OTF announces landmark pact with Korean broadcast association RAPA

Off The Fence (OTF) has announced a new collaboration with RAPA, the association that represents and promotes the interests of the Korean broadcasting industry. Under the deal, OTF will be granted access to RAPA’s wide-ranging catalogue of factual programming with the aim of reversioning, repackaging and/or developing it for international sale. In turn, RAPA will promote OTF to Korean filmmakers as a potential co-production partner for factual projects. Furthermore, both partners will work to stimulate Korea’s emerging factual production sector, sharing resources, expertise and networks to help develop, produce and distribute fresh and original content for global audiences.

RAPA’s role is to serve as a bridge between Korea’s broadcasting industry and the government, supporting and strengthening the industry’s competitiveness, while fostering a safe and dynamic environment for the production and distribution of Korean content. Now entering its third decade, RAPA has around 140 members drawn from across the media spectrum, from broadcasters and communication businesses to telecoms players, equipment manufacturers, and research and educational institutes.

“This pact gives OTF access to an untapped world of storytelling. It’s no secret that Korea is a content powerhouse, known around the world for its border-breaking dramas, and weird but wonderful formats. But the mighty hallyu, or Korean Wave, is not just about entertainment. In recent years, the country’s independent production community has been intensifying its focus on factual programming — and the results are stunning. We’ve been blown away by the quality and creativity of RAPA’s catalogue, and we reckon the international market will be equally impressed. We can’t wait to work with RAPA to amplify the voice of Korea’s brilliant factual producers and to help our Korean friends to build a robust and sustainable market for their creative output,”  said Bo Stehmeier, CEO of Off The Fence.

Ki Hoon Gwak, Next-Generation Media Promotion Division Director of RAPA, added: “We expect this collaboration to serve as an opportunity to introduce Korea’s excellent UHD content to the global market. Besides the drama genre that has been in the limelight recently, Korea boasts of numerous first-rate documentary producers and content. We’ll give our full support to ensure that diverse Korean content break into the global market through collaboration with OTF.”