It was late August, when the summer heat was at its peak. The popularity of Wadiz Creator Projects was just as intense as the summer heat. From the crowdfunding campaign for official Detective Conan special merchandise to the hardcover and paperback editions of *Honbul*, and the official collector’s edition set for *Star Struck*, these projects—each sure to resonate with fans—saw soaring popularity, culminating in a bang at the high-quality Wadiz pop-up and exhibition!
But here’s the thing. It’s no coincidence that “Creator Maker’s Project,” which captured fans’ hearts, was held during the same period. From August 15 to September 3, for about three weeks, under the name “Creator Festival,” creators from various creative fields met with fans Wadiz Wadiz and Wadizthe Wadizspace.
The person who planned and ran the "Creator Festival" special exhibition is going to share all the behind-the-scenes stories!
Want to listen in? 👂
This is the Creator Festival venue!
I’ll be your open door!
Hello, I’m Yoo Je, a promotional marketer who helps creators find inspiration for their next challenge.
Actually, I’m a fan too! As a fan who supports creators, I was really disappointed. The artists and creators I’ve met were always looking for a space. They especially wanted offline spaces where they could exhibit their work. That’s because when they present their work in person, they can feel the impact it has and see the immediate reactions from fans.
As a fan, I thought it would be the ultimate joy to encounter my favorite author’s work across various platforms and even get to meet the author in person.
Wadizis an online platform, but we also have an offline space Wadiz. We wanted to invite creators to this perfect space. “How can we make it easy for them to join us?” The Creator Festival is the result of that deliberation.
We believed creators needed an opportunity for new challenges, and we wanted to be that opportunity.
Is it a festival?
The Creator Festival is a curated exhibition for creators across various fields, including art, illustration, merchandise, publishing, IP, webtoons, photography, studios, and board games. We chose the name “Festival” because we planned to invite a large number of creators and host the event on a grand scale. The name embodies our hope that, much like a university festival week, many fans and supporters will visit the exhibition and enjoy it together with the creators.
What you say comes true! The Creator Festival is the largest exhibition in Wadiz history, both online and offline✌
Here's a look at the Creator Festival currently underway on the Wadiz online platform.
Creators, let’s come together!
We began recruiting creators and makers to participate in the special exhibition back in May. Thanks to a solid three-month preparation period, a variety of crowdfunding and pre-order projects were launched Wadiz. We showcased these projects Wadizover a three-week period, while simultaneously hosting a special exhibition Wadizthe Wadizspace for two weeks.
We invited some creators and makers to the festival ourselves, but through our recruitment campaign, we also received applications from makers we hadn’t even known about. ‘“Let this be a catalyst for creators’ challenges”’—after all, we didn’t want that opportunity to be limited to just a select few.
Here’s how we recruited makers for the Creator Festival!
What matters is the content
At the Creator Festival The most important thing is content, ‘Makers and Projects’’.
Last July, the 26th Detective Conan movie, *The Phantom of Black*, was released in Korea. Since it was the first movie in seven years to feature the Black Organization, it garnered a lot of attention from fans right from the start. The first official merchandise project for *The Phantom of Black* launched at the Creator Festival! I was so surprised when it hit 100 million won in just 30 minutes after launch 😲 I’d guess that half of the people who visited Wadizspace during the Creator Festival came specifically to check out the Conan merchandise.
Another popular Creator Festival project was the print book and merchandise project for *Hoonbul*, which won the Ridi BL Web Novel Award. These are the first print book and official merchandise created with the love of fans. You could say this marks the creator’s first offline debut. Given the significance of this project, a total of 2,720 people participated.
Above all, what turned the Creator Festival exhibition into a “true celebration” was the project’s venue, Wadiz. From the hardcover book display and photo zones to the spaces recreating scenes from the novel and the various events, everything was a tribute to the fans.
In addition, limited-edition art merchandise by artist Lee Sa-ra and the "Board Game Omakase" project by Board Game Maker Plate filled the Creator Festival and connected with fans.
Wadiz Offline Exhibition and Pop-Up
What were the results of the Creator Festival?
About 90 makers participated in the Creator Festival. Every time I heard someone ask, “Will you be holding another event like this in the future?” I thought to myself, “Ah, we really pulled this off just the way we wanted to—it truly became a great opportunity for the makers.” (I couldn’t stop grinning 😚)
I was curious to see how our supporters were reacting, so I’d often check social media to read their reviews. Seeing comments like, “It was so much fun to see all the works and merchandise at a glance,” “Thank you for putting this together,” and “You must have worked really hard,” really moved me—I even shed a few tears, hehe.
Above all, it was truly moving to see with my own eyes how generously the fans showed their affection in the offline space. As the person in charge of organizing the exhibition, and as a fan myself, I felt a deep sense of pride.
As long as there are creators and fans, the festival will go on!
As a fan who supports creators, I was thrilled to be able to combine my passion with my work through this campaign. To the makers, supporters, and me— Wadiz—I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has generously supported and cheered us on in our new endeavor.
I still can’t stop thinking about all the makers who, unfortunately, couldn’t attend the Creator Festival due to scheduling conflicts. I’m looking forward to the day when we can reconnect makers and fans again—with the highest quality and under the best conditions. We’ll definitely meet again. See you soon!
