Industry

CJ ENM’s Entertainment Division (CEO: Kang Ho-sung) announced today the honorees of "2021 Visionary" awarded to the forerunners who led this year’s entertainment industry trend, innovation and transformation.

Marking its second year, leading entertainment company CJ ENM’s "Visionary" began in 2020 as the only award in Korea that identifies the keywords that reflect the zeitgeist across broadcast, film, music and performing arts, and celebrates the significance and achievement of those who presented the next vision for the entertainment industry. As a long-term plan, CJ ENM seeks to establish this award into a metric in the industry as significant as TIME 100: The Most Influential People.

“2021 Visionary” defines this year’s entertainment scene as the ‘Human Centric Metaverse’ and focuses on the following keywords: △Expanded Universe, which enabled the global audience to get immersed in content, transcending time and space, reality and imagination, △Hyper Entertainmentism, which redefined entertainment by breaking the conventional rules, and △Empathy for Coexistence, which fulfilled the value of unity in the midst of pandemic. In alignment with these keywords, CJ ENM selected six honorees as this year's "visionaries” through a more objective and expertise-oriented selection process consisting of four stages, with participation from CJ ENM executives and staff as well as external experts such as culture critics and trend specialists.

The six honorees of “2021 Visionary” are as follows:

Actress Youn Yuh-jung, who won the “Best Supporting Actress” for her role in Minari at the 93rd Academy Awards, is selected as this year's “visionary,” as she reminded the global audience of humanism’s true significance. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk was chosen for his mega hit show Squid Game that not only heightened the K-content prestige but entertained viewers across the world, breaking borders and barriers, with a story that retains the Korean sentimentality.

A “visionary” for two years in a row, TV personality Yu Jae-seok proved himself to be an irreplaceable creator who leads the entertainment trend through various programs such as You Quiz on the Block, Hangout with Yoo and Sixth Sense 2. CJ ENM producer Choi Jung-nam takes another seat as a "visionary" for her brilliant directing ability - her smash hit show Street Woman Fighter shed light on the value on what has been considered a minor topic, ‘street dance’ and turned it into a trend.

Four-time Billboard Music Awards recipient and the first Asian act to win the “Artist of the Year” at the American Music Awards, music group BTS is also named “visionary” two years running for expanding their positive impact globally through music. Last but not least, music group aespa introduced new possibilities for the music industry by creating a new fandom culture and breaking boundaries amongst music fans with their unique universe of avatar.

Si Yeon-jae, General Manager, CJ ENM Marketing Strategy said, "2021 is a year where K-culture has advanced in terms of influence and prestige thanks to K-content’s achievements in the global market across all genres including film, drama and music. In a time when the persistence of the pandemic brought major changes in how content is created and consumed, CJ ENM will keep innovating and challenge itself to forge the NEXT entertainment vision with those who relate to the zeitgeist and present relevant visions."

Following the "2021 Visionary" ceremony, CJ ENM will unveil a documentary and interview clips about the significance, achievements and influence of this year's “visionaries” this coming December.