Image of Franki Chan
Jury

Franki Chan
Founder & Chief Creative Officer
IHEARTCOMIX

LOS ANGELES, CA // Franki Chan is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of IHEARTCOMIX, a creative marketing agency and content studio that has lived in the worlds of music, entertainment, and lifestyle for over 20 years. IHC’s specialty is imagining unique concepts, executing spectacular productions, and marketing to this coveted audience, leading with a creative, strategy and community-first approach.

Raised in Bloomington, IN, Franki began his career as a musician and promoter, playing in bands and promoting shows. In 2004 he moved from Seattle to Los Angeles and grew even more into nightlife as a DJ, often in collaboration with Steve Aoki and The Cobrasnake. Coupled with Franki’s love for illustration, he drew all the fliers for their shows, and IHEARTCOMIX was born. IHC would come to be a cultural force for the ‘Indiesleaze’ and ‘Bloghaus’ music waves; expanding into events, a record label and music blog.

Over the next decade, IHEARTCOMIX would evolve into producing on the world stage, often with event concepts and original content of their own. It was this outward expression of creativity and success in forging an engaged community that attracted brands and began the transition into the creative agency they are today. Early clients included campaigns for Adult Swim, Pabst and Sundance, whom we collaborated with to create NEXT Fest, a music and film festival that ran for 5 years.

In 2016 IHEARTCOMIX made the transition to being a full time Creative Marketing Agency and has pursued their cultural expertise: a deep appreciation for all things nerdy, groundbreaking entertainment and always being on the bleeding edge of the next trends. It’s this genuine passion, unique perspective and unabashed fandom that has led to successful campaigns and long-standing relationships with brands such as Marvel Studios, Universal Studios, Interscope/Geffen Records, Disney, TikTok, Amazon Music, Spotify, Warner Media, MGM, Peacock and many more. Projects include top tier artists and properties such as Billie Eilish, Black Panther, Fast & Furious, Olivia Rodrigo, Guardians of the Galaxy, Twisted Metal, The Rolling Stones, Blumhouse, Haunted Mansion, We’ve Got Company w/ Marc Rebilet, Nobody and activations at CES, SXSW and SDCC.

Along the way, Franki has led his team to accomplish award-winning experiential productions across film, TV and music properties while building IHC to be a cultural icon. And yes, he still loves comics!