MasterClass Unveils Major Instructor and Class Announcements, New Product Offerings and Social Impact Initiatives at First Look Event

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world's best across a wide range of subjects, this evening hosted its inaugural First Look event at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The company shared a powerful lineup of upcoming instructors and product offerings, including Sessions by MasterClass, 30-day hands-on learning experiences; a new enterprise offering, MasterClass at Work; plus new integrations and partnerships. The company also expanded commitments to ensure underserved communities have access to MasterClass content by announcing its pledge to distribute free MasterClass memberships to at least 1 million people globally in 2022 alone.

"MasterClass puts you in the room with the world's best, giving members unprecedented access to the greatest minds of our time," said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass. "Today's announcements will expand that opportunity with new classes, features, integrations and partnerships that will help deliver access to the platform to more people in more ways and in more places."

Throughout the event, MasterClass instructors took the stage to teach, share their experience and demonstrate their craft. The evening included a performance by Christina Aguilera, Questlove DJing, a reading by Roxane Gay, and LeVar Burton, who joined Rogier for a fireside chat. Flowers for the evening were curated by Maurice Harris, specialty cocktails were poured by Lynnette Marrero and guests left with desserts made by Joanne Chang.

New Classes from the World's Best, including a One-of-a-kind Series: MasterClass Presents the White House

MasterClass announced classes taught by two former U.S. presidents, two former U.S. first ladies and all three female U.S. secretaries of state as part of the MasterClass presents the White House series, allowing members to learn from those who have played a key role in shaping the history of the U.S.

In December 2021, MasterClass will launch the first two classes with former President Bill Clinton teaching a class on empathetic leadership and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton teaching a class on the power of resilience. In 2022, former President George W. Bush?who, for the first time, welcomed cameras into his art studio in Maine?and former First Lady Laura Bush will share lessons from their experiences on the world stage. They will be followed by classes with former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice later that year.

Giving members an inside look into the decisions that defined the moments previously only read about in history books, these classes will provide a human-centered approach to leadership.

MasterClass announced several other upcoming classes, including:

• Beatle and legendary drummer Ringo Starr will teach drumming and creative collaboration. (2021)
• Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history, will teach her framework for activism and creating change. (2021)
• Bill Nye, scientist, educator, and host of Bill Nye the Science Guy, will equip members with the tools needed to take action and protect our planet for future generations. (2021)
• Dr. Cornel West, professor, author, political activist, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary, will teach a class on philosophy. (2021)
• Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula One world champion, will teach a winning mindset. (2021)
• Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, will teach a class on how to start your poetic journey. (2022)
• Mariah Carey, five-time Grammy Award?winning singer and songwriter, will teach a class on how to use your voice to express yourself through music. (2022)

Sessions by MasterClass: Learn by Doing with New 30-day Hands-on, Structured Product Offering

Empowering members to learn by doing, Sessions by MasterClass is a new product offering with a structured, 30-day curriculum where members roll up their sleeves, get hands-on and learn meaningful skills through step-by-step guidance from MasterClass' world-class instructors.

Guided by MasterClass instructors, members will create their own projects, practice and improve their skills while getting feedback from their peers. Members will be empowered to dive into skills they always dreamed of learning and come away with tangible projects that they share with an engaged community.

To kick off the new offering, MasterClass announced five Sessions, starting this year:

• Joanne Chang, James Beard Award?winning baker and owner of Flour Bakery, will teach members how to bake like a pro and come away with eight bakery-ready recipes. (2021)
• Maurice Harris, whose designs have been featured in Vogue, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Beyoncé's musical film Black Is King, will teach members how to design stunning floral arrangements and finish with five of their own custom creations. (2021)
• Chris Voss, MasterClass instructor and former FBI negotiator, will teach members 12 proven tactics for workplace negotiations through interactive, scenario-based exercises. (2021)
• Ninja, professional gamer and Game Awards' Creator of the Year, will teach members how to start their streaming journey and create their own streaming brands and channels. (2022)
• Christina Aguilera, MasterClass instructor and six-time Grammy Award?winning singer, including one Latin Grammy, will teach members how to elevate their singing and stage presence and walk away with a polished, stage-ready vocal performance. (2022)

New Classes Specifically Designed to Amplify Voices Empowering Social Change

The company announced three new classes designed to expose members to new ideas, perspectives and insights around important themes that will empower social change:

• Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love with Nikole Hannah-Jones, Jelani Cobb, Cornel West, Angela Davis, John McWhorter, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw and Sherrilyn Ifill. Released in three parts, this class will inform, contextualize and challenge how members think about race and racism, reconcile gaps in traditional education about U.S. history and offer tools and techniques to empower change in their own lives. The class is part of the company's $2 million commitment to create content that inspires and educates for social justice and against systemic racism.
• Redefining Feminism, led by Gloria Steinem alongside a panel of feminist thinkers, will take members through some of the most transformative moments in feminist history?sharing how 21st-century feminism can become a movement for all and how these lessons continue to shape us today.
• The Power of Empathy, led by Pharrell Williams alongside several current MasterClass instructors, will take members on a journey into the many facets of empathy?and teach how to exercise, cultivate and promote empathy in a world that can always use more of it.

Expanding Access to Underserved Communities

MasterClass is committed to making it possible for everyone to have access to the transformational power of learning from the world's best. Today, the company announced its commitment to distribute free MasterClass memberships to at least 1 million people globally in 2022 alone. To kick off this commitment, upcoming instructor Lewis Hamilton will become the first MasterClass Community Ambassador with a partnership to distribute 200,000 annual memberships to underserved communities in the U.K., focusing on organizations serving Black youth studying science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

New Enterprise Offering: MasterClass at Work

Many companies are already using MasterClass to enhance and grow their employees' careers?from professional skills like negotiation and public speaking to holistic mindfulness practices like meditation and stress reduction.

MasterClass has partnered with leading companies?including Microsoft, Deloitte, Square and Capital One?to provide a wide range of content that will inspire professional and personal growth, all designed as an engaging company benefit and learning and development platform.

With MasterClass at Work, companies can keep their employees engaged with flexible learning content brought directly into their office of choice?anytime, anywhere, on nearly any device?and boost morale and motivation with immersive, short-form lessons from the world's best that bring moments of inspiration into their workday.

New Integrations and Partnerships: MasterClass Everywhere

Since everyone should have the opportunity to learn from the world's best, MasterClass will launch new integrations and partnerships to help deliver access to the platform to more people, in more ways and in more places:

• T-Mobile: MasterClass is excited to announce T-Mobile as its official wireless partner in the U.S. Through this partnership, we'll be working with T-Mobile to bring even more access to the world's best on the MasterClass platform. MasterClass and T-Mobile will have more to share in 2022.
• Apple SharePlay: MasterClass members will soon be able to watch and learn from MasterClass in sync with their friends and family over a FaceTime call?whether they live down the street or across the country.
• SiriusXM: SiriusXM listeners will be able to access exclusive MasterClass programming on SiriusXM's Business Radio and Stars channels. People can listen and learn from the comfort of their cars, stream at home on smart speakers or laptops, or on the go with any connected streaming device. (2022)
• Optus: In Australia, Optus customers will have a new convenient way to discover and access MasterClass content through Optus' content subscription service, Optus SubHub. (2022)

Going Global: MasterClass Expands Reach with a Global Instructor Roster and Localized, Contextual On-Platform Experiences

MasterClass was created in the U.S. but has attracted members from nearly every country around the world. The company is now expanding its offerings to help members engage with its content in their preferred language. In 2022, MasterClass will be available in German, French and Spanish, with new classes and instructors from Germany, France and Mexico.

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Credit: Courtesy of MasterClass

ABOUT MASTERCLASS

MasterClass is the streaming platform where the world's best come together so anyone, anywhere, can learn from and be inspired by their knowledge and stories. With an annual membership, members get unprecedented access to 150+ instructors and classes across a wide variety of fields, including Arts & Entertainment, Business, Design & Style, Sports & Gaming, Writing and more. Step into Nas' recording studio and Gordon Ramsay's kitchen, and go behind the big screen with James Cameron. Design your career with Elaine Welteroth, get ready to win with Lewis Hamilton, perfect your pitch with Shonda Rhimes and discover your inner negotiator with Chris Voss. Each class features about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson. You can learn and discover at a pace that best serves your lifestyle?in bite-size pieces or in a single binge. Cinematic visuals and close-up demonstrations make you feel like you're one-on-one with the instructors, while the downloadable class guides help reinforce your learning. For those looking to learn by doing, Sessions by MasterClass offers a structured, 30-day curriculum where members can roll up their sleeves, get hands-on and learn meaningful skills through step-by-step guidance from world-class instructors and an engaged community of peers. Stream thousands of lessons on mobile, tablet, desktop, Apple TV®, Androidtm TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku® players and devices.

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Media Contact:
Alyssa Bergerson, MasterClass
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SOURCE MasterClass