[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] “Rather than focusing on what I was good at, I started by looking at what I wasn’t good at.”
He was neither a manager nor a producer. Choi Jae-woo, CEO of F&F Entertainment, who spent over a decade in the fields of investment and music distribution, began by assessing the areas he was least capable of handling when he founded his entertainment company. He determined that competing by directly casting and training trainees—as major agencies do—offered no chance of success, so instead, he staked his success on branding and content strategies based on his experience in investment and distribution.

In a recent interview with Edaily, CEO Choi said, “I had to start by knowing my own limits,” adding, “While casting and training were my weakest areas, I’ve thought more than anyone else about how to promote music and content and establish them in the market.”
The solution he chose was audition programs. While auditions are generally viewed as a process for selecting debut members, CEO Choi utilized them as a “branding platform” to promote both the company and its artists simultaneously. He determined this was the most efficient way for a new entertainment agency to establish its presence among the industry and fans in a short period and gain the trust of overseas partners.
This strategy yielded tangible results. F&F Entertainment partnered with SBS to launch the girl group UNIS and the boy group AHOF in quick succession through the audition programs “Universe Ticket” and “Universe League.” UNIS rapidly expanded its fanbase, particularly overseas, while AHOF sold over 360,000 copies of their debut album in its first week and went on to break their own record with their second mini-album. With a string of No. 1 rankings on music shows and Rookie of the Year awards at major music award ceremonies, the agency has established itself in the market relatively quickly for a newcomer. Building on this success, F&F Entertainment plans to expand its business foundation centered on artist IP while establishing a sustainable growth structure through the development of new IP.

CEO Choi cited “pre-debut fandom” as the driving force behind these achievements. “Audition programs aren’t just about selecting members for debut; they’re a process of building relationships with fans and raising awareness of the company even before the debut,” he explained, adding, “It was the most effective way for a new agency to build brand recognition.”
His management style also draws on his experience as an investment and distribution expert. Having closely observed both successes and failures while collaborating with various agencies over the past decade, he stated, “I believed good people were more important than a good system,” and revealed that he focused on assembling a team of specialists in each field from the very beginning of the company’s establishment.
CEO Choi identified the core of the entertainment business not in simple album sales, but in the scalability of intellectual property (IP). He believes that stable revenue can only be generated by creating a structure that integrates albums, concerts, fan meetings, merchandise, and advertising. “Ultimately, creating content that fans can engage with over the long term is what matters most,” he said.
The next goal is not another large-scale audition show. “Having built up production know-how and a global network through UNIS and Ahop, I now want to become a company capable of creating new IP in diverse ways,” he said, emphasizing, “F&F Entertainment’s competitive edge lies in flexibly leveraging not only internal resources but also external collaborations.”