The LAWEBFEST 2022 announces selection of new festival director - Young Man Kang

 

Young Man Kang - LAWEBFEST festival director

 

The LAWEBFEST board, headed up by honorary chairperson Tammy Ajakwe, recently announced that film director, Young Man Kang, has been elected to serve as LAWEBFEST’s newest festival director. Also, Marseille Webfest’s founder, producer Jean-Michel Albert, was appointed to serve as the festival’s honorary president.  

LAWEBFEST turns 13 this year, and is proud to announce that this year’s festival will be held at The Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles on November 4~5.

 

In 2005, when the first online video was uploaded to YouTube, the world of web video content officially began. Several years later, the first international festival dedicated specifically to web series, LAWEBFEST, was established in Hollywood/Los Angeles in 2009 by TV Writer/Producer, Michael Ajakwe, Jr.  The following year, in the French port city of Marseille, the Marseille Webfest was born, followed by the Melbourne Webfest in Australia, the Rome Webfest in Italy, and the DC Webfest in Washington DC.

 

In 2015, the Seoul Webfest (initially called KWebfest) was established in South Korea by Hollywood director Young Man Kang.  Michael Ajakwe, Jr. encouraged and supported this new festival’s efforts, seeing this as one more outlet to spur on creators from around the globe to reach even higher.  Since then, webfests have spread all over the world, fulfilling Michael’s vision of a global celebration of the web series format. Currently, there are more than 50 webfests which form a worldwide webfest network. With the rapid growth of YouTube, OTT platforms, and social media, web series festivals are constantly growing in numbers.

Michael Ajakwe Jr. / Young Man Kang

 

Serving as the godfather of the webfest community, the LAWEBFEST has continually grown since its initial founding. However, in 2018, the LAWEBFEST lost its founder and guiding light, Michael Ajakwe , Jr.  Having traveled extensively around the globe helping to start new Webfests, Michael visited the Seoul Webfest twice and continued to actively support the event and its founder, Young Man Kang, which made Young the natural choice to assume the position that was left vacant after Michael’s passing. 

Upon being selected as the new director of LAWEBFEST, Young Man Kang said, “I am honored to assume the role of LAWEBFEST’s festival director, a position that carries on the legacy of the godfather of all webfests, my friend and webfest mentor, Michael Ajakwe Jr.  I look forward to working closely with the board to insure that Michael Ajakwe, Jr’s vision continues to inspire generations of web series creators for years to come.”

Contact email: lawebfest2009@gmail.com 

LAWEBFEST official poster

Young Man Kang - LAWEBFEST festival director

Young Man Kang with LAWEBFEST crew 

LAWEBFEST 2022 the 13th Edition

Hit Chinese webseries Ex-Model to premiere on Korean VOD through KTH

SEOUL, 17 March 2017 - After its successful run in webfestivals ending with the Kwebfest in Seoul this past August 2016, hit Chinese webseries Ex-Model will be released on South Korean VOD platforms thanks to a partnership with KTH (Korea Telecom Hitel).

Through his company, YMK Films Korea, the director of the Kwebfest Young Man Kang reached a deal with the content arm of Korea Telecom, the leading telecom operator in South Korea, a leader in the digital contents business in Asia.

Ex-Model was created by Emmanuel Sapolsky and Xin Wang, produced by Paris-based fledging prodco New Bee Productions, and is distributed by Asian webseries specialist Daehan Drama.

The webseries follows Chinese model XinXin in Paris, who struggles to accept not being under the spotlight as much as before as she reaches her 30s and will attempt almost anything not to fall back into anonymousness. An intrigue widely inspired from the life of author and lead actress, Xin Wang.

Ex-Model received best actress and best art design awards at the Sicily Webfest 2015 and a special award at the Bilbao Webfest 2016 for its “preservation of the old town of Paris.” Premiering on Youku Tudou in Mainland China, it has also been airing on Fashion One in South East Asia and Gong TV in France.

