Latest news with #BigDeal
South China Morning Post
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
After Big Deal, Lee Je-hoon talks about his roles in new seasons of Signal, Taxi Driver
Actor Lee Je-hoon is keeping his momentum strong after the Korean film Big Deal, with coming roles in highly anticipated new seasons of the dramas Signal and Taxi Driver. Advertisement Speaking in a recent interview, Lee shared his thoughts on his latest work and his hopes for future projects that will resonate with viewers. Big Deal, which premiered on May 30, takes place during Korea's 1997 financial crisis, and centres on the clash between Jong-rok (played by Yoo Hae-jin), a finance executive for whom drinking soju is a way of life, and In-beom (Lee), a cold-blooded employee at a global investment firm. The two face off in a high-stakes struggle over the fate of Korea's beloved national spirit. Lee has been keeping up with audience reactions. 'I check reviews and ratings. I hope more people will watch and share their thoughts,' he said, emphasising that Big Deal is best experienced in cinemas for its immersive sound and big-screen energy. Advertisement 'I feel a deep happiness when I watch movies in the cinema,' he said. 'Sometimes I think, 'I want to be in a film like that', or 'How proud would I be to leave behind a filmography like that'? It motivates me to work harder.'
Winnipeg Free Press
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Always thinking inside the (bespoke) box
If you need something transported safely, get Gary Dealey on the case. Dealey is the founder of Big Deal Custom Cases, a Winnipeg company that builds reusable shipping containers. Since opening its doors in 1976, the company has developed a reputation for quality products, quick service and reasonable prices. Big Deal has taken on a variety of projects over the years, including wardrobe cases for Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, laptop cases for Microsoft Corp. and instrument cases for the Royal Canadian Air Force Band. Firearms, tattoo machines, cameras — the company will build a durable container for any kind of equipment customers need to move around. 'It's an interesting business,' says Dealey, 71. 'You never know what's coming in.' Like in 2010, when Big Deal built seven massive protective cases for NASA that were used to transport blankets and covers for the James Webb Space Telescope. Each of the first five cases was 15 metres long and two metres wide, and the smaller two were each 10 metres long and one metre wide. NASA describes the Webb as the largest, most powerful and most complex telescope ever launched into space. 'It was pretty cool to be part of that,' Dealey says. 'How often do you get to be a part of something that can basically change the perceptions of the universe?' Not bad for a company that got its start in the music industry. In the 1970s, Dealey was touring as a stagehand for musicians such as Burton Cummings, Trooper and Pat Benatar. He started his business as a response to the damaged cases and equipment he encountered while on the road. Occasional work loading boxcars for Canadian Pacific Railway gave Dealey further insight into the best ways to build ultra-tough boxes people can lift and shift with ease. He started the business in between stints on the road. 'I'd do truck loading and then I'd see what all the competitors were making,' he recalls. To this day, he appreciates receiving feedback from the people who are moving the cases he makes. 'It's not so much the purchasing guys, because they usually have no idea what's going on. You want to talk to the guys that are using it so that it makes their job easier.' When Dealey was thinking of names for his new venture, Harlequin lead singer George Belanger looked up at Dealey's 6-4 frame and suggested Big Deal. Today, the business is headquartered in an 8,000-square-foot space in the St. Boniface Industrial Park. Dealey has four employees on site, with an additional staff member (a draftsman) located in Vancouver. 'I come up with the ideas and they get the work done,' Dealey says. 'It's not just about me.' The company has manufactured more than 30,000 cases since its inception and has an annual net revenue of around $1.5 million. The company's offerings include hardwood cases, which are popular with customers in the entertainment industry. They're constructed using 3/4-inch plywood and reinforced with solid hardwood bracings. Additionally, Big Deal offers an exclusive case design it calls FiberLex. These cases are made of twin-wall polycarbonate bonded to a fibreglass skin, combined with lightweight aluminum hardware. The company advertises it as the lightest custom case design available today. Customers also have access to a range of other options, including a variety of plastic cases. Dealey knows of customers who are still using cases the company built more than 40 years ago. 