The Fandom Economy: How Audiences Become Communities and Communities Become Cultural Power
- EXNW Stage (map)
Fandom has become one of the most powerful forces shaping what gets made, discovered, and sustained in global entertainment. But can fandom be intentionally built, or does it emerge from the unpredictable intersection of story, timing, community, and culture? Bringing together leaders from entertainment, technology, media, and digital communities, this panel explores how modern fandom forms, scales, and creates lasting cultural and commercial value. The discussion explores what transforms audiences into passionate communities, examining the roles of storytelling, identity, participation, and shared experiences in building lasting connections. Speakers will discuss how fandom influences the evolution of intellectual property, inspires user-generated content and community engagement, and creates enduring cultural impact that extends far beyond the original work. Attendees will gain practical insights into fostering authentic fan communities that strengthen brands, sustain franchises, and build long-term value.
CEO of Crave Global Inc.; EVP & Business Head, CreAsia Studio, a Banijay company
Charles Kim is the Founder and CEO of Crave Global, the first end-to-end platform built to convert Western celebrity influence into transactional revenue across China and the broader Asian market. He has spent more than two decades structuring cross-border capital and partnerships between the United States and Asia, with over 100 syndicated transactions across Korea, Japan, and China. His expertise spans asset finance, project finance, private equity, M&A, capital markets, and sales and trading, with strength in special situations that demand creative deal structuring. He is known for negotiating, establishing, and scaling international joint ventures in emerging markets, supported by an extensive network of banks and institutional investors across Asia.
CEO, Infinitize
Jenny is the Founder and CEO of Infinitize and a leading expert in fandom-driven marketing, recognized for energizing massive global communities across K-pop, anime, webtoon, gaming, and other passion-led verticals. Her award-winning work includes setting the Guinness World Records title for the “Most Used Hashtag on Twitter/X in 24 Hours.
For more than a decade, Jenny and her team have helped brands and creators reach tens of millions of fans by unleashing the power of fandom through bold creative campaigns and community-first experiences, generating hundreds of millions of organic views on TikTok. This year, she also co-founded Vendetta, Infinitize’s gaming-focused spin-off, extending her expertise in entertainment, community-building, and digital storytelling into a new frontier.
Co-Founder, Wong Fu Productions
Wesley Chan is a Chinese American filmmaker, creative director, and cofounder of Wong Fu Productions– a digital production company internationally renowned for over 20 years of authentic storytelling. His work with Wong Fu includes hundreds of short films/sketches, award-winning original series, and their first feature film, Everything Before Us. Beyond Wong Fu, Wesley's creative voice continues to grow but always maintains the unique perspective from his modern Asian American experience. Wesley is currently exploring his own independent creative endeavors across various interests like filmmaking, design, and graphic arts.
Moderated by:
Director, Strategic Planning, Original Programming, Bell Media Inc.
Li Yeh is Director of Strategic Planning for English-language original programming at Bell Media, bringing more than two decades of experience across business affairs, rights strategy, and content development in the Canadian television industry.
Since joining Bell Media in 2005, Li was a Senior Specialist, Business and Legal Affairs, and also was Head of Business Affairs, overseeing business affairs at Bell Media Studios. Working closely with senior leadership, Li currently leads business and content rights strategy across development and independent productions, to support Bell Media’s strategic programming priorities and partnerships.
Bell Media Original titles supported by Li’s team include Shoresy, The Traitors Canada, Sullivan’s Crossing, Late Bloomer, The Office Movers, Canada’s Drag Race, and Heated Rivalry.
EXNW is supported, in part, by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program.
EXNW is supported, in part, by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program.
Founded in 1967, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation that invests in the development, production, promotion and distribution of the Canadian and Indigenous audiovisual industry. As the largest investor in Canadian cinema, Telefilm supports the economic power and cultural impact of the audiovisual sector in collaboration with industry players. Additionally, Telefilm provides recommendations to the Department of Canadian Heritage regarding the certification of treaty-based audiovisual co-productions, and administers programs of the Canada Media Fund. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Letterboxd.
Creative BC is an independent non-profit society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative sector, comprised of five distinct industries: motion picture, interactive digital media, music and sound recording, and both book and magazine publishing. The organization acts as an economic development agency with programs and services that expand B.C.’s creative economy, including: home of the BC Film Commission; administrator of provincial motion picture tax credit programs; administrator of funding programs; and provider of strategic business attraction, export, and research in support of the sector.
President/Founder, DFSB Kollective
Bio +
Founder of Korea’s 1st independent music artist & label services agency • Chief Representative of one of the first and foremost Korean music exporters to top international DSPs (Digital Service Providers) such as Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TIDAL, Tencent Music Entertainment, NetEase Cloud Music, TikTok, Meta, and more • Executive Producer of Korean music showcases and Featured Speaker on Korean music trends at top international music industry conferences in North America (SXSW), Asia-Pacific (Music Matters), and Europe (MIDEM) • Special Project Consultant for international advertising/PR agencies (RGA/Octagon/MSL Group), video game developers (Ubisoft/Riot Games/Rockstar Games), and movie/documentary production studios (A24/YouTube Originals/Vice Media/Sony Pictures Animation) • Frequent Media Analyst of Korean pop culture industry trends for international/local TV, radio, magazine, and newspaper outlets • MusicTech Mentor at SparkLabs startup accelerator • Former Creative Planner, TV Producer/Presenter, and Head of Digital Media Production at MTV Korea • Dartmouth College (BA Government/Asian Studies) • Vancouver Film School (Foundation Film Program).