CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 1

Career Research Information Interview & Report

The field of Webtoon comics

Nguyen Le Thao Pham

Department of Communication, Western Washington University

Comm 318: Professional Communication

February 16, 2023

CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 2

INTRODUCTION

It was an honor to interview Mr. Chon Minh Nguyen, one of the Lead artists/HRM at

DCA Entertainment in Vietnam. As a Design major student graduating from Western, I am

passionate about working with illustrators, designers, and webtoons. Mr. Chon was an excellent

fit for this interview due to his 9 years of experience in the art and webtoon industry.

To provide context for the interview, the report will begin by exploring the Webtoon

industry, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. The report will then delve into

Mr. Chon's position at DCA Entertainment and provide insights into his company. After that, the

report will then focus on the interview itself, where I asked Mr. Chon several questions about his

experiences, challenges, and successes in the industry. I will highlight the discussion and answers

that stood out to me and any significant insights gained from the interview. Following the

interview, I will analyze our discussion and reflect on my skills and potential as a design major

student interested in the webtoon industry. I will identify areas where I excel and areas that I

need to practice more to prepare myself for future challenges. Finally, the report will conclude

with an overview of my overall experience during the interview process and what I learned.

Overall, this report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the webtoon industry and the

insights gained from the interview with Mr. Chon Minh Nguyen.

RESEARCH

Before having a Zoom meeting with Mr. Chon, I invested a lot of time and effort into

researching the webtoon industry and formulating good questions that would provide me with

valuable insights and knowledge to pursue my career in this field. My previous experience

working in a Vietnamese Studio gave me some exposure to the production of webtoons, but my

understanding of the industry was limited to the Korean company that produced and published
CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 3

these comics on its own app. I even thought that "Webtoon" was about an online comic company

or a platform. However, through my research on Wikipedia, I finally realized I was wrong, I

discovered that "webtoon" is the name of the entire comic career that has developed to focus on

producing comics designed for mobile users (2023). This is a relatively new trend in the comic

industry and has gained significant popularity in recent years. Webtoons are typically designed as

vertical slides that are presented frame by frame from top to bottom, giving them a unique visual

style and making them highly accessible to readers on mobile devices.

While I found webtoons to be an exciting career prospect, my research also highlighted

some challenges that the industry faces, particularly in Vietnam. One of the significant

challenges is that comic entertainment is not widely appreciated in Vietnam, making it difficult

for the industry to gain traction in the market. Additionally, there is limited support for copyright

law or business protection for businesses or artists pursuing this profession. Cultural barriers also

present significant obstacles to developing the comic industry market in Vietnam, despite many

opportunities to start a business. Many Vietnamese people do not like to pay fees for reading

comics online, as they see it as only a form of entertainment for a short time, not worth spending

money on. This perception has made it difficult for artists and businesses in the industry to

generate revenue and sustain their operations. While researching the webtoon industry, I became

increasingly interested in pursuing a career in this field, and I wanted to explore opportunities

beyond the limitations of the Vietnamese market. I started looking for global webtoon jobs and

discovered that Webtoon, the platform, was expanding its business in America, specifically in

Los Angeles, CA (2023). Upon visiting the Webtoon homepage, I found that the platform offers

many opportunities for artists and writers to showcase their work and build a following. Webtoon
CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 4

also partners with publishers and production companies to develop content and adapt successful

webtoons into other media, such as television shows and films.

ANALYSIS

When I finally had the opportunity to interview Mr. Chon, I was excited to ask him about

his experiences in the webtoon industry and gain insights into what it takes to succeed as an artist

or designer in this field. During the interview, I asked Mr. Chon about his background and how

he first became interested in pursuing a career in webtoons. He explained that his artistic

interests initially focused on semi-real, concept art, and 3D art. He had a passion for illustration

and graphic design as his future career. However, his interest shifted after a chance meeting with

Mr. Duy, a friendly stranger he met on a comic forum. The two shared a common dream - to

bring the Vietnamese Webtoon industry to the world. They both saw the potential for starting a

new business and recognized the opportunity to source jobs and support from the Korean market.

Therefore, they decided to collaborate with Korea to create a business and create jobs for other

artists in Vietnam and follow mainly the webtoon industry.

