Hi! It’s been a journey to get here.

Why start a newsletter, you ask?

Well, Korean TV dramas aka Kdramas have exploded post-2020, as you may have noticed. (It’s had a long history of global distrib before that, but we’ll get to that in another post.)

And so has the media coverage.

But I found a lack of thoughtful coverage in this cluttered media space. Pubs are quick to throw listicles together for clickbait-friendly headlines and fluffy show recs. No one seems to get into the nuts and bolts of cultural conversations surrounding Korean content or incidents when content brews controversy.

I also noticed Western media make a lot of cultural missteps when it came to covering Korean content.

Maybe you’ve tuned in to podcast episodes with @youngajummah and myself on @kdramareports, so you’re already familiar with Kdrama news and reviews. But there’s so much other content I wanted to share but didn’t have the right space for it.

While interacting with Korean pop culture fans and industry professionals over the past 10 - 15 years, I noticed the abundance of intersectional interests and topics surrounding Korea:

• Korean film

• TV dramas and (those odd) reality shows

• K-pop music

• language (and study abroad)

• food

• fashion

• history (historical sageuk 사극 dramas, anyone?)

• class warfare

• Confucianism and filial piety today

• politics

• economy

• beauty standards, Korean cosmetics brands, and plastic surgery

• gender issues

• working abroad in Korea

• and so much more!

I was looking for a place where I could find news on Kdramas AND Korea. A more culturally connected space. So much of what’s going on in South Korea culturally, economically, and politically affects the content we watch and the deals happening BTS (behind-the-scenes, ahem).

For example: which Kdramas are premiering this week, which ones get slack for cultural appropriation, which streamer inked a 3-year deal with a Korean production company, why Korean actors are fighting for better pay (just as SAG-AFTRA has), which feature film is Korea’s submission for the 2024 Oscars and why Twitch had to shut down in Korea.

Thoughtfully curated content.

All in one place.

In a single, quickly-scannable email.

I also come from a media industry background; I want to know more about what’s going on behind-the-scenes: the wheelin’ and dealin’ of content partnerships and distribution deals and markets like MIPCOM.

In addition, I am interested in moving toward high-level, industry niche news and data-based reporting. They’re industry moves that directly affect the content that goes into production and gets distributed globally.

Having a better understanding of cultural context is also essential for media industry professionals like content programmers, marketers, producers, and distributors to draw upon in a move towards more thoughtful, culturally informed decision-making when it comes to content.

But why ME? What makes me an expert on curating this type of newsletter?

A little about me: I’m Melissa! I am a Korean American journalist, media consultant, and podcaster @kdramareports; I have an M.A. in Asian Studies (Korea). I have extensively researched the impact of South Korean TV dramas on the American content distribution market, and discussed the latest Kdrama trends at SXSW. As a Korean American, I identify as part of the Korean diaspora, and my education and lived experience are what informs my perspective.

My experience includes media consulting as well as working in international television distribution and other areas of the industry, from casting and indie film production to writing comedy sketches and journalism.

I have covered Korean and Asian American content and talent at events like KCON and the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) and the Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF).

Some of my work has been published in NBC News, HIFF, Character Media, and Koreanfilm.org.

Who is this newsletter for?

The audience I think will find this useful, entertaining, and informative include:

• Kdrama fans

• the Kdrama curious

• cultural content programmers (including DEI)

• content acquisitions managers

• distributors

• Korean content developers and producers interested in Western markets

• international marketing managers

• culture and entertainment journalists

• Koreaphiles

• publicists

• Western media professionals interested in Korean content

How frequently will ktown konnection be published?

That’s a good question. I’ll be figuring out what works best as I go: whether it be weekly, bi-weekly, etc., I’ll be working towards what’s realistic, healthy, and sustainable.

I’ll be sending some feelers out (surveys/polls) to find out what YOU want to know more about.

While ktown konnection will be an update on what’s happening in Kdramas and in Korea, the @kdramareports podcast will include more in-depth reviews of current shows and roundups on what’s trending (this will evolve as well).

Subscribe below and stay tuned!