Actor Louis Koo is a household name in Hong Kong but off screen, he is an influential entertainment industry investor, producer and entrepreneur.
Ko rose to prominence during the “Golden Age” of Hong Kong cinema, building a respectable career over decades, but his works and investments were less flashy.
One Cool Group is one such revenue stream. Launched by Ko in 2013, the company has gone from a local film production entity to a dominant force in the Asian film industry. With more than 300 employees across its offices in Hong Kong, mainland China, Thailand and South Korea, the company manages every aspect of the film industry from financing to distribution.
One Cool Group announced a five-film slate on March 11 during FilMart.
“Diversified development has always been our main goal, such as last year, when we expanded our business to include concerts and theatrical productions,” said Shaun Mann, Business Development and Communications Director at One Cool Group.
Besides producing and distributing local films such as “Wild City”, “Golden Ducks” and “Let It Ghost”, One Cool Group has also worked on Hollywood projects with Sony Pictures Animation such as “Vivo” and the Oscar-nominated film “The Mitchells vs”. Machines.”
“By participating in various animation projects, we hoped to learn and share skills, techniques and even vision,” Mann said. “As much as Mr. Ko loves animation, our goal is to explore more types of projects, and entertain and enlighten our audience in as many ways as possible.”
Director Ko’s 2022 sci-fi epic Warriors of Future was the highest-grossing domestic film in Hong Kong history at the time, and held the record for the highest-grossing Asian film ever released in the territory, collecting HK$81.7 million (10.5 million) at the Hong Kong box office.
Yi Kwok Leung, co-founder of CG company Free-D Workshop, highlighted Ko’s active involvement in various film processes, especially in films like Back to the Past. “Throughout the project, he gave us time and resources to work on the pre-production process such as creative design and pre-visualization,” Yee said. “We know that Mr. Kuo is willing to invest in AI and VR technologies as well, which is great news for the industry.”
In 2022, amid the NFT craze, One Cool Group joined forces with Gusto Collective to create non-fungible tokens for “Warriors of Future,” while in 2021, Koo and Media Asia launched Cool Style, a shingle that provides artist management and local product production. Films and explores social media and e-commerce revenue streams.
Besides his involvement in the media field, Kuo has diversified his interests to include other lucrative ventures, including his acquisition of an upscale Chinese restaurant, Ming House, as well as smart real estate investments.
Ko’s life was not without challenges. In his 20s, he spent 22 months in prison for his involvement in a robbery. In his book, he describes his imprisonment as “the darkest period of my life” and credits religion with helping him turn things around. Kuo keeps his philanthropic efforts low-key, just like his investments.
In 2018, he curated the theater at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, which was later named after him. Behind the camera, Koo remains committed to developing One Cool Group. “We never stop exploring opportunities across businesses because we believe that is how we can grow as a group,” Mann said.