SungWon Cho

SungWon Cho (Korean: 조성원; RR: Jo Seong-won; /sʌŋˈwɒn/; born December 9, 1990), also known as ProZD, is a Korean-American actor, voice actor, comedian, and YouTuber. He is best known for his role as Detective Joe Furuya in Anime Crimes Division and for his many voice acting roles, most notably FL4K from Borderlands 3 and Johnny from OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes. He also has partnerships with gaming brands Sega, Wizards of the Coast, EA, and Square Enix.

SungWon Cho
Born
SungWon Cho

(1990-12-09) December 9, 1990
Minnesota, U.S.
Other namesProZD
Occupation
  • Actor
  • voice actor
  • comedian
  • YouTuber
Years active2015–present
Spouse(s)
Anne Marie Salter
​
​
(m. 2016)​
YouTube information
Also known asProZD
Channel
Years active2006–present
Genre
  • Comedy
  • parody
  • gaming
  • review
  • food
Subscribers3 million
(January 7, 2021)
Total views990 million
(January 7, 2021)
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers 2017[1]
Updated: December 4, 2020

Early life

SungWon Cho[2] was born to Korean parents in Minnesota on December 9, 1990,[3][4][5] and later moved to DeWitt, Michigan.[6][7] He started voice acting in high school when he voiced different characters on a friend's radio plays.[8] He attended Michigan State University, where he frequently acted in live performances and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Media Information and Technology.[8][9] In 2012, after graduating, he described himself as being "in a creative rut" and taught English as a second language to Korean immigrant students.[10]

Career

In October 2012, Cho began daily posting voice content to Tumblr, building an audience and eventually going viral with a video of him singing "Let It Go" from Frozen as Goofy.[10] His first foray into professional voice acting occurred when Deven Mack saw one of his YouTube videos and had him audition for Apotheon, where he ended up securing the role of the main villain Zeus.[11] In late 2014 Cho started using Vine to post content and grew in popularity, when later asked about his tenure on Vine he stated "...overall it was just a way to put out my ideas in a very easy way. It also helped me pare down my writing so there's less filler."[12] He remained active on Vine until the 2016 announcement of their shutdown and was also a finalist for the 9th Shorty Awards for Vine of the Year.[13][14] Cho shifted his focus to his YouTube channel, his audience following from Vine and having his work often appear on the frontpage of Reddit.[15][16]

In 2017 Cho starred in his first live action role as the main character, Detective Joe Furaya, in Crunchyroll's Anime Crimes Division, for which he was nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy for the 8th Streamy Awards.[17][18] In mid-2018 Creative Artists Agency reached out and signed him coinciding with an already planned move to Los Angeles to continue his career as a voice actor.[19][20] Soon after he was cast in the multi-ethnic Rooster Teeth series Gen:Lock and told NewsWeek's Phillip Martinez, "Voice acting gives me a lot more freedom because I'm not limited by my physical appearance. I can voice all sorts all different sort of characters."[21]

Cho's presence on YouTube grew throughout this time with his channel exceeding 2 million subscribers and most of his income between voice acting work coming from sponsorships and ad revenue.[22] His videos are intentionally low-budget and often feature recurring universes with their own casts of characters, including an anime parody ("The Tomoko Chairem Anime Canon") and a role-playing game parody ("King Dragon"), through which he pokes fun at common gaming and anime cliches and tropes.[22] In these videos, he often plays multiple characters, a detail which become so strongly associated with him that he and fellow YouTuber Octopimp parodied it in a video on the latter's channel, additionally poking fun at Cho's strong association with anime.[23] He continued to expand these existing storylines that had originally started on Vine, as well as creating a Let's Play channel Press Buttons n Talk with his friend Alex Mankin.[22][24] In 2019 Cho voiced the character FL4K in the popular video game Borderlands 3.[25] He has been a fan favorite in the anime community being a frequent guest at conventions and presenting for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.[26][27]

