Berklee Hack Day Will Teach Students How to Become Famous on YouTube
Berklee College of Music is known for its talented alumni—and for churning out acts that first became YouTube celebrities, and later national icons, such as Karmin, AJ Rafael, and “Gangnam Style” singer Psy.
But now, for the first time ever, Berklee is offering other current students studying music at the prestigious school a chance to make it big online. On March 30-31, Berklee will team up with YouTube to provide “an exclusive opportunity” for those enrolled to produce “compelling, innovative content” with the hopes of it going viral.
During the two-day video production seminar, dubbed the “Berklee YouTube Hack Day,” a panel of YouTube sensations and experts will present individual workshops to “arm students with the skills and knowledge they need to produce a video, then set them loose to do just that.” Participants will have 21 hours to construct and execute a viral video based on seminars that will teach them how to “gain confidence around recording and posting” videos, according to the school.
“The wide-ranging Hack Day program will include sessions on how to … produce compelling content; how to use tags and titles for optimal exposure, how to monetize content, the demystification of YouTube networks, and more,” according to the event’s website.
Berklee officials along with internet-celebrity and former student Rafael, whose YouTube videos have been viewed more than 100 million times, will post all the videos made during the 21-Hour project onto a YouTube playlist, and help promote the content. Other guest appearances will include Nils Gums, a Berklee alumnus and CEO and president of the Complex Group—whose artists include the YouTube group Karmin, and Charlie Puth, “a Berklee student, recording artist, and Ellen Degeneres Show regular.”
Registration is free for students, and offered exclusively to those currently attending the school.
