Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker and producer Changhee Chun fortifies media studies with strategic initiatives to enhance student experience
South Korean filmmaker and producer Changhee Chun took the helm of UNC Greensboro’s Media Studies Department in August 2025 with a vision to bridge academia and industry, better prepare students for careers in emerging media and AI, and help them build a network to support their endeavors.
“Media has such a strong impact on our society,” Chun says. “Because of social media and other digital platforms, we now create media for a global audience, not just an American audience. That perspective is what I want to instill in my students.”
An Early Calling to a Global Industry
A native of South Korea, Chun grew up always knowing he wanted to be in the film industry. Part of the Korean Wave of the 1990s—when South Korean pop culture grew in popularity as access to the internet grew—Chun studied at Hanyang University Film School during the time other rising film producers were coming through universities, including Hwang Dong-hyuk, known for Netflix’s “Squid Games,“ and, Bong Joon Ho, who created “Parasite.”
Chun worked in the South Korean film industry as an assistant director and director before moving to the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), one of three major networks in South Korea, to produce TV documentaries. In 1996, he covered the Olympic Games in Atlanta as an executive producer for Samsung Broadcasting Center (SBC).
“I decided to stay in the U.S. and started my production company,” Chun says. “That’s when I joined UNCG for my graduate studies in broadcasting and cinema.”
He studied under his mentor and “American father” Michael Frierson (retired). The two stayed connected as Chun built his career as an award-winning independent filmmaker in the U.S. Chun developed over 50 commercial films, music videos, and documentaries, and received a Fulbright Senior Scholarship. While creating his prolific portfolio, he joined the University of Texas where he served as Morgan Woodward Distinguished Professor in Film, leading the Cinematic Arts undergraduate and graduate programs.
Last year, he heard from his mentor.
“Michael told me when I graduated that I had to come back to UNCG,” Chun says. “In early 2025, he emailed me and said, ‘It’s time to keep your promise.’”
Revitalizing Media Studies at UNCG
Chun returned to UNCG in August 2025 as the department head of the Media Studies Department. Immediately, he laid out his vision for strengthening the department, executing tactics designed to give students the training and experience needed to compete in the booming U.S. media and entertainment Industry.
[Call out: U.S. media and entertainment Industry is projected to reach $3.78 trillion by 2031 *Mordor Intelligence]
He established Spartan Media Productions, a student-powered media company at UNCG. There, students get hands-on experience in professional quality video services, giving clients creative results while they build their portfolios.
“I hired 26 undergraduate students and we completed five productions in the fall semester,” Chun says. “We have already received 15 different production requests this spring from campus clients, nonprofit organizations, and other community organizations.”
As a professional production house, Spartan Media Productions charges clients and pays the student workers.
“Our costs are very reasonable, and we provide high-quality productions,” Chun says. “The students really enjoy the process and our clients appreciate that they receive professional creative work at affordable prices.”
This March, SMP will host a 48-hour Film Festival for local community college and high school students. The students will create a video in just two days and show their work via a screening at the festival.
“The idea is to bring awareness about the Media Studies Department and create a good connection with our local community,” Chun says.
In addition, Chun spearheaded a curriculum revision that created a new required course, “Professional Practice,” to better prepare students for their careers by focusing on internships, portfolio development, and alumni networking.
“Many of our successful alumni in the industry have agreed to come to campus to give us a masterclass on a myriad of topics from how to prepare e-portfolios to deep dives into different careers,” Chun says. “We want to make students feel less daunted as they enter the real world.”
He is also working towards creating a new graduate program: MFA in Emerging Media.
“Media industry jobs are diversifying beyond traditional entertainment into other fields that require professionals who understand how to use visual techniques as a major communication tool,” Chun says.
A Leader with a Multitrack Mind
Beyond strengthening the Media Studies Department, Chun continues actively working on personal creative projects, including the final episode of an eight-part documentary series on social justice and a sequel to his K-drama, “City Hunter.”
“I’m in pre-production for the new K-drama,” Chun says. “Once all is greenlit, my plan is to take our media studies students to the set as interns so they can have professional experience. That is a couple of years away, but that is the plan.”
In the meantime, Chun will continue to engage with his students through his East-West Cinema, Korean Media, and Media Production classes.
“I love teaching,” Chun says. “It makes me a better department head to communicate with and get to know my students.”
Story by Alice Manning Touchette
Photography courtesy of Changee Chun
