Choi Jin-hee

Career Early career In 1993, Choi started working at Dentsu, Young and Rubicam Korea (DYR Korea), where she was involved in advertising production. She later moved to Daewoo Video Business Division, where Choi took charge of foreign films import.

After joining On-Media, Choi assumed the role of the head of the content acquisition team. In 2011, On-Media was acquired by CJ E&M, marking the beginning of Choi's career within CJ Group. On October 17, 2012, Choi was further promoted to the position of Head of CJ E&M Channel 1. Later, on January 28, 2013, she was elevated to the position of Managing Director (Sangmu). Her most recent role was as the head of CJ E&M's Content Business Department and Drama Business Department, where she was well-known as an executive producer for notable dramas such as Misaeng and Oh My Ghost.

Under Choi's leadership, Studio Dragon had a strategic focus on mergers and acquisitions, particularly targeting television drama production companies associated with successful drama writers. Culture Depot, where writer Park Ji-eun belongs, which had been acquired by CJ E&M in January 2016, was reorganized as a subsidiary of Studio Dragon. In May 2016, Studio Dragon further expanded its portfolio through equity swaps with Hwa&Dam Pictures, renowned for writer Kim Eun-sook, Additionally, in September 2016, Studio Dragon engaged in equity swaps with KPJ, well-known for writers Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon.

In September 2016, Choi on behalf of Studio Dragon signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Warner Bros.'s DramaFever. During the Broadcast World Wide Convention (BCWW) opening ceremony in Seoul, Craig Hunegs, the president of business and strategy at Warner Bros., revealed that the two companies would also be exploring the potential for remaking existing films and TV shows under their co-production agreement.

Under Choi's leadership, Studio Dragon successfully transitioned into a listed company. On November 24, 2017, Studio Dragon conducted an initial public offering (IPO) and became a publicly traded entity on the KOSDAQ. Preceding the IPO, on November 9, 2017, Choi held a press conference in Yeouido, Seoul, during which she said, "Through listing on KOSDAQ, we will solidify our position as number one in domestic market share by 2020 and continue to grow overseas sales to become a major global studio." She also emphasized that a stable profit structure was established based on original intellectual property rights (IP). In the past, IP ownership was owned by broadcasting companies, but Studio Dragon directly owns the IP based on its excellent creator planning ability. Choi also set a goal to increase Studio Dragon's domestic drama market share to 40% by 2020 and increasing overseas sales by an average of 30% per year. The licensing fee for the series amounted to ₩28 billion, which equated to 70% of the production cost of Mr. Sunshine, estimated at ₩43 billion.

Through acquisition of Culture Depot, Hwa&Dam Pictures, KPJ, and GTist, Studio Dragon have recruited many talents, reaching 183 people as of the second quarter of 2019.

In November 2019, Studio Dragon and Netflix signed a production and distribution agreement. The three-year agreement, effective in 2020, involved Studio Dragon creating original series that would be globally distributed by Netflix on its platform. Additionally, Netflix acquired distribution rights to certain titles from Studio Dragon that were not included in the partnership. The deal followed pre-existing ties between CJ, Studio Dragon, and Netflix, resulting in the streaming of series such as Stranger, Mr. Sunshine, Memories of the Alhambra, Romance Is A Bonus Book, and Arthdal Chronicles.

In December 2019, Choi announced that Studio Dragon had successfully acquired a 19% stake in Merrycow Creative, a production company owned by who wrote Memories of the Alhambra and Nine.

Choi's leadership played a pivotal role in Studio Dragon sales growth from ₩200 million in 2016 to ₩4.7 billion by the end of 2019. As part of 2020 executive reshuffle, CJ Group made an announcement on December 30, 2019, promoting 58 individuals, including Choi Jin-hee. In this reshuffle, Choi, previously serving as executive vice president, was promoted to vice chairman rank. Choi's was the first female executive to achieve such a rank through internal promotion within CJ Group.

On July 16, 2020, CJ ENM announced leadership changes at Studio Dragon. Choi was promoted as the director of the newly established Film and Drama Division at CJ ENM. Kang Cheol-gu, the Management Planning Director of Studio Dragon, and Kim Young-gyu, the First Production Director of Studio Dragon, were selected as the new co-CEOs of Studio Dragon, taking over Choi's previous position.

On August 31 of the same year, Choi exercised options on 21,840 shares of Studio Dragon stock at an exercise price of ₩27,500 per share. With a closing price of ₩82,100 on September 8, it appeared that a 200% valuation return was achieved. Studio Dragon had granted Choi 72,800 shares as stock options for being the first CEO of Studio Dragon in 2016. The first time Choi exercised stock options was in August 2019, when she exercised options for 21,840 shares. Therefore, a total of 43,680 stock options had been exercised so far, leaving 29,120 shares unexercised. Through this stock option exercise, Choi earned a market profit of ₩2.4 billion. Considering the remaining shares, the value of Choi's stake in Studio Dragon amounted to ₩6 billion.

Imaginus

In November 2021, Choi departed from her position in CJ ENM before the end of her term, which was originally scheduled to conclude in March 2022. Imaginus attracted investment of from J&Private Equity (J&PE) on December 8. According to an industry official, J&PE's investment in Imaginus was made at a corporate value of around . It is said that the follow-up investment aims to increase the corporate value to .

