Actor Louis Koo is a family identify in Hong Kong however off-screen, he’s an influential leisure trade investor, producer and entrepreneur.

Rising to prominence throughout the “golden age” of Hong Kong cinema, Koo constructed a revered profession over the many years however much less flashy are his companies and investments.

One Cool Group is one such income stream. Launched by Koo in 2013, the corporate has transitioned from a neighborhood movie manufacturing entity to a dominant power within the Asian movie trade. With over 300 workers throughout workplaces in Hong Kong, mainland China, Thailand and South Korea, the corporate manages each side of filmmaking from financing to distribution.

One Cool Group introduced a slate of 5 movies March 11 throughout FilMart.

“Diversified growth has at all times been our main objective, like final 12 months, after we broadened our enterprise scope to music concert events and theatrical play manufacturing,” stated Sean Man, One Cool Group’s enterprise growth and communications director.

Apart from producing and distributing native movies like “Wild Metropolis,” “Golden Geese” and “Let It Ghost,” One Cool Group has additionally labored on Hollywood tasks with Sony Footage Animation comparable to “Vivo” and the Oscar-nominated “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.”

“By means of involvement in quite a few animation tasks, we had been hoping to be taught and trade expertise, methods and even imaginative and prescient,” stated Man. “As a lot as Mr. Koo loves animations, our intention is to discover extra challenge genres, entertain and enlighten our audiences in as some ways as we will.”

Koo’s 2022 sci-fi epic “Warriors of Future” notched the title of highest-grossing native movie in Hong Kong’s historical past on the time, and clinched the file for the highest-grossing Asian movie ever launched within the area, amassing HK$81.7 million ($10.5 million) on the Hong Kong field workplace.

Yee Kwok-Leung, co-founder of CG firm Free-D Workshop, make clear Koo’s energetic involvement in numerous movie processes, particularly evident in movies like “Again to the Previous.” “All through the challenge, he has given us the time and sources to work on the pre-production course of such because the artistic design and pre-visualization,” Yee stated. “We all know that Mr. Koo is prepared to spend money on AI and VR applied sciences too, which is such nice information to the trade.”

In 2022, amidst the NFT frenzy, One Cool Group joined forces with Gusto Collective to create non-fungible tokens for “Warriors of Future,” whereas in 2021, Koo and Media Asia launched Cool Model, a shingle that gives artist administration, produces native movies and explores social media and e-commerce income streams.

Past his involvement in media, Koo has diversified his pursuits into different profitable ventures, together with his acquisition of a high-end Chinese language restaurant, Ming Home, in addition to savvy actual property investments.

Koo’s life hasn’t been with out challenges. In his 20s, he spent 22 months in jail for his involvement in a theft. In his e book, he describes his imprisonment because the “darkest interval in [my] life” and credit faith for serving to him flip issues round. Koo retains his philanthropic efforts low-key, very similar to his investments.

In 2018, he sponsored the theater on the Hong Kong Arts Heart, which was subsequently named after him. Behind the digicam, Koo stays devoted to advancing One Cool Group. “We by no means cease exploring alternatives in several companies as a result of we consider that’s how we will develop as a gaggle,” stated Man.