KENAZ-IP-HOLDER

NEWS

2024-04-29

Kenaz launches first official MD for popular webtoon 'Secret Love'

[By Kim Ki-joo Kim, News Culture] Kennaz (CEO Lee Woo-jae) is releasing the first official MD for the webtoon \"Secret Love\" following the MD for \"Roses and Champagne\" in February. The work, which is popularly available on the Korean content platform Leedee, will expand its content in various forms, including publishing and drama, starting with this MD. Photo/Kenazu There will be a total of seven MDs with new illustrations of the two main characters not seen in previous works, and they will be available for pre-sale on the OFFICIAL W online store from April 29th at 6pm to May 6th. Kenazu, which has more than 250 IPs based on a solid planning and production system, said that in addition to the release of this MD, it plans to continue its active IP business with various works such as \"Login Murim\". Meanwhile, Kenazu is a webtoon IP holder that is expanding its business in various forms, including webtoon movie adaptations (dramas and movies), opening global pop-up cafes, global publishing, games, and animation production. News Culture Kim Ki-Joo kimkj@knewscorp.co.kr Copyright © NEWSCULTURE All rights reserved. Source : NEWSCULTURE (https://www.newsculture.press)

NEWS

2024-02-01

Kenazu Launches MD for Global Popular Webtoon 'Roses and Champagne'

Webtoon IP holder Kenaz (CEO Lee Woo-jae) announced on the 21st that it has launched MD (merchandise, planned products) for the global popular webtoon \'Roses and Champagne\'. \"We are accelerating the expansion of our IP (intellectual property),\" said an official from Kenaz. \"As a secondary commercialization strategy for our IP (webtoon), we are expanding our business in various forms, such as webtoon movie (drama, film), opening a global pop-up cafe, global publishing, game, and animation production.\" He continued, \"Kenaz\'s representative webtoon, <;;Roses and Champagne>;; (Original: ZIG, Drawing: Fat Dog), is available in Korea on Resin and Bomtoon. It was published as a paperback in France, the center of European manga, and reached the number one spot on Amazon, and has a fanbase of more than 10,000 people in the United States, where the work is not published.\" \"We have chosen roses and champagne as our first in-house MD (merchandise and merchandising products),\" said Mr. KENAZ, \"featuring new illustrations of the two main characters, Caesar and Jung Yi-won, that were never seen in the webtoon, and will be available on the OFFICIAL W online store from 18:00 today, Wednesday, November 21st.\" \"In response to customers who expressed their disappointment with the limited number of collaboratively produced MDs, we will be selling our own MDs at all times. Kenazu, which has more than 250 IPs based on a solid planning and production system, plans to continue its active IP business with various works such as <;;Login Murim>;; starting with the release of this MD.\" Source: Sisun News (http://www.sisunnews.co.kr) [Source:Sisun News] Kenaz, Global Popular Webtoon \'Roses and Champagne\' MD ReleaseView original article:http://www.sisunnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=207267

NEWS

2024-01-26

Kenaz co-produces webtoon with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile carrier, for first launch

Staged image for better understanding [courtesy of Kenaz]. Webtoon creation studio Kenazu (CEO Lee Woo-jae) and Japan\'s largest mobile operator NTT DoCoMo collaborated on the webtoon <;;A Flower Road to a Martial Arts Villain>;; (Japanese service name: 前世に還ったら兄が大悪党だった件について), announced today (June 26) that it will be available exclusively on NTT DoCoMo\'s e-book platform \"dBooks\" for the first time. \"The webtoon <;;A Flower Road to the Villain of Wuxia>;; is based on the novel of the same name by Gong Rah-hee,\" the company said. \"Starting with this work, the second co-production work <;;Spy House>;; (Japanese service name: スパイハウス) will be launched in February, and Kenazu and NTT Docomo plan to release a total of 10 co-produced works on dBooks over the next two years, including the above two works. \"Meanwhile, dBook, one of NTT DoCoMo\'s telecommunications and smart life businesses (providing video and music), is an e-book platform that offers more than 900,000 titles, including webtoons, manga, novels, and practical books, to 88.5 million NTT DoCoMo carrier users and general users.\" In this regard, Kenazu said, \"Rather than settling for the domestic webtoon market, Kenazu aims to promote the true globalization of IP through global co-production and talent development, and then introduce webtoon content to more users around the world with various partners through its own big-tech distribution line to break down cultural barriers.\" \"This co-production with NTT DoCoMo in Japan marks Kenazu\'s full-scale globalization of IP.\" \"As a webtoon production company, Kenaz is planning to conduct global academies and global co-productions with China\'s Bytedance (19\'), Korea\'s Kakao Page (20\'~22\'), and Japan\'s Wacom-Celsys (23\'), as well as global co-productions with China\'s Netease and Tencent,\" he added.

