Korean content event BCWW celebrates its 21st anniversary this year with an online marketplace that draws on myriad digital resources to service participants commercial needs. Ahead of the show, which runs from 6-10 September, ContentAsia spoke to Jeong Kyoung Mi, VP at the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). 

What is BCWW’s most significant achievement? “BCWW’s main accomplishments lie in building new and continuing relationships between exhibitors and buyers, leading to tangible results.
“Though BCWW is a media content marketplace hosted in Korea, our goal does not stop short at exporting Korean media content.
“We aim to build on the interest in Korean media content to establish a network interlinking domestic and overseas companies. However, our most important achievement is our network becoming a solid base for co-production, investment promotion, purchases, and other business deals.”

What have the highlights over the past 21 years been? “2020 was a special year for BCWW, as we celebrated our 20th anniversary while making the transition from an offline marketplace to an online one... We created the BCWW Showcase: An online session to more effectively promote media content that augmented our face-to-face event. This allowed our U.S. and European buyers who had a hard time travelling overseas to participate in our event, and it was excellent for promotion overall as well.
“In a first among independent producers, two formats were pitched to Fox Alternative Entertainment. Lotto Singer and Battle in the Box formats both went on to sign contracts with Fox Alternative Entertainment.
“Various conferences were hosted, bringing to light key insights. For example, there was a special interview with Snowpiercer EP, Marty Adelstein, who spoke on the subject of Asian Broadcast Content Renaissance in the New Normal Age. 
“YouTube creator Jaykeeout, who has 1.36 million subscribers, held a live talk show and furthermore, the New Media Content Awards were presented, recognising the year’s best new media content. This was also an opportunity to raise public awareness about the current age of new media.”

What are this year’s event highlights? “This year, we are very pleased to host speakers that we have long waited for. The producers of I Can See Your Voice and The Masked Singer, Rob Wade, Craig Plestis and Ken Jeong will hold a keynote conversation on ‘The Future and Attraction of Korean Media Content and Changes in the Industry’. Another keynote conversation is with Clement Schwebig, WarnerMedia’s MD of India, SEA & Korea.
At BCWW’s Premiere Showcase and Format Showcase, delegates will have first access to excellent Korean media content, and meetings with global buyers can be arranged through the online platform. Drama, entertainment, documentary, web drama and other outstanding Korean media content are available for review. Business matchmaking among 100+ producers is available as well.”

What has been your biggest challenge in migrating to an online environment?  “BCWW 2020 was held before MIPCOM and TIFFCOM as the first marketplace to open up in the second half of 2020. However, the Covid-19 situation worsened suddenly before we launched, so we were pressed for time to ready our online marketplace. Our new online platform was something that exhibitors and buyers had to take time to get familiar with, and there were challenges to staying in close contact with overseas buyers as well.”

How did you deal with and overcome this? “BCWW operates a BCWW Operations Committee composed of industry players. The committee was at the center of maintaining seamless communications open with key participants. We held numerous advisory meetings to anticipate and minimise difficulties. After our successful event, we conducted after-event interviews as well.
In an effort to strengthen our communication line with overseas buyers, we mailed out BCWW 20th Anniversary badges and kits. Also, to minimise online conferencing difficulties, we operated a service support center to facilitate the smooth conversation between exhibitors and buyers.”

What is the vision and strategy for BCWW for the next few years? “BCWW will continue to play the role of Asia’s top media content marketplace despite the pandemic having shrunk the traditional marketplace’s size. BCWW will maintain its core objective of exporting Korean media content and promoting the Korean Wave or Hallyu, while expanding our showcase and pitching opportunities in the mid-to-long term. We will bolster our showcase efforts to facilitate first access to our excellent production companies’ lineups, and we will expand this to include not only Korean media content but also other Asian content as well.”

How would you like the industry to view BCWW? “We would like BCWW to be seen as the most influential marketplace hosted in Asia, which has firm roots in the staunch excellence of Korean media content. In addition, we would like to be known as the marketplace where you have first access to the most promising Korean media content as well as being a trove of insight into the industry’s trends. We’d also like to be known as a meeting place for key players as well.”

Published in ContentAsia's 6 September 2021 eNewsletter