Personal life

In October 2015, Cho became engaged to Anne Marie Salter, whom he had met through an online Super Mario fan fiction community.[10] They were married on May 28, 2016.[28][29] They have two cats named Effie and Sophie who are seen in Cho's videos at times.[30] He came up with the username "ProZD" in elementary school, and he will not disclose what it means as "it's so embarrassing that even [his] wife doesn't know."[31]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Lackadaisy Mordecai Voice role; short film

Television
Year Title Role Notes Source
2018 Legend of the Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis Vice Admiral Legrange 1 episode [32]
2018 Radiant Master Lord Majesty 3 episodes [33]
2019 Gen:Lock Heng Li 'Henry' Wu 3 episodes [34]
2019 Tuca & Bertie Ultra-Sam S380 Episode 7 [35]
2019 OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes Johnny, Jack Whacky, Rando, Teamster, Game 2 episodes [36][37]
2020 Craig of the Creek Keun Sup / The Blur 1 episode [38]
2020 Big City Greens Maestro / King Violin 1 episode

Web series
Year Title Role Notes Source
2017–2018 Anime Crimes Division Detective Joe Furuya Main character [39]
2018 Nomad of Nowhere Toro Episode 7 [34][40]
2018 Camp Camp Brian Season 3, Episode 3 [21][41]
2018 Red vs. Blue King Atlus Arcadium Rex 8 episodes [42]
2020 Bigtop Burger Doctor Episode 4 [43]
2020 Aggretsuko Hyodo 9 episodes [44]
2020 Onyx Equinox Xolotl 11 episodes [45]

Video games
Year Title Voice role Source
2011 Ace Attorney Investigations 2 Gregory Edgeworth (voice) Fan translation[46]
2015 Apotheon Zeus [37][47]
2017 Battlerite Sirius [48]
2017 Fallen Legion G'ndarark the Bloodhammer [49]
2017 A Hat in Time Express Owls / Intercom [37][50]
2017 2064: Read Only Memories Froyo Guy, Bouncers, and Police ROMs [51]
2018 Monster Prom Brian / Interdimensional Prince [37][24]
2018 2MD: VR Football Coach [52]
2018 Unavowed Kalash [53]
2018 Attack of the Earthlings Regional Manager Dennis Dickinham [54]
2019 Judgment Tashiro [55]
2019 Akash: Path of the Five Caspian [56]
2019 River City Girls Nishimura [57]
2019 Borderlands 3 FL4K [37][58]
2020 Granblue Fantasy Versus Vaseraga, Imperial Soldier [37][59]
2020 Yakuza: Like a Dragon Mitsuo Yasumura / Motoba / Ringmaster Yasuda [37]
2020 Soulcalibur VI Hwang Seong-gyeong [60]

Awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Category Result Refs
2017 Shorty Awards Vine of the Year Nominated [14]
2018 Streamy Awards Acting in a Comedy Nominated [61]