'We could make junk, but there's already companies doing that, so why try and compete with that?' he says. 'There's enough people that want quality and longevity, so that's what we do.' Big Deal also does custom manufacturing, including millwork, furniture, props, displays, models and sculptures. From the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to Manitoba Hydro and from Magellan Aerospace to the Broadway musical The Lion King, Big Deal's cases are in all sorts of places. Many of the keystone province's major sports teams use the company's products, including the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have relied on Big Deal cases for at least 20 years, says Brad Fotty, head equipment manager. When the CFL team is on the road, Fotty and his colleagues use anywhere from 10 to 18 travel cases to safely transport everything from jerseys to medical supplies. 'I can't thank him and his crew enough for all the years they've taken care of our stuff,' Fotty says. 'Gary's a phenomenal individual to deal with. He's always there to help and he's always thinking of different ideas you may not have thought of.' That assessment of Dealey's out-of-the-box thinking resonates with musician Al Simmons, who has known Dealey since 1978. Dealey and his employees have helped Simmons build numerous custom pieces for his stage show. 'He just seems to be the kind of guy that doesn't say, 'No, that's impossible — we can't,'' Simmons says. 'If there was ever a world disaster and we were all sent back to caveman times — if we had no electronics, no nothing, we just had to survive in the wilderness — Gary would be the one you'd want to live near because he'd say, 'No problem. We've got these sticks, we've got these rocks, we've got this mud — we'll survive.' He's Mr. Fix-it in a huge way.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. As he reflects on his work, Dealey mentions 'ikigai,' a Japanese concept referring to what an individual defines as the meaning of their life. Dealey's ikigai, he says, is solving people's problems. When he was younger, he envisioned becoming a 'go-to guy' — the kind of person others can rely on. 'And that's kind of what I turned into,' Dealey says, adding if he can't solve a customer's problem, he helps them find someone who can. 'It's always about trying to help; help the people get done what they need to get done.' Fifty years into running Big Deal Custom Cases, Dealey has no interest in leaving the business. 'It gives me purpose,' he says. 'Everybody's saying I should retire, but I'm having too much fun to do that.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Taxi Driver' actor Lee Je Hoon opens up about his family's past; shares how they dealt with the IMF financial crisis
Popular actor Lee Je Hoon recently opened up about his personal life and how he and his family had to suffer from a financial crisis at one point in time. The actor, during an interview, opened up about how his family and he had to suffer because of the massive crisis that hit the country alongside Thailand and Indonesia in 1997. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Lee Je Hoon opens up about dealing with the 'real' IMF crisis The popular actor, well known for his roles in 'Signal', 'Move to Heaven', and 'Where Stars Land', starred in an interview for the promotion of his next project titled 'Big Deal'. The actor was seen on June 2 sitting for an interview, according to Koreaboo, where the actor talked about how he dealt with the financial crisis too. His latest project, 'Big Deal', is also set during the time of the crisis, sparking the impromptu conversation. While getting candid about his past, the actor shared that 'I actually experienced a difficult time during the IMF crisis, so it was meaningful to tell this story.' He then detailed how the crisis came to be and how his family managed to survive through everything. He shared during the interview that 'From my middle school to when I was in my early 20s, I remember the IMF period. My family ran a business— a rice shop and a restaurant. After the IMF crisis, I saw my father going out to do day labour, and that's when I realised just how difficult things had become.' Cites that shooting for 'Big Deal' felt more personal While discussing his time during the IMF crisis, the actor also detailed how special shooting his latest project was. He shared during the interview that the experience hit close to home and felt a lot more personal to him. More about Lee Je Hoon's 'Big Deal' 'Big Deal' is an up-and-coming film that stars Lee Je Hoon along with Yoo Hae Jin, Son Hyun Joo, and Choi Young Joon. It is set against the backdrop of the IMF crisis and shows the story of the CFO of Korea's no. 1 company producing Soju, how that company deals with financial turmoil and an ambitious investment firm employee.
