MasterClass (www.masterclass.com) is a a new San Francisco-based company that makes it possible for anyone to learn directly from the world’s best in a specific field or topic. MasterClass is debuting its first set of online classes:
Two-time academy award winner Dustin Hoffman teaches acting,
No. 1 ranked women’s tennis player Serena Williams teaches tennis,
World’s best-selling author James Patterson teaches writing.
Legendary performer Usher and renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz will debut their MasterClass projects in the coming months with more classes to come throughout the year.
What’s great about MasterClass is that the platform has now created an option for you to register and GIFT a class to someone (family, friends, graduates) – anyone- seeking a new hobby or choosing to explore and gain expertise from some notable professionals in the field. Requiring a few minutes of your time and about $90, you can give someone special a fabulous gift that they will love!
MasterClass Gifting
Simply create an account on masterclass.com, choose the class you want to gift, and then select the gift option during check-out. Enter a personal message for the receiver, and once your purchase is complete MasterClass will send them an email with your message and a special activation code for the class. MasterClass will also let you know when they “open” your gift by activating the class!
Here are the classes available right now. The trick with these classes is that you don’t have to wait for the next class. Do the assignments and move on at your own speed. You can repeat various episodes till you feel comfortable to move on.
Dustin Hoffman (For the film buff):
Learn about the art of acting from two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman. In his online MasterClass (available for $90 at masterclass.com) Dustin gives a behind-the-scenes view from 50 years of acting in Hollywood as he teaches his method. The class includes 24 video lessons, one complete movie script, acting exercises and interactive assignments.
“We’re students. The first year. The first five years, the first 10 years. We’re students after 50 years. I never like to give advice, but I wanted to teach what I wish someone had taught me,” said Dustin Hoffman.
Serena Williams (For the sports enthusiast):
Go inside the mind and onto the court with one of the most dominant athletes of our generation. In her online MasterClass (available for $90 at masterclass.com) #1 ranked women’s tennis player Serena Williams reveals the secrets to her game as she teaches lessons on groundstrokes, serve, physical training and mental toughness.
“I wanted to make my class feel as though you’re right there on the court with me. It’s like getting a private lesson,” said Serena Williams.
James Patterson (For the avid reader):
Learn about bestselling books directly from the best-selling author of them all – James Patterson.
In his online MasterClass (available for $90 at masterclass.com) James Patterson takes you behind the pages of his best-selling books and teaches you how to create characters, write dialogue, and keep your readers turning the page. The class includes 22 video lessons, interactive writing exercises, a workbook with notes from each lesson, and the full outline of his best-selling novel Honeymoon.
“In my MasterClass, I try to unearth all the things I would have found useful when I was starting out. I have a career-long bank of tips and tricks, and now a perfect forum to share them with others,” said James Patterson.
According to analysts, online learning is a $107 billion global industry that is seeing double digit growth. Tapping into this fast-growing market, MasterClass takes a unique approach to online learning by being the first to work with globally-recognized instructors and Emmy and Academy Award winning directors to create a new kind of class.
The first set of classes were directed by Jay Roach (“Austin Powers” and “Meet the Parents”) and Bill Guttentag (two-time Academy Award winning documentarian) and filmed to make the student feel front and center with the instructor.
“We pair world-class instructors with Hollywood directors and Silicon Valley engineers to create an entirely new online learning experience. That experience is MasterClass,” said David Rogier, MasterClass co-founder and CEO.
Curriculums are developed individually by each instructor to reflect their own unique approach to their craft. MasterClass also works with education experts to help instructors develop the best methods for teaching their unique mastery.
“We created the kind of online classes we’d be excited to take, from the people we’d love to learn from,” said Aaron Rasmussen, MasterClass co-founder, creative director and CTO.
Each MasterClass is priced at $90 and includes:
● 10-25 video lessons from the instructor (approx. 2-5 hours of video)
● Interactive exercises: for example, in Dustin Hoffman’s MasterClass students can be matched with other students to practice scenes from the class, and then upload videos for feedback from other students (and sometimes even Dustin himself!)
● Learning materials: workbooks and class materials like excerpts from James Patterson’s first drafts
● Lifetime access, with classes that never expire
● Learning materials and workbooks
● Accessible from any device (access Serena’s class on your smartphone right on the court).
Classes available now at www.masterclass.com.
Follow MasterClass on these social platforms to stay up-to-speed with the latest classes!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/masterclass
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masterclassofficial
Instagram: http://instagram.com/masterclass
I LOVE this idea of MasterClass. It’s very innovative and there’s so much to see that in some cases/classes you might want to watch those classes more than once or twice. For a very affordable amount (you can get people together to split the cost to do a group gift), you can give the gift that truly keeps on giving. Check out MASTERCLASS.com and see how great this can be for you to give dad, moms, friends, family members, supervisors, and even yourself!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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Bob would not care about this…but it is right up my alley. The specificity is wonderful and the $90 price tag is a miracle brought to us by tech..love it.