Kisai Entertainment, the largest webtoon production studio in Southeast Asia, based in Indonesia, proudly announced its partnership agreement with YLAB Academy in South Korea to establish the first Webtoon Academy in Indonesia.
YLAB Academy, established in 2015, is part of YLAB, one of the largest content companies in South Korea. YLAB has created several best-selling webtoon series, including The Chronicles of the Brave, Super String Universe, and Real Life Hero. Over the years, YLAB Academy has produced many professional webtoon creators whose projects are now featured on various platforms. YLAB is known for its popular webtoon titles, which have found success not only in South Korea but also internationally, with many projects currently being adapted into dramas.
Through this partnership, Kisai Entertainment is committed to expanding its contribution to the local creative industry. The webtoon academy that will be established aims to provide prospective webtoon industry talents in Indonesia with training in webtoon workflow and production methods to prepare them for professional work. YLAB Academy will provide the curriculum and training materials for this Webtoon Academy, which is scheduled to open in early 2025. The YLAB Academy curriculum is practical and specifically designed for talents preparing for professional roles in the webtoon industry, as it has been developed by successful artists in South Korea, both at YLAB and with other webtoon companies and platforms.
Speaking at the press conference, the Director of National Export Development at the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Mrs. Mardyana Listyowati, expressed her support, stating, “The creative industry holds great potential to grow and bring our nation’s work to the international stage. Investment in human resources is one of the keys to realizing this potential.”
Tessa Yadawaputri, Founder and CEO of Kisai Entertainment, said, “This webtoon academy addresses one of the biggest challenges in developing webtoon content in Indonesia by offering insights, information, and international-standard skills for Indonesia’s future talents.” Kim Daewook, CEO of YLAB Academy, added, “This collaboration marks a historic first for YLAB Academy, and we are very optimistic that this webtoon academy will produce many great works.”
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Kisai Entertainment plans to invest over IDR 5 billion over the next five years. Together with YLAB Academy, Kisai aims to develop 500 new professional creators within this period, who can contribute to an estimated annual creative services export potential exceeding USD 2 million, through both Kisai Entertainment productions and the independent work of academy graduates.
The webtoon industry is projected to continue rapid growth, with a market value increase from USD 5.4 billion in 2023 to USD 67.6 billion by 2032, according to Market Research Future. Meanwhile, Indonesian Webtoon application users make up 5% of global readers (170 million active monthly readers). The webtoon academy initiated by Kisai Entertainment is expected to boost the presence of Indonesian creators in this global digital comic market. LINE Webtoon, the leading digital comic reading app, recently listed on the US stock exchange (NYSE) and revealed in its IPO document that nearly 500 creators on its platform earn over USD 100,000 annually, with the top 100 creators earning over USD 1 million annually. This potential is tremendous, and it is foreseeable that Indonesian webtoon creators could achieve similar success in the future.
This partnership signing received direct support from the Trade Attaché and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in South Korea, as well as the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia.
The Indonesian Anime Times | The information provided are the views of the provider of the Indonesian press release and does not represent the views of KAORI Nusantara and The Indonesian Anime Times | The original Indonesian article can be read here
