WE DID

A whole channel built around one voice: Dr. Kim Ji-yoon.

Series formats, scripts, shoots, editing, thumbnails and channel operations, plus brand partnerships and ad sales. In August 2026 we added Longtake's Instagram, run on the same schedule as YouTube: 5M views and 8K organic followers in the first month.