In a landmark move aiming to strengthen ties between Asian creative industries and Hollywood, United Talent Agency (UTA) and Gold House are collaborating during this month’s Busan International Film Festival and events in Seoul. This marks Gold House’s inaugural official engagement in South Korea, setting a promising foundation for connecting Asian creatives and investors with Hollywood opportunities.
Kicking Off the Collaboration
The partnership commences with the UTA x Gold House x Variety Industry Night at the Park Hyatt on October 9. Following this event, a panel titled “Hollywood & the Asian Diaspora” will take place at the Asian Contents & Film Market on October 10. The collaboration will also feature a speakeasy party in Seoul on October 13, designed for cross-cultural creatives, funders, and founders.
Expanding Gold House’s Reach
David Park, a senior partner and agent at UTA, highlighted that the agency has been active in Asia, particularly in Korea and Japan, for several years. “Adding Gold House has allowed us to level up, quite frankly,” he remarked. Until now, Gold House’s organizational footprint in Asia had primarily been limited to Singapore and Taiwan.
Gold House’s executive VP and president, Christine Yi, who has Korean heritage, along with Daniel Suh, who oversees the organization’s venture capital fund, visited Korea last year to explore how Gold House could contribute to the local industry. “What we had heard the most about was, do the Gold House thing here. You don’t really have to reinvent the wheel,” Yi explained, stressing the importance of facilitating cross-border partnerships, particularly by helping to connect major Hollywood executives with local talent.
Overdue Collaborations and Future Plans
Yi expressed that the partnership is not only timely but overdue, considering Gold House’s investments in Korean startups and the presence of several investors in the region. Currently, there is no formal ongoing program, but Yi plans to use the trip to Korea to engage with creatives that Gold House aims to collaborate with in the future. “The partnership to us is really all about network and ecosystem building,” she stated.
Criteria for Talent and Intellectual Property
When discussing the type of Asian talent and IP they are looking for, both Park and Yi emphasized the significance of authenticity. “Specificity is what leads to success,” Yi noted, adding that audiences can easily detect when content has been overly diluted for a global market. Projects, she clarified, do not need to be in English but must resonate with English-speaking audiences.
Moreover, Yi mentioned that Gold House has a strong inclination towards supporting first-time filmmakers who require backers willing to take a risk on their innovative projects. She is particularly interested in talent-led projects from Korea and hinted at discussions with a renowned K-pop singer about potential film collaborations.
Navigating New Opportunities
The K-pop singer’s team is approaching Gold House with the understanding that they trust the agency to help guide their entry into the U.S. market—a task Yi described as both a significant opportunity and a daunting challenge. Gold House aims to assist in strategy and production, capitalizing on a pipeline of overseas talent seeking stable avenues in the industry.
Park shared insights regarding authenticity as well, citing films like “Parasite,” which successfully reached international audiences through its unique storytelling. He believes that Korean horror-comedy could also bridge cultural gaps and become widely appealing. “Comedy is so culturally subjective, it’s harder to travel, but embedded deeply with horror, for example, that could work, and it could be a huge hit,” Park articulated.
Bridging Gaps Between Asia and Hollywood
Park highlighted a substantial gap in the Asia-Hollywood pipeline: the lack of crossover producers with established bases in Asia and relationships with U.S. buyers. He noted that, outside of Netflix and Disney, most buyers depend on their U.S. headquarters to evaluate premium local-language content, identifying only a handful of producers who facilitate this connection.
For Yi, access to capital represents another significant gap. She is exploring the potential for Asia-based private investors to support U.S. independent films, an area many investors currently approach as a philanthropic endeavor. Additionally, she is on the lookout for Korean partners in unscripted productions.
Future Aspirations and Development Programs
Looking ahead, Yi aims to establish a cross-border talent development program, which could include exchanges, shadowing schemes, or accelerators for emerging talent. Park supports this initiative, observing how filmmakers like Bong Joon Ho and “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk can achieve global accolades while remaining rooted in Korea. He referenced his client Na Hong-Jin, expressing excitement about potentially identifying key talents before their breakout successes.
Gold House also has an executive producer role on Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park,” which is set to screen at the festival, further cementing their involvement in the evolving terrain of Asian and Hollywood collaborations.