Pink Villa
04-06-2025
- Business
- Pink Villa
Lee Je Hoon reveals his father turned to day labor after IMF crisis shut family business, calls Big Deal ‘meaningful'
South Korea was plunged into one of the worst financial crises in 1997, now remembered as the IMF crisis. Businesses folded overnight, unemployment skyrocketed, and middle-class families across the country saw their lives unravel. For actor Lee Je Hoon, this wasn't just history; it was part of his own story. On June 2, a press interview was held to promote Lee Je Hoon 's latest film Big Deal. He candidly reflected on how the events of 1997 disrupted his childhood and reshaped the trajectory of his life. As it turns out, the film's subject matter (which portrays South Korea during the peak of its economic collapse) aligns closely with Lee's lived experience. Lee Je Hoon's firsthand account of family collapse Reflecting on his younger years, Lee Je Hoon shared that he was in middle school when the financial crisis hit. At the time, his family owned two small businesses: a rice store and a restaurant. They were modest but stable ventures that helped them maintain a comfortable life. However, like countless small business owners during that period, the crash came swiftly and without mercy. His family's businesses couldn't withstand the economic shock, and they were forced to shut down. The most painful moment for Lee Je Hoon, he shared, was seeing his father 'going out to do day labor' to make ends meet. It was a sobering experience for a teenager to watch. 'That's when I realized just how difficult things had become,' he shared. From Biotechnology to the big screen Though the crisis brought severe hardship, it also instilled in Lee a level of emotional maturity beyond his years. He witnessed not only his family's hardship but also the collective pain of a nation. Small shops closed, neighbors lost jobs, and people who once lived comfortably had to rethink everything. Interestingly, Lee didn't begin his adult life on an acting path. He was initially enrolled as a Biotechnology student at Korea University, a route that promised academic stability. But the desire to pursue acting led him to abandon that conventional track. He later transferred to the Korea National University of Arts, where he studied drama. Over the next two decades, Lee worked his way up from indie films to mainstream blockbusters and critically acclaimed dramas. Big Deal marks a full-circle moment For Lee Je Hoon, working on Big Deal is more than just another acting project; it feels like a full-circle moment. He expressed, 'I actually experienced a difficult time during the IMF crisis, so it was meaningful to tell this story.' Big Deal is set in the chaotic financial landscape of 1997. The film focuses on a conflict between two professionals caught in a high-stakes struggle over control of Korea's national soju industry. While the characters are fictional, the backdrop is historically accurate.
Pink Villa
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Lee Je Hoon promises Signal Season 2 will ‘meet expectations', shares thoughts on reuniting with Kim Hye Soo and Cho Jin Woong
After years of speculation and anticipation, the popular drama Signal is finally getting a second season. First broadcast in 2016, the series left a lasting mark on Korean television with its narrative that bridged timelines and tackled cold cases. Now, almost ten years later, Signal 2 is in production and set to air in the first half of 2026. The announcement has sparked excitement among fans and among the cast themselves. Actor Lee Je Hoon, who played profiler Park Hae Young in Season 1, recently shared his thoughts on returning to the role after nearly a decade. Lee Je Hoon on reuniting with the cast During a group interview held on June 2 in Seoul's Samcheong-dong, Lee Je Hoon opened up while promoting his upcoming film Big Deal. The conversation quickly shifted to Signal. And the actor spoke warmly about reuniting with co-stars Kim Hye Soo and Cho Jin Woong. As quoted by AllKpop, 'It's rare (for a cast) to reunite and act together again after 10 years. For me, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life,' he said. Lee Je Hoon expressed that reuniting with his co-stars after such a long time brought a sense of comfort and renewed inspiration. He noted that everyone had matured over the years and felt the atmosphere on set had become more relaxed compared to the past. A confident promise As filming for Season 2 continues, Lee Je Hoon confidently expressed that the production is going well. He emphasized the dedication of the cast and crew and hinted that viewers won't be disappointed. 'It will definitely be a project that meets expectations,' he said. 'We're filming in good spirits, so I hope everyone will wait just a bit longer.' With the original trio back and production already underway, Signal 2 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated drama sequels in recent memory. Fans who have waited nearly a decade for answers may finally get the closure they've been hoping for. What fans can expect in Season 2 Signal originally concluded with several mysteries still unresolved, particularly the fate of detective Lee Jae Han, played by Cho Jin Woong. The series followed detectives from different timelines who collaborated to crack long-forgotten cases. They get linked by a walkie-talkie that allows them to communicate across time. Season 2 promises to pick up where the original left off. Kim Hye Soo will return as Cha Soo Hyun of the Cold Case Squad. Cho Jin Woong reprises his role as the missing detective Lee Jae Han, and Lee Je Hoon resumes his part as profiler Park Hae Young. Their reunion has raised expectations for a powerful continuation of the story.