NEWS

2023-11-14

Kenaz Completes Japan's Webtoon Academy to Discover Global Webtoonists

Webtoon creation studio Kenazu (CEO Lee Woo-jae) announced the successful completion of the Japan Webtoon Academy. Based on the experience of academies with Bytedance in China and Kakao Page in Korea, Kenaz collaborated with Wacom and Celsys in Japan to hold the Korea-Japan online academy for about four months from June to November 10th. The academy attracted more than 350 applicants due to their interest in Japanese webtoons and enthusiasm for participation, and 200 students were selected for Course 1, which taught the basic contents of webtoons, and 8 students were finally selected for Course 2 with the goal of serialization, and the completion ceremony was held on the 10th. The selected students received professional webtoon debut training and coaching from Kenazu to create webtoons, and at the completion ceremony held at Wacom\'s Tokyo office on the 10th, they received creative support grants. They will create original content through a writer contract with Kenazu, and will start global services in Korea, Japan, China, North America, etc. through the distribution line of Kenazu, an Apple Books MCP. \"There is a growing interest in webtoons around the world, and various fields are looking for webtoon IPs, but to truly expand webtoons, it is necessary to create original content that reflects each culture and fuse them together,\" said Woojae Lee, CEO of Kenaz. Kenaz will continue its efforts to secure global webtoon artists and original IPs by holding academies in various countries such as France, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Turkey.

NEWS

2023-11-01

Kenaz-Winatmedia to co-produce drama 'Weather Forecasting Love'...casting Shin Jung-yoo and Woo Ji-han

(Photo courtesy of Kenaz, Winatmedia) [Asia Newswire=Sangjin Lee] Webtoon IP holder Kennaz and global multidisciplinary content studio WINATMEDIA are set to premiere the hotly anticipated web drama \"Weather Forecasting Love\" overseas. \"Weather Forecast Love\" tells the story of two young men who are swayed by unpredictable love emotions like rain showers on a sunny day. It is based on the popular webtoon of the same name (written by Gwendolyn, drawn by Samyoung, and produced by Kennaz) that was serialized on the Korean content platform RIDI. Newcomers Shin Jung-yoo and Woo Ji-han were cast to lead the drama. Shin plays Ban Dong-wook, a business school student who attracts everyone\'s attention with his good looks and superior physique, but his insomnia-induced sensitivity makes it difficult for him to let go of anyone easily. Woo Ji-han plays Lee Do-hyun, a cadaver department nerd who exudes a reverse charm with a lovable personality that disarms people with just a first impression, and an insane competitive drive that drives him to accomplish his goals. With Dong-wook, who can only fall asleep when he\'s with him, and Do-hyun, who can\'t fall asleep when he\'s with him, we can\'t wait to see what his statue dreams will be like. The film will premiere on global video platform iQIYI on May 10 in 21 countries including the United States, Canada, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan, with domestic release dates to be determined. Kenaz (CEO Woojae Lee) is a webtoon creation studio that produces webtoons with high writing quality and solid story lines by adopting a pre-production system, and plans to expand its business into various fields such as drama, animation, games, and publishing by actively utilizing its 220 webtoon IPs. WINATMEDIA (CEO Lee Min-seok) is a global comprehensive content studio that has been leading the new media drama market with a number of hits with its novel planning and production capabilities, including the web dramas \"Omniscient Unrequited Love Point of View\" and \"When I Was Taken by Iljin (original Day Seven). In order to provide a special encounter with fans of the original drama ahead of its overseas premiere, the web drama \"Weather Forecasting Love\" will also hold a collaboration cafe promotion at the 1st store of Tunik in Hongdae from the 8th to the 19th of this month. The collaboration cafe, which is organized as a space to enhance the immersive experience of the work, will feature collaborative food and beverages inspired by the work and limited goods based on the original webtoon. Limited goods will also be available for purchase online. Meanwhile, \"Weather Forecasting Love\" will have its international premiere in Aichi on the 10th of this month and will be released through OTT in Korea at a later date. For more information, please visit dltkdwls3170@naver.com

