Konnie Kwak

President & CEO
Toonzone Studios

Raising two kids on your own is no small task, and neither is fighting crime. But when you’re Chuck Ramsey, the muscle-bound star of Toonzone Studios’ Action Dad, it’s all in a day’s work.

Filled with comedy and adventure, Action Dad centers on a hard-nosed cop who, despite his rugged exterior, is a loving father of a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. Running on pure adrenaline, Chuck juggles his day job as a crime fighter with the daunting task of getting his kids to school on time. Adding to the chaos in Chuck’s life is Baron Gash, his archrival. The villainous Gash is a mechanical genius, but his impatient nature tends to ruin his evil plans.

The show, created by Andrew Dickman, is produced by Toonzone Studios and financed by Animation Development Company (ADC). The project began generating buzz early on in its development phase, giving it strong momentum as the production process begins. "After finishing the pilot and having a chance to showcase it at MIPCOM Junior, we had a huge response from the networks," says Konnie Kwak, the president and CEO of Toonzone. "Action Dad was in the top 13 of most-requested shows at the screening rooms. To put it into perspective, The Garfield Show came in at 17, Kid vs. Kat was 19 and Batman: The Brave and the Bold was 20. The only American company ahead of uswas The Jim Henson Company with Dinosaur Train. After MIPCOM Junior, we were to able lock in co-production partners and a distribution company. We have signed a co-production partnership with Hawaii Film Partners, who produced Flight 29 Down, for NBC and Discovery Kids, and Ape Escape for Nicktoons."

Action Dad isn’t the only project Toonzone and ADC are teaming up on. Pilots for Tiny Warriors and Captain Rock Raygun are also in the works. "Tiny Warriors is about young warriors who are in a quest to conquer the ultimate martial-arts skills to await the biggest challenge of their lives, which is to protect the universe by keeping the perfect balance of the Yin and Yang," explains Kwak. "To do so, they have to unlock the secrets of the many masters they encounter. Let the battle begin…."

Having been in the business for more than a decade, Kwak brings a wealth of experience to these new projects. "I started in 1998 with a main-production studio in Korea working on Ed, Edd, and Eddy, and other Saturday and cable children’s shows working with the studio in Korea and the producers here in the States.

"One of the highlights of my career is working with the Korean government, GIMC. Having a chance to work with GIMC as an executive in production and development, I had a chance to see the total aspect of producing. I had a chance to see the life cycle of all aspects of producing for children’s animation. I was able to meet and network with so many wonderful people in Asia." In working closely with Chinese government, Kwak put together a co-production deal for Guardians of the Power Mask, with 26 episodes presently in the works.

As a mother of three kids aged 5 to 8, Kwak knows a thing or two about what’s entertaining for youngsters. And one of the things she values most about her job is being able to share her work with them. "I like the fact at the end of the day my kids like to watch what I produced and [I love] seeing them laugh and enjoy."