Lee Seung-yoon, co-founder of Story, attends Saudi royal-led mega awards show 'JOY Awards'

It was reported on the 20th that a co-founder of Story (Story, $IP) attended the JOY Awards, the Middle East’s largest culture and entertainment awards ceremony led by the Saudi royal family.

The JOY Awards is a flagship event of Riyadh Season, a major cultural project backed by the Saudi government, and a global cultural event that draws leading figures each year from film, drama, music and sports around the world.

This year’s JOY Awards was held with great fanfare, attended by members of the Saudi royal family and government officials as well as figures representing Hollywood and the global content industry. From South Korea, top names in the culture and entertainment scene such as Lee Seung-yoon, Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun were reported to have attended. Internationally, Hollywood stars including Oscar Isaac, Jeremy Piven, Heather Graham, Alfie Allen and Travis Fimmel were in attendance, while the evening program also featured performances by top pop stars Katy Perry and Robbie Williams, as well as Il Divo.

Lee Seung-yoon was said to have used the event to network with stakeholders in the culture and content industries across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, and to explore potential avenues for collaboration in global markets. Story is a project aimed at building next-generation digital infrastructure by combining intellectual property (IP), data and artificial intelligence (AI), and it has recently been expanding its influence in global markets.

Industry observers say the JOY Awards appearance could go beyond a simple attendance, serving as an opportunity for Story to broaden its touchpoints with the rapidly growing culture, content and tech ecosystem in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, centered on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, is continuing large-scale investment in the culture and entertainment industries as it seeks to emerge as a global hub.