NEWS

2023-10-06

AI company Toonsquare and webtoon creation studio Kenazu "Mitson

Developed an AI solution for webtoon production - Collaborated on IP for North American distribution \"Full-scale expansion into overseas distribution markets\" ToonSquare (CEO Lee Ho-young), the operator of webtoon creation SaaS solution \'Tooning\', announced on September 26 that it has signed an MOU with webtoon creation studio Kenaz (CEO Lee Woo-jae) to develop artificial intelligence webtoon production technology. Through collaboration with Kenaz, ToonSquare plans to lead the innovation of webtoon production, such as shortening the webtoon production period and reducing costs, by advancing and commercializing the development of \"webtoon production AI solutions\". Kenaz is a webtoon creation studio specializing in webtoons, and has introduced a pre-production and internal exclusive writer system to secure high writing quality and solid story lines. Currently, about 200 webtoon writers are active. Under the agreement, ToonSquare will be able to share various contents, services, and human and material resources of Kenazu that are necessary for the development of AI webtoon production technology. Through this, it is expected to grow into a technology that enables more efficient webtoon production by utilizing high-quality webtoon data and advancing AI solution technology. In the first quarter of 2024, ToonSquare and Kenaz are planning to promote the \'AI Education Project\' (consortium) through government support projects as well as technology development collaboration. Under the leadership of Toonsquare, it plans to participate in AI talent training with various companies including Kenazu. Lee Ho-young, CEO of ToonSquare, said that as an \"AI solution for webtoon production,\" the company aims to reduce the production time of webtoon writers by \"about five times or more\" compared to the current webtoon production process, \'Web Novel > Conti > Webtoon,\' by analyzing the work process that requires a lot of labor through AI technology and optimization systems. In addition, through this strategic collaboration with Kenaz, Toonsquare announced that it will not only produce webtoons but also enter the overseas market, including entering the North American IP distribution market. ToonSquare, which was officially launched in 2017 through Samsung Electronics\' internal venture project \'C-Lab\' and spun off in 2019, is a startup that provides generative AI research and services related to artificial intelligence, and currently launches and operates global SaaS services such as Toon Editor, Toon Magic AI, and Toon World, and is growing 500% annually. Tooning is a creative and interactive webtoon authoring tool that allows anyone to become a webtoon author, and aims to innovate as an authoring tool-based UGC (User-Generated Content) webtoon platform.

NEWS

2023-09-01

OnomaAI, developer of AI-based webtoon creation engine, receives PreA funding

OnomaAI, the developer of AI-based webtoon creation engine Tutoon, announced today that it has secured pre-series A funding from Mark & Company, Kennaz, and Suprema (26,850 KRW ▲200 +0.75%). The investment is undisclosed and follows a seed round of 500 million won in May last year. OnomaAI\'s flagship service, Tootun, creates webtoon characters, clothes, background images, and content based on written commands. For example, if you type in \"several students walking out of the classroom,\" a cartoon-style drawing of them pops up. The company has also developed a service that learns the artist\'s drawing style and creates a webtoon with a storyline. It is currently in beta testing and will be available to the public in late October. In April, we unveiled TootunGPT, which combines Tootun with ChatGPT to create short-form videos by entering a single sentence of a story. One of the investors, Kenazu, is a webtoon production company. It operates an exclusive writer system and currently has about 180 webtoon writers, excluding PD personnel. OnomaAI plans to utilize the investment for talent recruitment and product development. \"We will do our best to grow into an unrivaled multimodal learning company,\" said Onoma AI CEO Song Min.