Mr. Chon also shared some of his experiences working in the webtoon industry over the

past 9 years. Despite the challenges, Mr. Chon and his team have been making a lot of progress

lately. The small studio where I used to work has now become an entertainment company with

about 30 employees, and Mr. Chon has become one of the company's lead artists and HR

managers. Mr. Chon's approach to the work environment and process reflects his understanding

of the importance of giving artists the freedom and flexibility to create. He believes that each

artist has their own working style, and it is important to respect that. By not enforcing strict time

limits, Mr. Chon ensures that his employees can work in their own space, and produce the best
CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 5

quality work. Instead of micromanaging, Mr. Chon trusts his team to deliver results on time,

which helps to build a positive working relationship between management and employees.

SKILLS

During my interview with Mr. Chon, I hoped to gain insights into the skills and

knowledge I would need to succeed in the global Webtoon industry and learn about the

challenges and opportunities of pursuing a career in this field. I was eager to use this knowledge

to prepare for the challenges ahead and develop the skills necessary to succeed in a rapidly

evolving industry. Throughout the interview with Mr. Chon, he also shared with me the skill

requirements for Coloring, Sketching, and Line-art artists. Coloring artists need to know

anatomy and background field, and they do not have to be aware of picking color because most

of the work will be in the direction of industrialization, with available color palettes to use.

Sketching and line-art artist also need base standards of anatomy, background building, and

concept art for professionals. I have 2 to 3 years of experience in the color field and am confident

in my abilities, but I do believe that I need to work more in the Line-art field. I am not confident

that I can draw in different styles to match the concept art of the job's requirements. To improve

my line-art skills, I could take courses, practice regularly, and seek feedback from other artists or

mentors that I know.

Moreover, Mr. Chon also shared that working in a team environment is crucial in the

webtoon industry. Artists need to be able to collaborate with other team members, communicate

effectively, and be open to feedback and criticism. This is because a webtoon production

typically involves a team of artists, including writers, storyboard artists, colorists, and letterers,

whom all work together to bring a story to life. In summary, the skill requirements for artists in

the webtoon industry include knowledge of anatomy, background building, and concept art, as
CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 6

well as adaptability, time management, and teamwork. Not only are the requirements for

coloring, sketching, and line-art artists, but there is a requirement for lead artists in this industry.

In the interview, Mr. Chon shared that this position, besides the requirements for solid

knowledge of art, also required some soft skills, such as communication, presentation, and

Human Resource management skills.

Wrapping up the interview, I am knowledgeable of skills that I need to improve upon to

work in a higher position. Pursuing my bachelor's degree in design will provide me with a strong

foundation and knowledge in your field of interest, which will be beneficial for my future career.

I am the quiet person in the room but based on my CliftonStrengths, my top strength is

Individualization, which will allow me to have a better understanding the needs and preferences

of your team members and collaborate effectively, and from that, I can slowly build up how to

communicate and work with them. Another top strength of mine is Responsibility, which leads

me to be leveraged to manage my time and prioritize tasks to ensure deadlines are met.

Additionally, working on my social skills, especially communication skills, is essential for

success in any industry. Maybe, reading more about psychology and communication can be

helpful for improving my understanding and skills.

CONCLUSION

Despite these challenges, there is still potential for the webtoon industry to grow in

Vietnam, as more people become familiar with webtoons' unique visual style and techniques. As

the industry evolves, it will be important to address these challenges and work towards creating a

more supportive environment for businesses and artists in this field. Through my interview with

Mr. Chon, I have gained more insights I needed to pursue my passion for this field into the

opportunities and challenges of pursuing a career in webtoons in Vietnam or the United States.
CAREER RESEARCH INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW & REPORT (CRIIR), WINTER 2023 7

References

Nguyen, C. M. (2023, February 13). Personal Interview [Personal Interview].

DCA Entertainment. Facebook. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from

https://www.facebook.com/DCAVietNam.

(n.d.). Webtoon. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webtoon.

(n.d.). Careers at WEBTOON. Webtoon. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from

https://webtoons.hrmdirect.com/employment/job-openings.php?search=true&dept=-

1&city=-1&state=-1.