In August 2022, Choi was recognized as one of "Korea's 100 female startup leaders" by Hankyung Geeks and Startup Alliance. The selection was based on factors such as cumulative investment amount, experience, and industry. The list showcased the top female startup representatives in 10 different industries, including Education, Fashion & Beauty, E-commerce, Finance & Insurance, Healthcare, Living & Space, Food Tech, Content & Social, Leisure & Travel, and Advertising & Marketing. Choi, representing Imaginus, ranked first in the Content & Social category and 9th overall.

Choi signed a strategic partnership between Imaginus and Myriagon Studio. Myriagon Studio, formerly known as Origamix Partners Inc, is a management company led by Shinsuke Sato, renowned for his original Netflix series Alice In Borderland. The rebranding took place following the acquisition of Origamix Partners Inc by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Starting from June 1, 2023, Choi appointed as Executive Advisor at Myriagon Studio in order to help establish a formidable Asian premium production network.

In the summer of 2023, Choi collaborated with Hwang Ji-young and Kim Hee-won to establish Studio Abit. Hwang Ji-young is a renowned entertainment show director, recognized for her work on MBC's I Live Alone from 2017 to 2021, which earned her accolades such as the 2018 Korean Broadcasting Awards Producer Award and the 2020 MBC Special Achievement Award. Her last MBC project was With the Silk of Dohpo Flying in Denmark. Hwang oversees the entertainment department at Studio Abit, while director Kim Hee-won, known for directing Little Women and Vincenzo, oversees the drama department.

Studio Abit was established as a joint venture between Imaginus and Innocean, an advertising production house affiliated with Hyundai Motor.

On March 21, 2024, Choi and Adam Burke, the Director of the Los Angeles Tourism Office, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on producing a Korean drama set in Los Angeles and promoting the city as a global tourism destination. This marks the first time a U.S. city tourism office has entered into a content production MoU, establishing a three-year partnership. In November 2024, Choi also signed a content joint development partnership with Japan's Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC TV) to develop Japanese dramas combining Korean and Japanese production expertise. Imaginus received the 10 Million Dollar Export Tower Award at the 61st Trade Day in December 2024. Filmography

CJ E&M/CJ ENM +Drama credits YearTitleNetworkCredited asNotes English Korean Producer Planner 2012 Vampire Prosecutor Season 2 뱀파이어 검사 2 OCN Lee Seung-hoon CMG Chorok Stars 2013 My Cute Guys 이웃집 꽃미남 tvN Jo Moon-joo The Virus 더 바이러스 OCN JS Pictures Nine 나인: 아홉 번의 시간여행 tvN JS Pictures, Chorokbaem Media Crazy Love 미친 사랑 Lee Min-jin, Jo Na-hyun JS Pictures Dating Agency: Cyrano 연애조작단; 시라노 She is Wow 우와한 녀 Jo Moon-ju Urban Works Media Special Affairs Team TEN 2 특수사건 전담반 TEN 2 OCN Kim Mi-sook MBC C&I 2014 Emergency Couple 응급남녀 tvN Yoon Hyun-ki Content K Co. Ltd. Gap-dong갑동이 Pan Entertainment Marriage, Not Dating 연애 말고 결혼 IOK Media It's Okay, That's Love 괜찮아, 사랑이야 SBS Kim Young-seop (SBS Drama Division) GT Entertainment, CJ ENM Family Secret 가족의 비밀tvNCreative Leaders Group 8 Cheo Yong 귀신 보는 형사 처용 OCN Forever Young 오늘도 청춘 VTV Choi Jin-hee Misaeng: Incomplete Life미생tvN Number 3 Pictures 2015 Heart to Heart 하트 투 하트 Love Weaves Through a Millennium 상애천사천년 Hunan TV Choi Jin-hee Hogu's Love 호구의 사랑tvN MI Co., Ltd. Super Daddy Yeol슈퍼대디 열 tvN A Bird That Doesn't Sing울지 않는 새 Story Plant Ex-Girlfriends' Club구여친클럽 JS Pictures Hidden Identity 신분을 숨겨라 Neo Entertainment Hello Monster 너를 기억해 KBS2 KBS Drama Departement CJ E&M Oh My Ghost오 나의 귀신님tvN Chorokbaem Media Cheo Yong Season 2 귀신 보는 형사 처용 2 OCN Second 20s 두번째 스무살tvN Bubble Gum 풍선껌 Jo Moon-ju Hwa&Dam Pictures 2016 Cheese in the Trap치즈인더트랩 Signal 시그널 Lee Sang-baek Astory Pied Piper 피리부는 사나이 Content K Memory기억Yoon Hyun-ki MI Co., Ltd. The Vampire Detective 뱀파이어 탐정 OCN Lee Seung-hoon OCN 2020 Birthcare Center 산후조리원 tvN Kim Dong-rae Choi Jin-hee 2021 Mouse 마우스 tvN tvNChoi Jin-hee Adult Trainee 어른연습생 TVING

Studio Dragon

Imaginus

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicles +Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placementPublisherYearListiclePlacement Datanews 2019 Female CEO of a listed company in her 30s Forbes Korea 65 Powerful Female CEOs The K-Brand Index 2026 Female CEO category Leader+ 2019 10 Leaders who Lead K-Culture Hankyung Geeks and Startup Alliance 2022 Korea's 100 Female Startup Leaders