[Exclusive]'Yumi's Cells' creator Locus..Hong Seong-ho (President) "Technology is the core of animation" [★Research Lab] [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

[Editor’s Note] [★Research Lab] StarNews meets with key figures driving the entertainment industry, uncovering their unique know-how and success strategies. We introduce the practical experience and philosophies of those who quietly pave the way behind the scenes of glamorous stars.

's presence in the domestic animation market is growing. Having proven both technical prowess and mass appeal through the TVING drama 'Yumi's Cells' series and animated films 'Red Shoes' and 'Tomek', Locus is now expanding its scope beyond a simple animation production company to become a comprehensive content company encompassing IP, space, and fandom businesses. The company is building a new growth model by extending characters and worldviews into offline spaces, going beyond content production.

'Recently, StarNews met with Hong Seong-ho (President) and Vice President Hwang Su-jin at Locus Seoul's office located in Seoul Gangnam-gu to discuss Locus's blueprint.

'Established in 2009, Locus is now in its 17th year and is a comprehensive content company with approximately 180 professional staff. It has demonstrated technical capabilities and production capacity in the domestic animation industry through works such as 'Red Shoes', 'Yumi's Cells', and 'Tomek'.

'In particular, 'Red Shoes' is a feature-length animation produced targeting the global market and was released in 123 countries worldwide. The 'Yumi's Cells' series gained attention for its production method that combined live-action drama and animation for the first time in Korea. Recently, through 'Tomek', the company has confirmed the market potential and fandom possibilities of adult-targeted animation, expanding its business scope.

'Vice President Hwang Su-jin described Locus as "a comprehensive content company covering all full CGI-based content, including animation, VFX, and special effects businesses." She added, "In recent years, we have been running animation distribution and merchandise businesses utilizing animation IP in parallel."

'Locus places importance on balancing technology and practicality in the animation production process. Hong Seong-ho (President) stated, "Technology is the core of animation. While movies are invested in based on directors or actors, in animation, 'whether this can be actually realized' is more important." He further explained, "Since we cannot invest in production costs amounting to hundreds of billions of won like in the U.S., we are leveraging technology as a core competitive advantage in content production."

'Based on this technological capability, Locus is recently expanding its business into offline hub operations beyond video content. The company has built a 3,000-pyeong studio on a site of approximately 340,000 pyeong within the Suncheon National Garden in South Jeolla Province, utilizing it as a space where fans can directly experience IP.

'Regarding the importance of offline businesses, Vice President Hwang Su-jin said, "Disney has been able to establish itself as an IP powerhouse for 100 years precisely because there are offline spaces where characters and worldviews can be experienced directly." She added, "We are also internalizing related business capabilities and experimenting with various possibilities based on our own IP."

'Locus's direction also differentiates it from the existing animation market centered on young children and infants. Hong Seong-ho (President) explained, "While the domestic animation industry has a high proportion of content targeting children, we are producing works that can be enjoyed by everyone from children to adults, as well as adult-targeted content."

'In fact, Locus confirmed the potential of adult fandom through 'Tomek' merchandise business, the DaeHyun Pop-up Store, and the re-release of 'Coraline: The Secret Door'. It also demonstrated the commercial expandability of animation IP by recording two consecutive first-place rankings in Tumblebug funding.

'Vice President Hwang Su-jin stated, "Today's fandom is not just consuming animation once and stopping; it shows the form of a strong core fandom that continues to watch it multiple times." She added, "Business results vary depending on how we communicate with them and provide experiences. We are also continuously developing such capabilities."

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*This content was translated by AI.