SEOUL STARS
KCON LA 2025 has tapped acclaimed Korean actors Lee Byung-hun and Yim Siwan for special appearances at this year’s festival. The “Squid Game” stars will appear on M Countdown on Aug. 1, the opening day of the three-day event running Aug. 1-3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena.
Yim Siwan will also participate in K-Culture Night at Academy Museum with KCON on July 31, hosted by Eric Nam at the David Geffen Theater. The sold-out event – which became the Academy Museum’s fastest-selling public event after tickets disappeared within two hours – will feature a star-studded lineup including dancer ChoiHoJong, K-pop acts Lee YoungJi and P1Harmony, and Japanese girl group IS:SUE.
The world’s largest K-pop fan festival attracted 5.9 million fans from 170+ countries in 2024.
STRATEGIC SUBSIDIARY
Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM has established CJ ENM Middle East LLC in Riyadh, becoming the first Korean entertainment company to set up shop in Saudi Arabia. The move marks a key milestone for company as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The subsidiary will pursue collaborations across music, TV, film and live entertainment, partnering with Saudi events company Sela. CJ ENM has previous MENA ties, including MOUs with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and content company Manga Productions, plus hosting KCON in the kingdom for two consecutive years and inking a content deal with streaming platform Shahid.
ACQUISITION APPOINTMENTS
Warner Bros. Discovery has tapped two acquisition executives ahead of HBO Max‘s early 2026 European launch. Sasha Breslau joins as VP content acquisitions for U.K. and Ireland in October, while Alessandro Volpato has been named director of acquisitions for HBO Max Italy.
Breslau arrives from ITV, where she spearheaded acquisition of over 8,000 hours of premium content for ITVX’s launch, securing hits including “Love & Death,” “The Twelve,” “One Tree Hill,” and “The Originals,” plus the landmark Oprah-Meghan-Harry interview. Volpato joins from Prime Video, where he contributed to Italian originals including “Pesci Piccoli” and “Sono Lillo.” Both will handle content sourcing and rights negotiations.
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