Wattpad and Huayi Brothers Korea Announce First-of-Its-Kind Development Partnership

The deal will see Wattpad stories adapted for the Korean market, bringing international Wattpad hits to screens all over the country  

TORONTO - Feb. 13, 2019 - Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, and Huayi Brothers Korea, today announced a first-of-its-kinds development deal to adapt Wattpad stories for film, TV, and digital media projects in Korea. The partnership will see international Wattpad stories adapted for screens, with Wattpad and Huayi Brothers Korea co-producing content from the deal.  

Using its Story DNA Machine Learning technology, Wattpad will identify stand-out stories among the 565 million on the platform, which will then be developed for screens. Wattpad will also leverage data-backed insights from its global community of 70 million users throughout the development process, creating an audience-first approach from story to script and screen. 

“Great stories transcend borders, and this deal shows what a truly visionary and international approach to entertainment looks like,” said Dexter Ong, Head of Asia for Wattpad Studios. “We’re thrilled to work with Huayi Brothers Korea to bring some of Wattpad’s most exciting storytellers to Korea’s world-class entertainment market.” 

“Wattpad’s model is the future of entertainment, using technology to find great storytellers and bring them to an international audience,” said, Jay Ji, CEO, Huayi Brothers Korea. “In an era of entertainment abundance, working with Wattpad means access to the most important things in the industry: a data-backed approach to development, and powerful, proven stories that audiences have already fall in love with.”

The deal follows a string of international partnerships for Wattpad. The company currently has 26 films in the works with iflix in Indonesia, and recently announced a second season of Light as a Feather, which it produces with AwesomenessTV and Grammnet for Hulu in the US. Wattpad also works with eOne, Sony, SYFY, Universal Cable Productions (a division of NBCUniversal), Germany’s Bavaria Fiction, and other entertainment partners around the world. Wattpad’s feature film After, based on Anna Todd’s best-selling novel, will hit theatres on April 12, 2019.

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About Wattpad

Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multiplatform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world -- in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 70 million people who spend over 22 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than 565 million uploads on the platform. Wattpad Studios and Wattpad Books are transforming entertainment and publishing, using data-backed insights to turn Wattpad stories into books, films, TV shows, and digital projects. Wattpad Brand Partnerships offers a full suite of advertising products to help brands build deep engagement with Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Tap by Wattpad, the company’s second storytelling product, offers immersive interactive entertainment experiences in over a dozen languages. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more at: company.wattpad.com

About Huayi Brothers Korea

As one of the top talent agencies in Korea, Huayi Brothers Korea has been focusing on its management branch to lead the entertainment industry for more than a decade by discovering and nurturing new talents. Huayi Brothers Korea currently manages and represents the most prominent actors, screen writers, directors, recording artists and other professionals. Huayi Brothers Korea has been creating the company’s future value by producing feature films, dramas, TV shows, web contents and soundtracks. Huayi Bothers Korea is closely cooperating with its subsidiaries including ‘Huayi Investment’, venture capital mainly focus  on media contents and technologies, ‘Merry Christmas’, a film production and distribution company, ‘Madman Post’, a motion picture visual effect studio and ‘Beautiful Mind’, a K-beauty and lifestyle management company, to jump up to be the No. 1 entertainment group. Its headquarter is based in Seoul, Korea. Please find more information at: www.huayibrothersent.com