KTH has so far released mainly homegrown feature films and webdramas. As their first foreign webseries, Ex-Model will provide them with a first opportunity to test the market and see how Korean viewers react.

To start, Ex-Model will be released on Naver TVcast, the leading VOD platform for webseries in South Korea, then to other services. This is the second foreign webseries being released on Naver TVcast after BananaMana Films’ Perfect Girl last year through a deal with iHQ.

YMK Films’ Young Man Kang says, “We are very excited to be able to release a first foreign webseries in the South Korean market and we hope to bring more as to expand the market for web contents here and beyond.”

Korean web series 'Doppelgänger' receives award nominations

May 25, 20169:10 PM MST

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Doppelgänger episode one

Courtesy of Young Man Kang

The Web Series “Doppelgänger” has received two awards nominations at the upcoming Melbourne WebFest.

Courtesy of Young Man Kang

“Doppelganger” will screen as an official selection and was nominated for “Best Foreign Drama” and “Best Director: Young Man Kang.”

“Web Series” or more familiarly known as “Web Dramas” in Korea have gained in popularity with many Kpop stars appearing in them.

According to Kang, branded web series are very popular in the Korean market along with the Italy.

CL Pacific, a web series production company in Seoul launched “Doppelganger” at Naver TVcast (the biggest Korean portal website), on April 29, 2016.

Melbourne WebFest, Australia’s international web series festival announced the program for its 4th edition to be held from July 1st to July 3rd at Deakin Edge, Federation Square after receiving a record 230 submissions, with a total of 55 web series represented from 15 different countries selected as 2016 Official Selections to screen at the festival.

This year, to reflect the rapid growth of the digital series entertainment, the Official Selections consisted of 55 web series with a total of 23 awards to be given.

Melbourne WebFest is supported by the City of Melbourne, LaTrobe University, ABC iView, and Fed Square.

It will be the first-time Melbourne WebFest has shown Korean web series this year: “Doppelganger” and “Witness” (Directed by Peter Vanilla) which also has 2 nominations in “Best Foreign Drama” and “Best Leading Actress: Su Ryun Baik.”

“Witness” was the grand prize winner from the 2015 KWEB FEST, the Korean WebFest and only webfest in Asia.

The Thriller-Drama, “Doppelganger” is a 5-episode drama with each episode duration about 10-12 minutes long. Total running time is 60 minutes. Written by Hwang Do Kim and Directed by Young Man Kang.

Synopsis:

Top star, Min Woo, who is bored with his life, discovers that one day out of nowhere, his doppelganger appears with an offer he couldn't resist. His doppelganger suggests that he can replace Min Woo's boring jobs and so, Min Woo agrees.

Slowly, Min Woo's doppelganger takes his place one by one; even with his love, Yeon Ju. It was then that Min Woo realizes his doppelganger's true intention. Now, Min Woo has to take his life back from the doppelganger's plot to steal his love.

Lead actor is Yoon Hu Ko and lead actress is Sia Lee. Sia Lee has appeared in television series such as the period drama “Maids”, “Signal” and KBS drama, “Unusual Family.”

Director Young Man Kang is an award-winning director, earning 13 awards from various film festivals. His latest web series which received an award in LAWEBFEST 2016 was “AREX Airport Railroad.” Now, he's the founder of KWEB FEST, the only webfest in Asia.

http://www.examiner.com/article/korean-web-series-doppelg-nger-receives-award-nominations

South Korean web-series 'Arex Airport Railroad' and 'A First Trip' win awards

May 6, 201611:23 AM MST

EXAMINER.COM

Promo card image

Courtesy of Young Man Kang

Two South Korean web-based series, AREX Airport Railroad & A First Trip, were honored in the world's largest web series festival in Los Angeles, organizers said Monday.

Jeong Hyeon-nam of "AREX Airport Railroad" received the Outstanding Lead Actress award in the drama category and Yoon Incheon of "A First Trip" received the Outstanding Cinematography award in the Los Angeles Web Series Festival 2016 that closed on Sunday on April 24.

