Winners of Webtoon Academy Angoulême Unveiled

ADVERTISEMENT

The three winners of the first edition of the Webtoon Academy Angoulême program, organized by Média-Participations’ Ellipse Studio and ONO, Korean company Kenaz and partners Wacom and EMCA, have been unveiled.

Of the 12 program participants, the winners are Louise Rodriguez, who graduated in concept art and storyboard; Charles Manalt, co-founder of Studio Myra; and Ekass EKS, who has worked on video games and comics. Beginning in March, the trio will travel to South Korea for a two-month immersion.

The three were selected after they took part in training between September and December 2024 with the other nine participants. Starting March 10, the winners will travel to South Korea accompanied by Diane Ranville to continue their training with Korean artists and continue developing their webtoon series projects.

They will travel to the city of Suncheon, where the Kenaz studio and ONO Korea, a joint venture between the ONO platform and Kenaz, are located. With three universities that train about a hundred artists each year, Suncheon aims to become the capital of animation and webtoons in Korea.

The new phase of the program—still free for the laureates—is made possible with the support of the Cultural Service of the French Embassy to the Republic of Korea and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

At the end of this phase of the program, Kenaz, ONO and Ellipse Studio plan to launch the production of series initiated by or with the three winners.

The initial phase in Angeoulême was supported by the Seoul Business Agency, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Agglomération de Grand Angoulême, CCI Charente-Formation, Fonds Social Européen pour la Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, AFDAS, Institut Français du Cameroun, Ambassade de France de São Tomé et Principe, Institut Français de Paris and Cité Internationale de la BD.

“Louise, Charles and Ekass illustrate the quality and embody the diversity of the participants at the Webtoon Academy Angoulême, both in terms of profile, professional background and artistic universe,” said Diane Ranville, webtoon producer for the Média-Participations group (Ellipse Studio, ONO). “I am delighted to continue the adventure alongside them!”

“The Cultural Service of the French Embassy to the Republic of Korea is proud to support the arrival of the three laureates of the Webtoon Academy Angoulême in South Korea,” commented Pierre Morcos, counselor for culture, science and education at the Embassy of France to the Republic of Korea. “For over a year now, the partnership between ONO and Kenaz has been initiating new creative synergies and strengthening cooperation opportunities between France and Korea. This immersion in Suncheon will embody the perfect combination of our two countries’ expertise, and we look forward to discovering the productions that will emerge from it!”

Noh Kwankyu, Mayor of Suncheon, stated, “With the Korean-French immersive program in Suncheon, we aim to establish the city as a global hub for webtoons by attracting creators from around the world who wish to learn and refine their skills in this field.”

“Continuing the dynamic of the Webtoon Academy Angoulême in Korea is the realization of our common ambition: to bring forth a new generation of French-speaking talents that shine internationally,” added Ainara Ipas-Bastard, CEO of ONO, and Woody Lee, CEO of Kenaz. “We are proud to support Louise, Charles and Ekass in this new phase and, thanks to our partners, to set up the ideal conditions for them to carry the stories of tomorrow.”