Fantagio (판타지오) is a South Korean entertainment company that operates as a record label, talent training and management agency, music production company and K-drama production company. It was founded in September 2008 as N.O.A. Entertainment (standing for "Network of Asia") by Na Byung-jun. In June 2011, it was renamed to Fantagio (Fantasy & Origin). On January 6, 2023, Shin Youngjin became the only CEO of the company.[1][2][3]
Fantagio has represented about 60 popular Korean actors such as Kim Seong-gyun, Yeom Jeong-ah, and Ha Jung-woo, who are active in the film industry. In September 2021, the company moved to the building previously owned by SM Entertainment.
Subsidiaries
Active subsidiaries
- Fantagio Hong Kong, entertainment company based in Hong Kong
- METAGIO PTE. LTD., entertainment company based in Singapore
- Studio Invictus, drama production company based in South Korea[4]
Defunct subsidiaries
- Madin Entertainment, acting management division
- Fantagio Music, record label (merged with the parent company)
- Fantagio Pictures, a movie and drama production company
- Solid C&M, division for broadcast program production and content distribution rights
- Fantagio China, management company based in China
- Fantagio Japan, management company based in Japan
History
The company was founded on September 16, 2008 by Na Byeong-jun as N.O.A Entertainment. From the start, the company was credited for discovering many representative domestic actors, such as Ha Jung-woo, Jung Il-woo, and Kim Sae-ron, etc. At the same time, the company started it's trainee program. ASTRO's Moonbin started his trainee life first, and Rocky started in June 2010.
In June 2011, the company changed its name to Fantagio. During this time, i-Teen project was also initiated, with iKON's Jung Chan-woo (YG Entertainment) being one of the trainees.
In May 2012, Fantagio and Pledis Entertainment created a joint venture, Tricell Media, and together debuted their first girl group, Hello Venus. Hello Venus is the only girl group that debuted that year to receive the Rookie of the Year award. On July 31, 2014, the joint venture was terminated due to a conflict between companies, and Fantagio took charge of Hello Venus. During the termination, two members left the group and went back to Pledis, and two new members were added. The group had moderate success throughout their career and disbanded on May 8, 2019, after their contract ended.
In October 2014, Fantagio merged with a company called "Edu Company", that was already listed on the KOSDAQ stock market, and since then, Fantagio became a serious contender in the stock exchange market.
On February 23, 2015, the company debuted its first male idol group, ASTRO, with the release of Spring Up. Within a week of its release, it reached #6 on the Billboard World Albums Chart[5]. It entered the 10th place on the Japanese Tower Records K-Pop chart. It also ranked 4th in the album section of the Gaon Chart[6], an official domestic music chart. Since their debut, ASTRO sold over 1,5 million albums and is now considered one of the top groups in K-pop.
Choi Yoojung and Kim Doyeon, who appeared on Produce 101, made their debut as I.O.I by entering the top 11. They promoted with the group for a year, and when I.O.I. disbanded, they returned to the company and debuted in Weki Meki on August 8, 2017. The group disbanded on August 8, 2024, following the expiration of their contracts.
Former Wanna One member, Ong Seong-wu, is also signed to Fantagio. He released his first solo mini album in 2020, but since then mostly pursues acting.
On June 15, 2023, the company debuted their new eight-member boy group, LUN8. The group's debut mini album Continue? sold more than 80 thousand copies so far and ranked 5th in the album section of the Circle Chart.[7]
Controversies
Fantagio has had many issues and changes relating to it's ownership and management.
In December 2017, Chinese company, JC Group, bought majority of shares of Fantagio. They dismissed the founder of the company, and made Wei Jie the CEO. At that moment, many key people from the company left, and the rest of the staff started a strike, requesting from the new owners to bring back the founder and give him his position back. Many actors asked for their contract to be terminated, but they were denied. Wei Jie was arrested in China for illegal financing and fraud on May 10, 2019.
After that, Park Haesun was made the CEO of Fantagio. On March 9, 2020, JC Group sold their shares to L&A Holdings, making it the largest shareholder of the company. On February 24, 2021, Mirae ING Co., Ltd. bought 6,657,789 shares and became the largest shareholder of Fantagio. In the process of share exchange, the leadership of the company has been changed numerous times, with 7 CEOs being replaced since 2017.