References
  1. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (December 11, 2017). "one million subscribers on youtube, this is real surreal, this is a number that if you had asked me last year, i would've dismissed as an impossibility, thank you to anyone who's enjoyed my stuff" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (June 28, 2019). "dear anyone who contacts me for any reason ever, it's SungWon. not Sung, not Sung Won, not Sungwon, not Sung-Won, not Sung-won, not Sung won. SungWon, no fuckin space, capital-ass W thanks, SungWon" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. Cho, SungWon (October 11, 2017). having a non-white name (Video). YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  4. Cho, SungWon (April 26, 2013). "Frequently Asked Questions". ProZD Likes to Voice Act. Tumblr. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  5. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (October 6, 2018). "korea was a place i'd always been a little intimidated to visit, i speak korean pretty poorly and i'd only been once when i was 3, but i'm so glad i came. my family here is wonderful and made me feel so welcome, i truly felt at home. i can't wait to come back" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  6. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (April 10, 2017). "white person: where ya from me: i was born in minnesota white person: no hahahaha no no no...........where ya FROM?" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  7. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (May 25, 2020). "i've been informed i now have a wikipedia page, now i don't want to edit it myself, but to help out as a source (being myself), i will say i specifically grew up in DeWitt, Michigan as opposed to Lansing en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SungWon_Cho" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  8. Lee, Jonathan (August 9, 2018). "ProZD Talks About Acting, Diversity, and His Biggest Fans". Inverse. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  9. Ashley, Skyler (December 26, 2017). "SungWon Cho: MSU's Other YouTube Star". WKAR-FM. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  10. Zakarin, Jordan (February 5, 2018). "SungWon Cho used to make goofy voices for fun. Now he's got millions of fans [Fandom Files Ep #15]". SyFy Wire. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  11. Gwaltney, Javy (April 2019). McNamara, Andy (ed.). "The Genuine Comedian". Game Informer. No. 312. Minneapolis, MN: Sunrise Publications. p. 22. ISSN 1067-6392.
  12. Downer, Adam (April 26, 2017). "Q&A with ProZD". Know Your Meme. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  13. "ProZD". Vine. 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  14. "When You're the Main Character Tho". Shorty Awards. 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  15. Matos, Clinton (May 25, 2017). "What it takes to be a pro voice actor and YouTuber with ProZD". htxt.africa. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  16. Gutelle, Sam (March 15, 2018). "Reddit Made The Video Star". Tubefilter. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  17. D'Anastasio, Cecilia (December 1, 2017). "YouTube Show Anime Crimes Division Is Naruto Meets CSI". Kotaku. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  18. Loveridge, Lynzee (September 25, 2018). "CR's Anime Crimes Division, Voice Actor-Led Critical Role Nominated for Streamys". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  19. Fogel, Stefanie (May 7, 2019). "CAA Signs Internet Gaming Personalities ProZD and Caleb City (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  20. Zakarin, Jordan (March 4, 2019). "YouTube star and voice actor SungWon Cho is killing it in Hollywood [Ep #75]". SyFy Wire. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  21. Martinez, Phillip (March 7, 2019). "SungWon Cho talks his 'gen:LOCK' character and becoming a part of something special at Rooster Teeth". Newsweek. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  22. Stephen, Bijan (July 12, 2019). "ProZD makes nerd humor cool". The Verge. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  23. Gross, Alexander (Aug 29, 2017). When An Anime Goes On Too Long (Video). YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  24. Russell, Jack (August 23, 2018). "SungWon Cho Interview (ProZD) – Otakon 2018". Pop Culture Bento. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  25. Brown, Fraser (August 8, 2019). "Borderlands 3's final character trailer introduces FL4K and his pets". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  26. "SungWon Cho Information". AnimeCons.com. 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  27. Williams, Tommy (January 12, 2020). "Crunchyroll Reveals the Nominees for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards This Year". GeekTyrant. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  28. Cho, SungWon (October 16, 2015). "SungWon Cho (ProZD) on Instagram: "Chicago, babyyy (also, we're engaged! Wow!!!) @cherrizard"". Instagram. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  29. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (May 28, 2016). "back, got married" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  30. "SungWon Cho". Otakon. 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  31. "SungWon Cho reveals what it's like to be a video game voice actor - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  32. