Opening of 'Busan Contents Biz Town' on November 21... Remodeling of Former Dongseo University Social Education Center Building
About 100 People Including Mayor Park Hyung-jun, National Assembly Members, and City Councilors Celebrate Opening of Busan-style Content Company Support Center
Busan City will open the 'Busan Contents Biz Town,' a foundational facility for nurturing content companies in Busan, on November 21.
‘Busan Contents Biz Town’ (located in Yangjeong-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan) was selected as a project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March last year. After completing remodeling work in September this year, selected companies began moving in from October, and it is currently in pilot operation.
The opening ceremony will be held on the 21st at 4:30 PM in the first-floor multipurpose cultural space of Busan Contents Biz Town under the theme 'Busan Contents Biz Town, a Global Content Hub City.' About 100 people, including Mayor Park Hyung-jun, National Assembly member Jeong Seong-guk, city council members, and the head of the Busan Information Industry Promotion Agency, will attend to celebrate the opening.
Before the opening ceremony, the first part of the event will feature a global content investment and technology conference, where renowned domestic and international speakers will provide the latest trends and information related to content production, marketing, and industry.
The first overseas presenter will be Joe Vitale, CEO of ‘Toon Pocket Studio,’ which collaborates with global online video service (OTT) producers such as DreamWorks, Disney, and Netflix. He will present insights on how to create content aimed at global audiences.
Following him, Cici Zheng, Vice President of ‘Lixi Entertainment,’ responsible for global media distribution in China, Canada, and Europe, will share insights into the Chinese animation and video market.
Domestic invited speakers include Lee Seung-gyu, co-founder of ‘The Pinkfong Company,’ and Noh Ga-young, a content media industry expert and author of the ‘Content is Everything’ series. They will give lectures on content business, expected to provide practical help to local content companies and prospective entrepreneurs.
'Busan Contents Biz Town' was created by remodeling the former Dongseo University Social Education Center building (8 floors above ground), featuring 38 company offices, meeting rooms, and multipurpose spaces.
The multipurpose space on the first floor is suitable for various cultural lectures and academic conferences and can be used by non-resident companies with prior telephone reservation.
The meeting rooms and seminar rooms on the second floor can also be used at a low cost through reservation, planned to serve as shared meeting spaces for the local community.
From the third to the eighth floor, there are company offices housing various content companies specializing in content solutions, knowledge services, animation, webtoons, videos, and more. Currently, 19 companies have been selected for residency, and the Busan Information Industry Promotion Agency is recruiting additional resident companies through its website.
'Busan Contents Biz Town' not only provides a business-friendly infrastructure but also plans to discover content companies with growth potential and support them in distributing globally competitive products to increase sales through various support projects.
This year, 30 companies are being supported through programs such as the ‘Business Development (Accelerating) Program,’ which offers in-depth diagnosis and customized mentoring for each company; the ‘Content Advancement Support Project,’ which helps improve and commercialize existing content and supports market entry; and the ‘Global Marketing Support Project,’ which assists companies in participating in overseas exhibitions and developing overseas sales channels.
With the opening of 'Busan Contents Biz Town,' Busan has completed a support system for each growth stage of companies, from creation to startup to growth. Busan is the second most active city in the content industry after the metropolitan area and has consistently produced young professionals with potential.
‘Busan Contents Korea Lab’ has been operating programs to support creators since 2014.
‘Busan Cultural Contents Complex,’ located in Centum City, has been home to startup-stage content companies steadily growing since its opening in 2012.
‘Busan Contents Biz Town’ aims to nurture strong small and medium-sized content companies in Busan and serve as a central hub for the local content industry by focusing on companies on a growth trajectory.
The conference and opening ceremony can also be viewed on the Busan Information Industry Promotion Agency’s website.
Participants can register for the event through an online form.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, “I hope ‘Busan Contents Biz Town’ will be a ticket for content companies and creators with potential to accelerate their growth,” adding, “We will establish a support system that companies need and spare no effort to help Busan’s companies and youth lead the rapidly changing global content market by integrating advanced technology.”
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