Choi Jin-hee (entrepreneur)

Choi Jin-hee (Born November 9, 1968) is a South Korean television producer and businesswoman.

Since December 2021, Choi Jin-hee has held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Imaginus, a content production company that she established.

Choi also served as Executive Advisor of Myriagon Studio, subsidiaries of Aniplex, since June 2023.

Choi Jin-hee was born on October 4, 1968.

She enrolled in the Department of French Language and Literature at Sungshin Women's University, graduating with a B.A. in French Literature from the College of Humanities.

Later, she received a master's degree in advertising marketing from INSEEC Business School in France.

In 1993, Choi started working at Dentsu, Young and Rubicam Korea (DYR Korea), where she was involved in advertising production.

She later moved to Daewoo Video Business Division, where Choi took charge of foreign films import.

After moving to On-Media, she worked as the head of the content acquisition team.

Writer Noh Hee-kyung debuted in the MBC Best Theater 'Mother's Gardenia' in 1995 and worked as a drama writer for over 24 years, and has written works such as Worlds Within, That Winter, the Wind Blows, It's Okay, That's Love, Dear My Friends, and Live.

Choi was promoted to an executive position as the Film Business Manager on October 31, 2010.

In 2011, she joined CJ Group after On-Media was acquired by CJ E&M.

In 2012, Choi began her career as producer in CJ E&M's drama business division.

On October 17, 2012, Choi Jin-hee was promoted to the position of Head of CJ E&M Channel 1.

Then, on January 28, 2013, she was promoted to the position of managing director (Sangmu).

Her latest position was the head of CJ E&M's Content Business Department and Drama Business Department.

Choi played a pivotal role in overseeing the production of dramas such as Misaeng and Oh My Ghost.

She then served as the first CEO of Studio Dragon from May 2016 to July 2020.

When Studio Dragon Corporation was established on May 3, 2016, as a spin-off from CJ E&M's Drama Business Department, Choi naturally assumed the role of CEO.

Studio Dragon was established as comprehensive studio model specialized in drama planning, production, and distribution.

Unlike other production companies that are dependent on broadcasting companies, they proactively plan and produce their own works based on analysis of market needs and targets.

Following its establishment, Studio Dragon engaged in a proactive strategy of mergers and acquisitions, particularly targeting renowned TV drama production companies associated with hit drama writers.

One notable example was the integration of Culture Depot into Studio Dragon, the company behind writer Park Ji-eun, which had been acquired by CJ E&M in January 2016.

Additionally, between May and September 2016, Studio Dragon further expanded its portfolio through equity swaps with Hwa&Dam Pictures, known for writer Kim Eun-sook, as well as KPJ, known for writer Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon.

In September 2016, Studio Dragon and DramaFever, the renowned Korean drama and film streaming site that had been acquired by Warner Bros., signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

during the Broadcast World Wide Convention (BCWW) opening ceremony in Seoul, Craig Hunegs, the president of business and strategy at Warner Bros. Television Group, revealed that the two companies would also be exploring the potential for remaking existing films and TV shows under their co-production agreement.

Under the leadership of Choi, Studio Dragon joined the KOSDAQ index of the Korea Exchange, the same index where its parent company is listed, through an initial public offering (IPO) on November 24, 2017.

By early 2018, Studio Dragon had already emerged as the leading South Korean TV drama production company, commanding approximately 20% of the market share in terms of the number of TV dramas broadcast in 2017.

In the same year, Studio Dragon became a subsidiaries of CJ ENM after their previous parent company, CJ E&M, was merged into CJ ENM.

In March, Choi announced Studio Dragon acquisition of a full equity stake (200,000 shares) in GTist, a drama production company known for its talented creators including writer Noh Hee-kyung, director Kim Gyu-tae, and.

The acquisition was made for KRW 25 billion in cash.

Choi ranked 14th in 2019 Forbes Korea 65 Powerful Female CEOs.

In the same year She was selected as the winner of the CEO Leadership Award in the 2019 Media Management Award by The Media Future Research Institute.

After leaving Studio Dragon, she was appointed the role of Director of Film and Drama Business at CJ ENM, where she served from July 2020 to November 2021.

Preceding the IPO, Choi held a press conference in Yeouido, Seoul, during which she expressed, "Through listing on KOSDAQ, we will solidify our position as number one in domestic market share by 2020 and continue to grow overseas sales to become a major global studio."

Choi also set a goal to increase Studio Dragon's domestic drama market share to 40% by 2020 and increasing overseas sales by an average of 30% per year.

Studio Dragon successfully secured overseas distribution channels for its content by selling tentpole works to Netflix.

Mr. Sunshine which had a production cost of, was sold for.

This amount is equivalent to 70% of the production cost.

Unlike other drama production companies, Studio Dragon records a high profit margin of 60% on average.