Fostering Solo Media... Discovering 250 Teams This Year with Equipment and Consulting Support

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Radio Promotion Association announced on the 13th that they will open the recruitment for participants (teams) in the 1-Person Media Creator Group Development Project for this year, accepting applications for one month starting from the 14th.

This project aims to discover emerging creators with potential in the rapidly growing 1-person media sector, which continues to expand based on the spread of online video services and convergence with other industries. It provides production infrastructure (equipment, facilities, software), professional education, mentoring, and supports the growth of creators.

This year, to expand benefits to creators based in regional areas, a total of 250 teams across five regions nationwide will be selected and supported. By region, 90 teams in the Seoul metropolitan area, 60 teams in the Gyeongsang region, 40 teams in the Jeolla region, 30 teams in the Chungcheong region, and 30 teams in the Gangwon region will be chosen. This is a significant increase compared to last year’s support scale of 153 teams across three regions (Seoul metropolitan, Gyeongsang, Jeolla).

Regardless of age, experience, or field of activity (genre), any 1-person media creator with creative ideas and passion can apply. Applicants may choose the region to apply for regardless of their residence, but if selected, they must participate in activities within the region they applied for.

Selected teams will be provided with essential activity infrastructure free of charge during the approximately five-month activity period, including production equipment, facilities, software, music, fonts, and other content production resources. Additionally, professional education on taxation, legal matters, monetization, and commercialization strategies will be offered, along with mentoring, consulting, and networking opportunities to support growth as professional creators.

After the activity period, 30 outstanding creators will be selected to receive awards such as the Minister of Science and ICT Award and a total prize money of 100 million KRW. Furthermore, about 10 excellent teams among this year’s participants will have special promotional opportunities through the domestic 1-person media platform AfreecaTV.

Over the past six years, the Ministry of Science and ICT has supported a total of 969 individuals (451 teams) through this project. A majority (72.3%) of participants have achieved outcomes such as employment or entrepreneurship in the media field.

Kim Jeong-hoon, last year’s grand prize winner and creator of the YouTube channel Science Dream, said, “Through the Creator Group Development Project, I received advice on establishing a business model and gained multifaceted support for channel growth.”

Oh Yong-su, Director of Broadcasting Promotion Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “We hope that emerging creators with fresh ideas will take a step forward as professional creators through this support project and grow into innovative talents leading new non-face-to-face industries through convergence with other fields. Starting in the second half of this year, we will continue active support for full-time 1-person media workers through the opening of the ‘1-Person Media Complex.’”

The 1-Person Media Complex is a specialized support facility tailored to the 1-person media industry, providing office space for 1-person media startups and studios capable of content production and live broadcasting. It is scheduled to open in August.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.