Maggie Kang

Maggie Kang (born 1981 or 1982) She studied animation at Sheridan College in Ontario.

Career In her third year at college, Kang was recruited to DreamWorks Animation. She served as a story artist for such animated films as Puss in Boots (2011), Rise of the Guardians (2012), and Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). ; Monsta X for the fictional boy band the Saja Boys ; and The Host for the film's tone and style. In a lunch meeting, she pitched the idea to Sony, which bought the rights and began development one week later. Kang said Ejae's song demos helped get KPop Demon Hunters greenlit. She directed the flim with Chris Appelhans .

In March 2026, it was announced that a sequel is planned for release in 2029. Kang and Appelhans negotiated a contract with Netflix for the sequel: a five-year, $10 million-per-year plus a share of ancillary revenue from the franchise.

In April 2026, Kang signed with agency The Present Company to launch activities in South Korea.

Personal life

Kang is married to Radford Sechrist, creator of Netflix series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. In 2020, Sechrist said that Kang took him to BTS concerts, and said the K-pop genre was close to his heart.

She has said that Sechrist gave her the idea for merging Korean mythology and K-pop, and that they thought up the concept for the animation film K-Pop Demon Hunters. Sechrist is said to have designed characters and written "a lot of the scenes" for the film.

Sechrist and Kang have a daughter, who voiced the younger Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2025 KPop Demon Hunters Director Netflix original film 2026 KEEP SWIMMING with BTS Herself Short-form mini-documentary

Accolades Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2025Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Animated Feature KPop Demon Hunters Austin Film Critics Association The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough AwardKPop Demon Hunters Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema and Television Animation Award The Female Lead Women of the Year IndieWire Honors Spark Award KPop Demon Hunters KALH Honors Pioneer Award KPop Demon Hunters Korean Association of Film Critics Awards FIPRESCI Award (Foreign) KPop Demon Hunters Marie Claire Asia Star Awards Director of the YearKPop Demon Hunters TikTok Korea Awards Entertainment of the Year Award Toronto Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature KPop Demon Hunters World Animation Summit Movie of the Year Award 2026 Academy Awards Best Animated FeatureKPop Demon Hunters Annie Awards Best Direction – FeatureKPop Demon Hunters Best Writing – FeatureKPop Demon Hunters Asia Game Changer Awards SoCal Entertainment Game ChangerKPop Demon Hunters Astra Film Awards Best Animated FeatureKPop Demon Hunters Chicago Indie Critics Best Animated Film Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Animated Feature Departure Festival + Conference Cultural Innovator AwardKPop Demon Hunters Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – AnimatedKPop Demon Hunters Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation, Long FormKPop Demon Hunters Humanitas Prize Family Feature International Cinephile Society Best Animated FilmKPop Demon Hunters Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Best Animated Feature Nebula Award Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic PresentationKPop Demon Hunters VIEW Conference Trailblazer AwardKPop Demon Hunters

Other accolades State and cultural honors + Name of country or organization, award ceremony, year given, and name of honor Country or organization Award ceremony Year Honor South Korea Korea Content Awards 2025 Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit (4th class) City of Toronto Departure Honours 2026 Key to the City

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