What If You Could Learn Cooking from Gordon Ramsay and Management from Howard Schultz?

[Hidden Eop Story] 75 Stars Including Stephen Curry and Martin Scorsese as Masters in 'MasterClass'
Access Over 1,500 Courses in Cooking, Acting, Music, Photography for $15 Monthly Subscription
Average Student Rating per Instructor Around 4.5... Star Instructors Like Elon Musk and Warren Buffett Scheduled

[Source = Master Class]

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks; tennis queen Serena Williams; NBA’s top shooter Stephen Curry; Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay; Natalie Portman, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in her 20s... Although they work in different fields, they share the commonality of having reached the pinnacle in their respective domains. What if you had the chance to take lessons from such stars? At the American startup 'MasterClass,' for a monthly subscription fee of just $15 (about 18,000 KRW), 75 of the industry's top stars become your teachers.

Launched in 2015, MasterClass is a U.S.-based online education service co-founded by Aaron Rasmussen and David Rogier. The idea for this service was originally conceived by David Rogier. Known for his curiosity from a young age, Rogier reportedly asked so many questions during school classes that it sometimes made the lessons difficult. Although passionate about learning, he was not satisfied with traditional school education. Thus, the two founders pondered, "What can we do for people like us who are curious and love to learn?" This led to the creation of MasterClass with the motto, "Everyone should have access to geniuses."

[Source = Master Class]

MasterClass offers educational services in nine categories: Film & TV, Music & Entertainment, Cooking, Writing, Business, Politics & Society, Sports & Gaming, Design, Photography & Fashion, Lifestyle, and Science & Technology. Each category features up to 14 instructors, and subscribers can access over 1,500 lectures across all fields for $15 per month. Currently, English is the primary language, with subtitles available in Russian, German, and other languages for some courses.

If you learned filmmaking techniques from Martin Scorsese today, tomorrow Christina Aguilera might teach you how to sing well. If you become interested in makeup, you can learn tips from Bobbi Brown, or take a self-esteem class from drag queen RuPaul. You can even explore how Dan Brown wrote works like 'The Da Vinci Code.'

While it might seem like a collection of interviews with successful people, each instructor’s course consists of about 20 video lessons averaging 10 minutes each. Instructors assign homework at the end of the course, and students can upload their assignments online to receive direct feedback. This structure allows MasterClass to function as a proper online education platform, where students take lessons, complete assignments, and get feedback.

How did they assemble such a lineup of instructors in just five years since launch? They sent unsolicited emails containing their service details to actors, writers, and film directors alike. Among bestselling authors, world-renowned writer James Patterson personally responded to their email. Following that, film director Jay Roach and Dustin Hoffman, who had a personal connection, joined, leading to a cascade of stars participating in MasterClass.

Large-scale investments followed. Starting with $6.4 million (about 760 million KRW) in funding, MasterClass raised $15 million (about 1.78 billion KRW) within a year of launch, and in 2017 secured $115 million (about 13.68 billion KRW) in investments. By the end of last year, cumulative investments reached $136 million (about 16.18 billion KRW). Some instructors, including Usher, also participated as individual investors.

[Source = Master Class]

Student feedback has been positive as well. Each instructor can receive reviews, and the average rating remains around 4.5 out of 5. The lessons have brought real change for some. Aaron recalled in an interview that the most memorable was a young student who took Dustin Hoffman’s class. The student applied the advice received in the course to an audition and succeeded in landing a role, sending an email about it. The office even held a celebration party for the student. Aaron said at the time, "I thought that someday these students might become MasterClass instructors themselves."

Going forward, MasterClass plans to recruit even hotter stars as instructors. JK Rowling, author of 'Harry Potter'; Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors; Warren Buffett, leader of Berkshire Hathaway; and Michelle Obama, ranked the most respected woman in the U.S., are top priority stars for MasterClass recruitment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.