The Webtoon Academy aims to encourage the emergence and training of new French-speaking authors of webtoons to create stories with strong international potential. In this perspective, the initiators of the project wished to extend the support provided during the training.
At the end of the training, three laureates were selected to continue the support initiated at the Webtoon Academy:
- Louise RODRIGUEZ, 25 years old, French, residing in Angoulême. Graduated in concept art (Artline) and storyboard (Émile Cohl), Louise is strongly inspired by animation and video games.
- Charles MANALT, 35 years old, French, residing in Marseille. Charles is the co-founder of Studio Myra and the winner of the 2024 European UE Webtoon competition. Bringing ambitious, historical, science fiction, or esoteric stories, he is an original voice rising on the French webtoon scene.
- Ekass EKS, 25 years old, Gabonese, residing in Port-Gentil. A brilliant autodidact passionate about narrative arts, Ekass has worked on the creation of visuals for video games (Supercell, Ubisoft) before illustrating comics (Lost Era, Ankama).
Diane Ranville, webtoon producer for the Média-Participations group (Ellipse Studio, Ono), commented:
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. I am delighted to continue the adventure alongside them!
Starting March 10, 2025, these three artists will travel to South Korea for a two-month immersion journey, accompanied by Diane Ranville. They will continue their professionalisation with Korean artists and will be able to continue developing their webtoon series project. Numerous highlights with local partners will punctuate this immersion. This new phase, still free for the laureates, is made possible with the support of the Institut Français, the Cultural Service of the French Embassy to the Republic of Korea and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Pierre Morcos, Counselor for culture, science and education, Embassy of France to the Republic of Korea, stated:
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. 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!
This immersion will take place in 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 webtoon in Korea. The city will thus provide its Webtoon Global Center to host the three selected talents.
Noh Kwankyu, Mayor of Suncheon, emphasized the city’s strong commitment to providing comprehensive support for this initiative. He also added:
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.
At the end of this new stage, Kenaz, Ono, and Ellipse Studio plan to launch the production of series initiated by or with the three laureates.
For Ainara Ipas-Bastard and Woody Lee, respectively CEO of Ono and Kenaz:
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. 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.
This innovative and free training program, a pioneering project unique in Europe, was organized in Angoulême by Ellipse Studio and Ono (production company and webtoon platform of the Média Participations group), Kenaz (leading independent webtoon studio in Korea) and their partners Wacom and EMCA. It was made possible thanks to the support of numerous institutions: 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.