LAWEBFEST is the world's oldest and largest festival of its kind, with about 400 titles from across the world submitted this year.

Web series consist of short episodes that are 5 to 20 minutes long and are available only on the Internet.

Directed by Young Man Kang, "AREX Airport Railroad" is about a man and a woman who first meet on an airport-bound train and develop a romantic relationship while traveling together.

"A First Trip" is about two grown-up sisters making a trip in search of their mother.

The two were among the 10 Korean titles selected from KWEB FEST for competition in the three-day festival held at Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood.

http://www.examiner.com/article/south-korean-web-series-arex-airport-railroad-and-a-first-trip-win-awards

AREX Airport Railroad Web Series Uky Baek and Hyeon Nam Jeong nominated for LAWEBFEST awards

Asian Pacific Entertainment Examiner

Uky Baek and Hyeon Nam Jeong nominated for LAWEBFEST awards

February 21, 201610:10 PM MST

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Trailer for AREX

Young Man Kang

The Korean Web Series drama "AREX Airport Railroad" 

from Producer and Director Young Man Kang has received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor Uky Baek and Outstanding Lead Actress Hyeon Nam Jeong at this year's 

Los Angeles Web Series Festival (LAWEBFEST).

Young Man Kang

The branded Web Series has three episodes (5-6 minutes runtime) filled with information about Airport Railroad from Incheon International Airport to Seoul City Terminal, showing routes surrounding areas and main facilities through the story of two young couples traveling on the trains.

Director Kang said that "to go friendlier to reach to our customers has produced a web drama the Airport Railway in the background" and "excitement and lively love story between men and women on the trip."

According to Kang, producing branded web series has become very popular in South Korea because of the way marketing has moved more toward online content and away from traditional means, especially popular are Web Dramas for young people watching on smartphones.

AREX Airport Express; Branded Web Series 공항철도 웹드라마 메이킹

AREX Airport Express; Branded Web Series 공항철도 웹드라마 메이킹

[사진: 공항철도 웹시리즈(웹드라마) 포스터]

공항철도(AREX)는 열차 안에서 펼쳐지는 사랑이야기를 담은 웹드라마 ‘사랑은 공항철도를 타고’를 12월 1일부터 방영하고 있다. 

웹드라마란 스마트폰 등 모바일 기기나 웹을 통해 시간과 장소에 구애 받지 않고 볼 수 있는 5∼15분 분량의 드라마를 말한다.

이번 웹드라마는 서로 다른 두 남녀가 공항철도에서 우연히 만나 함께 여행을 하면서 사랑을 키워간다는 내용으로 직통·일반열차, 도심공항터미널 등 공항철도 주요 시설과 연인들의 데이트 장소로 꼽히는 아라뱃길 등 노선 주변 명소를 배경으로 펼쳐진다.

만남, 데이트, 다시 만남 등 총 3부작으로 구성된 이번 드라마는 회당 5분 가량의 분량으로 제작되어 이동중에도 간편하게 볼 수 있다. 

드라마는 공항철도 홈페이지(www.arex.or.kr) 및 유튜브(www.youtube.com, ‘공항철도 웹드라마’ 검색)를 통해 볼 수 있다. 

공항철도측은 “고객들에게 보다 친근하게 다가가기 위해 공항철도를 배경으로 한 웹드라마를 제작했다”며 “여행에 대한 설렘과 남녀의 풋풋한 사랑이야기가 감성적으로 어우러진 드라마에 많은 관심과 성원을 부탁드린다”고 말했다. 

출연진과 메이킹 

[사진: (위)허린과 제시데이  (아래)강영만 감독, 정현남, 백욱희]

백욱희는 개성 있는 마스크에 개성 있는 표정의 배우이다. 사실 그는 전직배우이다. 

