Popular OGN caster Lee “CloudTemplar” Hyun-woo talked on stream about the different layers of pay among esports casters in Korea. During the stream, which was recorded and uploaded to YouTube, CloudTemplar talked in detail about the pay structure of casting in his experience with OGN. Although he prefaced the stream by saying he based his views from his own “limited experience,” CloudTemplar had many insightful comments about the topic. “Let me rank in order of pay,” he said. “With my limited experience and knowledge, (non-LCK) events give out the biggest paydays. They’re irregular, special, and don’t get broadcasted. It usually involves going to a location or to an event and hosting it or casting at it. Examples would be like college events, game release day hosting, stuff like that. Then is casting; this is my bread and butter. Then is variety and other shows. This is how it works out normally.” Despite the perception that CloudTemplar — and the rest of the OGN caster crew — work near exclusively with OGN, he described that casting with OGN, while consistent, is only one part of his income. CloudTemplar has hosted independent events such as a KT Rolster fan meet at the beginning of this year, an appearance that had nothing to do with OGN. Although events are lucrative, CloudTemplar seems to classify it as supplemental income, saying that these events are “irregular” because of his already busy schedule. The more regular pay from OGN is based on what CloudTemplar calls an “appearance basis,” meaning that he gets paid for each day of casting with the network. Regardless of time spent or matches covered, it is a set rate for the appearance of that day. Although structured, it doesn’t seem like it is an exclusive contractual obligation, as he described himself as a “freelancer,” and experiences all the issues that come with it.
“Sometimes you’re full, you might have breaks in between, or you might just have large amounts of time doing nothing,” he said. “The income isn’t completely consistent, since you could make a lot of money and then little money. Or maybe the place you were working for goes under. There can be a lot of different X-factors.”
Saying that the up and down appearances have a large impact on his income, CloudTemplar stressed that a balance of sorts is necessary for his livelihood. This would not only include hosting or casting at events, but his active streams on AfreecaTV and his YouTube channel.
