“We work to maintain our pre-learned advantage. While competitors catch up to our current achievements, we create a learning gap of more than six months to stay ahead. This is StudioMetaK’s know-how.”

StudioMetaK is a startup that produces diverse content including dramas, films, advertisements, music videos, and digital signage through generative AI video and virtual human technology. The company delivers high-quality content that’s nearly indistinguishable from actual filming, significantly reducing video production costs. Particularly as the drama production industry faces a crisis due to rising production costs, StudioMetaK is emerging as a new alternative and standing out in the market.

Positioning itself as an “AI + Content IP Integrated Comprehensive Content Studio,” StudioMetaK initially started as a drama production company. At the time of establishment, the K-drama industry was experiencing rapid growth due to the proliferation of platforms including general programming channels, OTT services, and YouTube. However, production companies faced increasing burden from rising costs due to changing production environments.

CEO Kim Kwang-jip leveraged his experience operating a VFX company to venture into content creation through virtual humans. The AI-integrated production method drew positive market response by reducing costs while delivering high-quality content.

Recognized for its technological prowess and future growth potential, the company was selected for TIPS, NVIDIA Inception, Korea Creative Content Agency’s Investment-Linked Startup Growth Project, and Google for Startups Cloud, securing over $25M USD (35 billion KRW) in cumulative support over the past three years. With an additional $21M USD (30 billion KRW) Series A investment, the company is focusing on strengthening technological competitiveness and market expansion.

Selected as a resident company at Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub, CEO Kim emphasizes rapid execution as the company’s strength. Since moving in during the second half of last year, the company secured $21M USD (30 billion KRW) in Series A investment from two sources in just over a year and has been winning numerous large-scale projects, quickly reaping the fruits of its execution capabilities.

Accelerating growth through collaboration with government and public institutions, CEO Kim states, “We’ve been able to operate the company stably by securing support projects and contracts from various organizations including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Gyeonggi Content Agency. We’re currently conducting the Virtual Studio Voucher Project in the Gyeonggi region.”

StudioMetaK’s ‘Virtual Artists’ have already been active in various fields—singing soundtracks, appearing as co-stars in famous singers’ music videos, and being appointed as promotional ambassadors for the Bucheon International Animation Festival. Last year, they also served as promotional ambassadors for various organizations and events, achieving commercial success.

Building on previous experience, the company is also preparing to launch an AI virtual artist idol group.

CEO Kim shares, “The group we’re preparing is a four-member co-ed idol group called ‘Season,’ consisting of two women and two men with spring, summer, autumn, and winter concepts. Each member will pursue music activities, acting, and various entertainment activities in parallel, growing into a sustainable IP.”

Additionally, StudioMetaK is planning a major historical drama project that concentrates the company’s technological capabilities. With filming scheduled through September and October and a November release target, the project aims to reduce production costs to one-tenth of traditional costs by incorporating AI and virtual studio technology.

CEO Kim emphasizes, “The ‘historical drama’ project is a strategic experiment to secure global competitiveness beyond simple cost reduction.”

He continues, “Korea has a small population and limited production budget capacity. What’s important isn’t reduction, but how much greater results we can create with the same budget. Rather than saving $36M USD (50 billion KRW) on a $143M USD (200 billion KRW) drama, our direction is to invest $143M USD (200 billion KRW) to expand into global content worth $357M-$714M USD (500 billion-1 trillion KRW).”

To achieve this vision, the company aims not for simple technical outsourcing, but to secure its own intellectual property (IP) and expand into a running guarantee revenue model utilizing it in the global market. The company is continuously attempting to attract global projects from Singapore, the United States, Japan, and Indonesia.

CEO Kim states, “Just as K-POP and K-drama IP have achieved worldwide success, we aim to create unique IP using AI and virtual studios as tools. Technology is just a means—the goal is to create content that works in the global market.”

He adds, “We aim to grow not as a simple technology company, but as a content company that can expand in the global market based on IP. As we’ve already proven through Series A investment and project achievements, we’re confident we’re a team that can demonstrate both execution capability and scalability.”

What problem is Studio Metak trying to solve?

StudioMetaK started as a drama production company in its early days. While the Korean drama industry was growing and reaching its peak, the production environment rapidly changed due to excessive cost increases and reduced programming slots. CEO Kim found a new breakthrough based on his experience operating a VFX company in the United States and entered the virtual human business. Subsequently, while rapidly adopting AI technology to improve the high-cost structure, the company became an AI content production company. Recently, the company simultaneously proved its technological capabilities and growth potential by attracting $21M USD (30 billion KRW) in Series A investment from Korea Investment Partners and Timeworks Investment.

How does StudioMetaK solve this problem?

The core business is producing content throughout the entire process based on AI technology. We aim to enhance production efficiency using generative AI across various genres including dramas, films, advertisements, and music videos, combining them with existing CG or live-action filming to achieve high-quality results.

In particular, through the concept of AI Virtual Artists, we don’t just ‘create’ virtual humans but operate them like real artists by having them appear directly in variety shows, advertisements, and dramas. Additionally, we continue to collaborate with broadcasters and companies by having our technological capabilities verified based on the practical applicability of content.