NEWS

2023-06-30

"The ending is different from the original, amplifying the anticipation"...ToonieMotion launches webtoon-based animation 'Nive'

Content startup \'toonimotion\' will launch the animated series \'Nive\' on Naver Series On, Raftel, and Kakao Page on the 30th. Toonimotion specializes in planning and production of popular webtoons into animations, and Nive is the company\'s fifth animated work. Poster for the animated movie \'Nive\' (Original: KENAZ, Text: S, Drawing: Kang Minseok, Animation: Toonimotion) Based on the webtoon of the same name by KENAZ, a webtoon production company specializing in webtoons, the animated series is a courtroom political thriller that tells the story of a prosecutor (Lee Se-won) and a detective (Kim Do-hoon) whose souls are changed by a single case. The title \"neve\" refers to an ice cap, a metaphor for the corruption of power that is solidified like a snowball that has been accumulating. The main plot of the film is a revenge drama in which the hidden powers use the main characters, a prosecutor and a detective, and then try to dispose of them, but their counterattacks reveal the ugly face of power. In particular, the new movie foreshadows a different ending from the original, adding to the curiosity. Through its official YouTube channel, Toonie Motion released an interview video with S, the story writer of the original webtoon, and voice actors Hong Hu-baek, who plays prosecutor Lee Se-won, and Baek Seung-cheol, who plays the passionate detective Kim Do-hoon, to announce the different ending. In the interview, S, the story writer of the original story, revealed the story behind the production of the anime ending, which is different from the webtoon, and expressed his excitement for the launch. Voice actors Hong Hu-baek and Baek Seung-cheol also said, \"Please look forward to the different ending,\" and \"A work that will make your heart feel hot even when it has cooled down has been created.\" The series will be simultaneously available on Naver Series On, Raftel, and Kakao Page. Starting with the release of episode 20 on June 30, a total of 50 episodes will be released every Friday. Source : TheFirstMedia (http://www.thefirstmedia.net)

NEWS

2023-05-10

Kyungpook National University, industry-academia collaboration with webtoon production company 'Kenaz'

[Newsworks=Yoonhee Choi] Kyungpook National University\'s Department of Visual Media and Contents announced today that it has signed an industry-academic cooperation agreement with webtoon production company Kennaz. The agreement was attended by Kyungpook National University President Jeon Jeon-yong, LINK Business Unit Director Lee Sang-heon, and Kennaz CEO Lee Woo-jae. Kennaz, a company that produces and develops original webtoons and supplies them to Apple Books in Japan, will exclusively supply webtoon content from Korean webtoon producers to Apple Books, starting with the launch of more than 20 original webtoon series in Japan. \"We are honored to have the opportunity to help students grow through various projects with Kennaz in an era where personalized personal branding is necessary,\" said Kim Joo-hee, chair of the Department of Film, Media and Contents at Kyungpook National University. \"We will continue to develop programs to cultivate on-site customized talents required by the industry through industry-academia cooperation with various media content industries.\" Source : Newsworks (https://www.newsworks.co.kr)

EVENT

2023-04-27

Durbussal, a six-year-old girl who touches her inner wounds: Moro's 'Wiri Story'

<12> Moro ‘Wiri Story’ Editor's note Webtoons are at the center of K-content that has shaken the world. With so many good ones, it's always hard to know which one to click on. We'll share some of the most interesting ones with Hankook Ilbo readers through the spring 'webtoon' season. "Wiri's Story" tells the story of Wiri, a six-year-old girl who lives with the heartbreak of being abandoned by her mother, and how she overcomes it. Instagram (@wiri_2