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (November 29, 2019). "I voice Vice Admiral Legrange in the English dub of Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Second, i'm a big fan of the original OAV, so being able to be a part of this is super rad (thanks, @BrittanyLaudaVO)" (Tweet). Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  33. Glass, Caitlin [@caitlinsvoice] (November 23, 2018). "Well, @Sonic12o3 was the first to guess it, and some others agreed- but I can officially welcome SungWon Cho @prozdkp to the cast of #RADIANT_anime! Catch him and some more new voices tomorrow on @FUNimation" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  34. "SungWon Cho (aka ProZD) Joins Voice Cast of Rooster Teeth's 'gen:LOCK'". BroadwayWorld. February 13, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  35. Briger, Same (July 29, 2019). "Lisa Hanawalt On 'Tuca & Bertie,' 'BoJack Horseman' And Channeling Anxiety Into Art". NPR. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  36. Cho, SungWon (March 31, 2020). Every Character I Voiced in Cartoon Network's OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes (Video). YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  37. "Behind The Voice Actors - SungWon Cho". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  38. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (June 21, 2020). "i voice THE BLUR in @CraigoftheCreek on @cartoonnetwork, he's the fastest kid from the Other Side of the Creek, craig better watch out" (Tweet). Retrieved June 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
  39. Lee, Jonathan (August 3, 2018). "'Anime Crimes Division' Season 2 Release Date: Filming Is Done, ProZD Says". Inverse. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  40. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (August 24, 2018). "I voice GOVERNOR TORO in @RoosterTeeth's Nomad of Nowhere, you can watch it here: roosterteeth.com/episode/nomad-of-nowhere-season-1-785sdfbx" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  41. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (June 8, 2018). "I voice Brian in Season 3, Episode 3 of @RoosterTeeth's Camp Camp, he's a good ol boy from Kentucky roosterteeth.com/episode/camp-camp-season-3-3" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  42. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (May 16, 2018). "I voice KING ATLUS ARCADIUM REX in @RoosterTeeth's RED VS BLUE, little high school sungwon would be pooping his pants if he heard about this roosterteeth.com/series/red-vs-blue" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  43. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (July 10, 2020). "i voice Doctor in @Worthikids's BIGTOP BURGER" (Tweet). Retrieved August 11, 2020 – via Twitter.
  44. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (August 27, 2020). "I voice HYODO in season 3 of @aggretsuko which is available on Netflix NOW, i absolutely love this show, and this character was so much fun to play" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  45. https://twitter.com/ProZD/status/1344371349637066752?s=20
  46. "Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Path Credits". Album on Imgur. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  47. Med, Elec (February 13, 2019). "Akash: Path of the Five – Valentine's Day Trailer". ElecCafe – Tech news articles and gadgets videos from around the web. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  48. "Battlerite". Sound Cadence Studios. 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  49. Deogracias, Elisha (July 6, 2017). "YummyYummyTummy recruits ProZD to voice an in-game character for Fallen Legion". Gaming Trend. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  50. Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (December 6, 2017). "yo, A Hat in TIme is now on PS4 and Xbox One, I voice the Express Owls in the game, go check it out if you haven't already twitter.com/HatInTime/status/938228841348296704" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  51. "2064: Read Only Memories". MidBoss. 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  52. Graham, Peter (April 5, 2018). "Become a Champion Quarterback When 2MD: VR Football Lands on PlayStation VR". VRFocus. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  53. Kaharl, Jonathan (August 8, 2018). "Unavowed". Hardcore Gaming. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  54. "Attack of the Earthlings". PlayStation. Wales Interactive. 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  55. "ProZD coming to IFF Toronto 2019!". IFF Toronto. January 3, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  56. Tran, Tiffany (November 5, 2019). "Indie Dating Sim "Akash: Path of the Five" is Full of Flavor, Fun, and Sexy Characters". Nerdbot. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  57. Hopkins, Tom (September 12, 2019). "Meet the Voice Actors of Borderlands 3's Voice Cast". Twinfinite. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  58. Lanier, Liz (June 11, 2019). "'Borderlands 3's' Flak Will Be Voiced by SungWon Cho". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  59. Hoang, Marcel (March 7, 2020). "A fighter's guide for Granblue Fantasy: Versus". Destructoid. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  60. https://twitter.com/prozd/status/1333489403193217024?s=21
  61. Schaffstall, Katherine (October 22, 2018). "Acting in a Comedy - Streamy Awards 2018: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
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