StudioMetaK is neither a company that only sells technology nor a production company that only owns content IP. We pursue an ‘enter-tech’ model that organically combines both domains, deeply integrating AI technology into IP planning and production processes. As a result of focusing on practical application from the early stages of AI technology adoption, we’re now evaluated as a company capable of not only reducing drama production costs but also implementing global-level video quality. We achieve completion levels where it’s difficult to distinguish AI-generated videos from live-action, and are conducting joint projects with overseas partners in Indonesia and Singapore, as well as domestically.

What specifically are StudioMetaK’s products/services, and what is their current status?

We’re conducting various commercial demonstrations including dramas, films, advertisements, music videos, and digital signage.

Recently, we’ve achieved commercial success by applying AI video and virtual artists to actual production environments, including the drama ‘My Precious Star’ (ENA), variety programs ‘It’s Better Outside’ (JTBC) and ‘Single Again 7’ (MBN), media wall videos for PSY’s label P Nation’s idol group ‘Baby Don’t Cry’, music videos for ‘Mr. Trot 3’s Kim Yong-bin, and Kia Motors exhibition videos.

What is StudioMetaK’s competitiveness/differentiation compared to competitors?

We believe our industry-leading technology in realistic virtual humans and generative AI video production has been recognized through contracts with major entertainment companies and large broadcasters. Although we can’t disclose them yet, we’re working on multiple large-scale dramas and projects with domestic and international companies.

Who are the core target customers, and what is the target market size?

Video content production methods are changing recently. Moving away from the traditional approach of investing numerous personnel over long periods, there’s a clear trend toward faster and more efficient production using AI technology. Particularly in fields with high production costs like advertising, dramas, and films, AI is creating scenes instead of people, and virtual characters are appearing like real actors. Technology is transforming not just creative tools but the entire production environment.

Amid these changes, Studio Metak handles both technology and content—not simply utilizing technology, but establishing a structure that connects the entire process from content planning through production to distribution with AI.

Going forward, we plan to expand our content IP business targeting overseas markets rather than the Korean market.

What is StudioMetaK’s business model?

We mainly conduct B2B business, collaborating with broadcasters, production companies, and advertising agencies. We plan to expand to B2C by developing a platform in the future.

There are many companies that emphasize only technology or only IP. We aim to secure content IP based on technology. With AI, we’re working not simply on cost reduction but on achieving global competitiveness. Beyond one-off outsourced production, our ultimate goal is to secure IP and expand based on a running guarantee revenue model structure.

What achievements has StudioMetaK made so far?

We focus on simultaneously securing efficiency and creativity in producing various content including dramas, films, advertisements, music videos, and digital signage, centered on generative AI technology and virtual human technology.

Based on technological capabilities and planning skills, we’ve been selected for various support projects including TIPS from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, NVIDIA Inception, and Google for Startups Cloud. We have over 10 patent applications and hold multiple trademarks.

Recently, we simultaneously proved our technological capabilities and growth potential by attracting $21M USD (30 billion KRW) in Series A investment from Korea Investment Partners and Timeworks Investment.

What is StudioMetaK’s team competitiveness?

Our core business is producing content throughout the entire process based on AI technology. We enhance production efficiency using generative AI across various genres and aim to achieve high-quality results by combining with existing CG or live-action filming.

Through AI Virtual Artists, we operate virtual humans like real artists by having them appear in variety shows, advertisements, and dramas. We continue collaborating with broadcasters and companies based on verified technological capabilities through practical content application.

We’re neither a technology-only company nor a content IP-only production company. We pursue an ‘enter-tech’ model organically combining both domains, deeply integrating AI technology into IP planning and production. Through early focus on practical AI application, we’re evaluated as capable of both drama cost reduction and global-level video quality. We achieve AI-generated videos indistinguishable from live-action and are conducting joint projects with overseas partners in Indonesia, Singapore, and domestically.

We’re entering various content industries based on AI technology, expanding from applying AI to dramas, films, advertisements, and music videos to digital signage and platform businesses.

Give three reasons why StudioMetaK should receive investment.

We have a clear exit strategy through technology special IPO in 2027-28 and are currently proceeding. We’re preparing to receive a mock technology valuation assessment next year and are working to achieve good results.

In Korea, there are few companies realizing monetization with virtual humans and generative AI content production, and StudioMetaK probably has the most commercial cases in advertisements, dramas, films, and music videos. We generated $143K USD (200 million KRW) revenue in our first year 2022, $714K USD (1 billion KRW) in 2023, $1.07M USD (1.5 billion KRW) in 2024, and expect even greater revenue from this year.

What advantages of Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub would you recommend as a resident company?

After moving in during the second half of 2024, we were fortunate to receive Series A investment from two places and secured many large projects. We’re particularly grateful to have won numerous projects from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Gyeonggi Content Agency, which greatly helps in operating the company. We’re currently conducting the Virtual Studio Voucher project in the Gyeonggi region.