SG Entertainment is a Seoul-based international Kpop training academy. The company trains and manages international creators and talents interested in breaking into the Kpop industry. Therefore, they are not just a music label but also an academy and production studio. They aim to train and manage the next generation of international creators.
Currently, most influencers are alone to create content and attract an audience. Most end up getting inspiration from the latest trends and their peers. Therefore they often end up lacking in originality. However, SG Entertainment helps creators draw inspiration from their personalities to develop artistic concepts, create new trends, and achieve uniqueness. Thus, the company draws on the French pedagogical approach to accomplish this.
The French pedagogical approach
SG Entertainment uses the French pedagogical approach. It focuses on creativity, autonomy, personality development, and freedom of speech. Furthermore, by professionalizing the creators around stable communities sharing common values, the company can quickly and accurately leverage its influence to introduce and promote its advertising partners’ products and services to large audiences.
SG Entertainment is Korea’s first music and video label that combines an academy and a production studio. It was founded in 2018 by two French entrepreneurs. Moreover, it envisions artistic creation through the lens of individual emotions to bring the best out of everyone’s unique creative potential.
SG Entertainment – International Kpop Training Academy
SG Entertainment operates through two entities. Its Hongdae academy trains talent to develop their creativity and enrich their content. At the same time, it reinforces their self-esteem and teaches them how to face an audience and manage their fans. In addition to traditional production work, its agency manages fanbase communities to help creators focus exclusively on their artistic work and content creation. Furthermore, the proceeds from the academy serve to finance and stabilize the development of the agency’s efforts.
Currently, anyone can join their academy in Hongdae. They have integrated educational tracks that allow students to get comprehensive artistic training in dancing, acting, singing, video production, and music production. Creators will be selected through internal auditions after an initial training period.
Founded by French Entrepreneurs
Joon-Hae Woo and Thomas Sommer (two French entrepreneurs) co-founded SG Entertainment. Woo, a music producer, has 20 years of experience in the European entertainment industry. In addition, Sommer, a specialist in international trade, has 10 years of experience working in startups and ad tech.
“Today, successful online influencers are shooting stars whose communities tend to wither over time,” says Joon-Hae Woo, SG Entertainment’s CEO. “This is due to two reasons. First, there is the human side: individual influencers don’t know how to professionally manage a large audience. Furthermore, there is a problem with idea development; they struggle to come up with content-rich enough to keep their communities engaged in the long run. By fostering the next generation of creators, SG Entertainment tackles both of these issues.”
Spreading Korean Culture Abroad
With their initiative, the founders aim to promote Korean culture abroad and increase its influence internationally. At the same time, they are also bringing a fresh, creative approach to give Korean creators and artists the means of achieving more autonomy on the global stage. In addition, the company plans on replicating its concept in several other countries to create a network of creators.
“In an international context of increased trade tensions, it is important to enable the creation of new bridges between countries and stimulate connections across borders,” says Thomas Sommer, COO. “Through our network, we want to connect populations through the diffusion and exchange of creative cultural content as well as the transmission of unifying values. This, in turn, will facilitate the adoption of innovative products for the benefit of advertisers.”