현재 그는 대한민국 1호 앱티스트로 스마트기기의 앱으로 예술을 하는 새로운 일을 개척해나가고 있다. 그는 현재 우키는TV 유튜버로 활동중이며, MCN 트레져헌터의 멀티 

크리에이터로 활약중이다.

제시데이(Jesse Day)는 캐나다 출신으로 방송인, 광고모델, 렙퍼이다. 한국의 매운 음식만  먹방하는 구독자가 4만명이 넘는 유튜브 스타이다.  6년 동안 한국에서 활발한 활동을 하고 있으며 스타킹, 전국노래자랑에 출연했고, 영화는 패션왕, 미스터고, 국제시장에 출연했다.

정현남 배우는 유명화장품 CF 메인모델로 활동중이며, 빼빼로 TV CF 엑소편 등 각종 유명 CF에 출연하였으며, 참신하며 맑고 깨끗한 이미지로 알려져 있는 신인배우이다.

허린은 전수일 감독 영도다리에서 박하선과 함께 출연하였으며, 현재 창감독 영화 리셋에서 카리스마 있는 여자 용병 역할을 맡아 오는 12월 7일 크랭크인을 앞두고 있다.

강영만 감독은 할리우드에서 왕성하게 활동해온 영화감독으로 6편의 장편영화를 제작했으며, 세계 각종 영화제에서 12번 수상을 했고, 기네스북 영화섹션에 등재되었으며, 제임스 카메론 감독의 아바타팀과 함께 4D 극장용 영상을 연출하였다. 현재는 아시아 최초의 

웹시리즈 전문 영화제 K웹페스트를 2015년에 설립했으며 집행위원장을 맡고 있다. 

[사진: 공항철도 메이킹 - 강영만 감독과 스탭진들]

[사진: 공항철도 메이킹 모니터 속에 배우들 - 정현남, 허린, 백욱희]

[사진: 공항철도 메이킹 모니터 속의 배우-정현남] [로케이션 제공: 카페마노]

[사진: 공항철도 메이킹 - 강영만 감독과 김도영 촬영감독]

- 홍보 웹시리즈(Branded Web Series)에 관하여 - 

한국뿐만이 아니라 외국에서도 홍보 웹드라마는 인기이다. 

외국에서는 홍보 웹드라마를 '브랜디드 웹시리즈(Branded web series)'라고 부른다.

미국의 IKEA(이키아)기업 홍보 웹드라마 '이지 투 어셈블'에서는 키아누 리브스가 출연했고, 이태리는 관광청 웹드라마 '앨리스 원더랜드 인 토스카니'를 제작하여 지역 관광 홍보를 하고 있다. 

또한 인텔/도시바의 홍보 웹드라마 '뷰티 인사이드' 가 한국에서 원작을 구입, 영화로도 제작되었다. 그 외 미국에서는 데니스, 타켓 등 브랜디드 웹시리즈를 만들었다.

한국은 삼성, 교보생명 등 기업들과, 수원, 군산, 경주 지자체등에서도 홍보용 웹시리즈를 제작했다. 

공항철도는 국내 이용객뿐만 아니라 중국 이용객, 외국 이용객들이 서서히 늘어가고 있는 추세이다.

웹시리즈라는 새로운 미디아 형식과 공항철도라는 여행과 감성 코드를 끌어내어 관객에게 자연스럽게 홍보하는 의미로 기획하게 되었다.

[사진: 공항철도 홍보 페이지 - 정현남, 백욱희 배우, 직통열차 안에서]

공항철도 웹드라마 에피소드 3편과 티져 동영상 보기

AREX Web Series EP1. 웹드라마[사랑은 공항철도를 타고] 1부 만남‬



AREX Web Series EP2. 웹드라마[사랑은 공항철도를 타고] 2부 데이트



AREX Web Series EP3. 웹드라마[사랑은 공항철도를 타고] 3부 다시만남



공항철도 웹드라마 티저 AREX Web Series Teaser [30S]