Webtoon Announces New Initiatives To Benefit Creators – And Its Own Business

CANADA - 2025/09/16: In this photo illustration, the Webtoon Entertainment (Web Toon) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesIn the creator economy, it is sometimes easy to mistake low barriers to entry for low barriers to success. Sure, there are no gatekeepers. But whether you are a YouTuber, podcaster, Instagram influencer or TikTok meme-meister, the point where the rewards outweigh the efforts required to create and promote your content can be maddeningly elusive. That is especially true when the content is serialized online comics (aka webtoons), historically a high-effort, low-reward medium under the best of circumstances.As webtoons have gone from a niche to an important part of the comics industry in North America, there remains a power curve: a few breakout successes with media deals, merchandise and printed collections; a middle tier of titles doing well enough that creators can focus on them full time; and a vast “long tail” of work still in search of an audience at scale. Creators at an inflection point often need some support or validation to break through to the next level – something that benefits creators and fans, as well as the platform hosting their work. Otherwise, promising talent, lacking the formal support of a traditional publisher relationship, can get discouraged and potentially lucrative IP might die on the vine. Webtoon Entertainment (NASDAQ: WBTN) understands that balance better than most. Having spun off from South Korean tech giant Naver in an IPO in 2024, Webtoon knows what a mature webtoon-based ecosystem looks like, for better and worse. That experience is informing its strategy for turning the still relatively nascent webtoon business in North America into the media-ready IP conveyor belt that it has become in Asia.In light of that, the company’s announcement today of an expansion of its creator programs for 2026 is a good example of enlightened self-interest (or “doing well by doing good”), a corporate practice that seems in short supply elsewhere in the digital economy these days.Webtoon’s Creator Incentives for 2026Webtoon announced it is offering more tools to help support its creators in monetizing their content, connecting to their fans, building their skills, and even getting a look inside the South Korean-based culture that gave rise to the medium. MORE FOR YOUAccording to the announcement the program combines “hands-on support, opportunities to connect with fellow storytellers, and new ways to grow creatively and professionally,” including a Creator Residency program set to kick off in Q1, which will bring selected creators to the company’s North American headquarter in Los Angeles for an intensive week of development and guidance. A few “VIP” creators will even be invited to South Korea to fully immerse in the cultural experience.Webtoon’s expanded creator program also includes stepped-up investment in bringing creators to conventions and key industry events to increase their visibility with fans and clout in the business [disclosure: I have participated in Webtoon-sponsored panels at conventions including SDCC, NYCC and LightBox Expo], hosting creator meetups, and offering portfolio reviews for international creators in Europe and Southeast Asia.Webtoon is focusing new monetization tools for their UGC platform Canvas, where creators post work and build an audience in hopes of being selected for higher-visibility, higher-revenue opportunities in the Webtoon Originals tier. This is the level of the business where the effort-to-reward ratio is most lopsided and most unpredictable, but has historically been a great proving ground for breakout hits. For these creators, Webtoon promises better ways to monetize their work, alongside dashboards that provide insights and metrics to allow creators to improve their series performance. Those are expected in “early 2026.”Webtoon says it is also investing in more support for creators, including expanded “creator care” and editorial teams, as well as online content, career advice and inspiration. Building the Business Around CreatorsInvesting in creators is a smart move for the company, as the ROI from big, visible hits and increased prestige for the platform likely justifies the cost of the programs.“Creators are the heart of Webtoon, and everything we do begins with their passion, their stories, and their trust,” said Yongsoo Kim, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Webtoon at Webtoon Entertainment in a prepared statement. “As we look ahead to 2026, we’re expanding our investment in Creators at every phase of their journey, from emerging talent to established voices. We’ve spent 2025 listening to Creators all over the world, piloting new programs that can help Creators achieve their goals, and we’re thrilled to expand these initiatives in 2026. Our goal is simple: to give creators the support, tools, and opportunities they need to build the careers they dream of on Webtoon.”Helping creators get over the hump from being part-timers to rising contributors of Originals, or from a promising talent to a superstar, can help dispel the doubts that many face at that moment in their career, and can demonstrate that the platform has their backs.Instantmiso, the creator of titles like Eaternal Nocturnal, Siren’s Lament and Fae Trapped, which rose to become global hits, was a participant in a pilot version of the program. “The Creator Residency Program has been such a validating experience - coming to LA with other creators, talking about our favorite parts of being Webtoon creators, hearing their processes, how similar they are, how different they are. Just feeling inspired by the work happening at Webtoon. It’s been incredibly enriching.”Fae Trapped by instantmiso, serialized on Webtoon, 2025Art by InstantmisoTaking the Edges Off The GrindAt the same time, the webtoon production model demands a high level of commitment to meet deadlines and milestones, and Webtoon hopes to be part of the discussion when successful stories start getting media and licensing offers.

In South Korea, concerns over the grind and its toll on those in the industry recently drew government scrutiny over working conditions, low levels of compensation, and unfair contract terms. Some of those issues are byproducts of unique conditions in Asian markets, where large studios are often responsible for pumping out content for the platforms and where the opportunities for successful creators in media and licensing deals are better established. But the same kind of discontent can set in here, driven by the isolation and “bootstrap” ethos of the creator economy, the experience of seeing others succeed due to opaque and unpredictable factors, and occasional vocally disgruntled creators who go public with issues around contracts and conditions. The more the company can get out in front of those situations by proactively addressing creator concerns and build up reserves of good will, the better the business looks to the next generation of creators and ethically-minded fans. Invest in creators, yes, but also in the reputation and sustainability of your own business.No platform, including Webtoon, can guarantee a clear path to success, or even a formula where putting in the hours will predictably pay off in financial terms. But they can cushion the edges and provide some uplift for promising titles and creators by making it less of a free-for-all.