While talent has always been plentiful in Asia, the celebrities, brands, and partners in that part of the world haven’t historically had access to Hollywood-style talent agencies to help them maximize their potential. Instead, these companies oversaw their own talent, productions, and casting (and much more). This left little time for them to focus on ways to push their content globally so the world could enjoy it.
But that all changed in 2015 when MAXPERIENCE (MPE) was formed to support and accelerate the global expansion of these brands, partners, and celebrities. Today, MPE is the agency behind celebrities like BTS, BLACKPINK, SEVENTEEN, and NewJeans, as well as clients like IMMI, Unilever, Nestlé, Mars Skechers, Heineken, and Indofood, helping them develop business opportunities locally and globally.
Raymond Cho ’21 was one of the company’s early hires as COO. He held that position while he earned his MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises and still serves as COO today (and is an equity holding partner as well). In this role, he sees firsthand the world’s rising interest in Asian talent—specifically when it comes to the growth of K-Pop.
Cho says COVID brought K-Pop to the forefront even more, as people spent more time at home consuming online content. Consumers got to know the K-Pop groups as they engaged with fans around the world through social media, held virtual concerts, and released new music online. This explosion drove massive growth not only for the Asian entertainment industry but for MPE’s business, too.
“Today, K-Pop has been featured on famous talk shows in the United States, like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and others,” explains Cho. “Since the pandemic, more K-Pop idols have been promoting their activities and expanding the stage outside Korea and in other countries like the United States and Southeast Asia.”
As a result, Cho has noticed a significant increase in the number of projects he manages and the countries his clients represent. He estimates that he’s led more than 50 trendsetting projects in brand endorsement, live events, and ATL (above the line) media promotion over the past few years. These projects have created a massive global impact.
Acting as a talent agent localized to the Asian market, he coordinates everything involving celebrity and brand management. He helps lead new market and client development, as well as maintaining relationships with existing clients, including marketing content reviews, business negotiations for ongoing projects, and upcoming project contract discussions.
What Cho loves most about his career is the variety it offers: getting to meet new clients, creating new contracts, and working with different clients and celebrities from different countries. No two days or projects are ever the same.
“For example, we’ve been developing Indomie from the ground up for the brand endorsement project with NewJeans, and it’s now the global top instant noodle brand from Indonesia,” he says. “As these celebrities and clients grow, they seek agents like us who can carry and secure every single step of the project to a standard that can cope with various language and cultural barriers existing across the globe.”
For now, says Cho, MPE continues to handle lots of K-Pop and A-list Asian celebrities. In the near future, however, he believes other countries will be looking for ways to bring their entertainment content to the global market as well.
“We believe there’s huge potential not only with K-Pop from Korea but also with J-Pop from Japan, C-Pop from China, and P-Pop from the Philippines,” he explains. “There’s potential in every one of those countries. They all make quality content and cultivate their people to become celebrities who can create an impact that starts in their own country but extends to the global market. Our vision is to become a celebrity agency for those global A-list clients.”
As the industry grows, Cho also has the opportunity to work with Northwestern School of Communication alumni who have chosen similar career paths. For example, he works with a Northwestern graduate in charge of NewJeans management. They partner to carry out NewJeans projects and support one another.
“With my MSLCE from Northwestern, I feel equipped with knowledge about the entertainment industry, how to build extensive networks, and how to avoid being siloed. The strategic planning, analysis, and decision-making techniques I learned help me a lot. When I brainstorm about my company’s future, for example, I can rely on what I know to move it in the right direction.”
The foundation he built in the MSLCE program will be especially helpful as he works with his teammates to list the company’s shares for public trading on the Asian stock exchange.
“Our vision is to become the first celebrity agency listed in the public stock market in Asia. People say celebrity agencies can’t be listed, but WME broke through this assumption by becoming the first talent agency listed on the New York Stock Exchange,” explains Cho. “If WME could do it in the United States, then we can do it in Asia. We believe in the potential of the talent agency business in Asia as well. It’s time for people in the United States to look beyond the U.S. market. There are still many undiscovered opportunities and huge growth potential in Asia, especially in Southeast Asia. If it’s a path you think you want to pursue, then don’t hesitate to connect with someone in the industry beyond your geographic boundary to explore what’s possible.”
Why Bringing Asian Talent to the World Matters
Raymond Cho ’21 says he enjoys many things about working in the Asian entertainment industry and elevating talent, including:
- Creating strong Inspiration for the world by managing and overseeing various impactful projects from brand endorsement, live event, and ATL (above the line) media promotion.
- Carrying culture across borders by helping celebrities and clients like brands, promoters and media bring their unique perspectives and strategies to a global market.
- Being at the center of a vibrant market that needs and requires a quantitative and qualitative skillset to cope with multinational business partners.
- Standing at the forefront of creative strategies that connect diverse audiences.
- Collaborating with talented individuals to tell stories that resonate with diverse audiences.
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