After the storming success of PewDiePie, who has long been basking in popularity as YouTube's most subscribed user, Sweden is determined to take vlogging to a whole new level by training future internet stars professionally. Kalix Folk High School has become the Nordic nation's first one to offer post-secondary YouTube education.
The remote course is aimed at people willing to make professional videos and keep up with current online marketing trends and provides training to 15 potential YouTube stars, Swedish Radio reported.
Over the course of 20 weeks, the applicants will hone their skills in film editing and photomontage, as well as scriptwriting and entrepreneurship. Previously, Kalix Folk High School ran courses on journalism, which is why a YouTube educational program is seen as a natural supplement.
"We want to attract people who have something to share and spark the public," Anders Durvall told the Swedish newspaper Metro.
Durvall called YouTube "the television of the future," which allows creative people with an innovative mindset to create their own brands. According to Anders Durvall, you have to meet certain criteria to succeed, which is why many YouTubers have much in common.
"The most important thing is to have some kind of action going on, which will ensure that viewers will want to return to the channel. You have to find a niche you're knowledgeable in," Durvall said.
According to Pia Nyberg, a lecturer in online commerce at Kalix Folk High School, vlogging is something media education should adapt to.
"This is still very new, although YouTubers as a group have exploded in recent years. Those active today seldom have education on this subject. I've seen a lot of horribly made clip, which make you feel, 'How can this even have gotten two views,' because their authors simply were unfamiliar with technique. If you know some simple tricks how to make a good video, you can reach out to a bigger audience," Pia Nyberg said.
PewDiePie is the web moniker of Swedish web comedian and video producer Felix Arvid Kjellberg, who is known for being the world's most subscribed YouTube user with over 57 million followers. Although not averse to abrasive content and controversy, he was named among The World's 100 Most Influential People by Time magazine in 2016. The same year, he was named the highest-paid YouTuber for the second consecutive year with an annual income of $15 million.
