I’ve been looking at MasterClass for several years now, trying to decide if it was worth the price (nearly $200 for a year’s access).
Since I had a little extra cash coming in this year — and they threw in a year’s membership for a friend free — I decided to go ahead and invest the money. I have to say, I do think it’s worth the price if you’ve got the cash on hand.
Here’s what I’ve been watching so far:
- Neil Gaiman: The Art of Storytelling
- David Sedaris: Storytelling & Humor
- Joyce Carol Oates: The Art of the Short Story
- James Patterson: Writing
- Shonda Rhimes: Writing for Television
- Lynette Marrero & Ryan Chetiyawardana: Mixology
- Carlos Santana: The Art & Soul of the Guitar
Here are some of the classes I’ve earmarked for the future:
- Dan Brown: Writing Thrillers
- Margaret Atwood: Creative Writing
- Malcolm Gladwell: Writing
- Judy Blume: Writing
- David Mamet: Dramatic Writing
- David Baldacci: Mystery & Thriller Writing
- Ron Howard: Directing
- Aaron Sorkin: Screenwriting
- Steve Martin: Comedy
- Penn & Teller: The Art of Magic
- Daniel Negreanu: Poker
- Phil Ivey: Poker Stragegy
- Jimmy Chin: Adventure Photography
- Annie Leibovitz: Photography
- RuPaul: Self-Expression & Authenticity
- Chris Hadfield: Space Exploration
- Neil deGrasse Tyson: Scientific Thinking & Communication
You can see I’ve an eclectic mix there, of things that interest me. I may even dip into the Business classes or take one for Cooking. I have a full year and can watch anything I want, as many times as I want. That’s a great deal in my opinion because I can watch a class, follow the precepts I’ve been taught, then rewatch to see what else I pick up from that professor.
I like the classes — each is filmed in an intimate setting that looks like it might be the professor’s living room (though I know must be a studio), their office, or (in the case of Patterson) a coffeehouse. It feels like a one-on-one conversation with the professor, although one you can pause and rewind if you missed a point or want to write notes.
In short, I recommend MasterClass if you’re looking to expand your knowledge or learn some new skills. There are a ton of classes for writers, which must mean a whole lot of people aspire to write, but there are also a great many for things like cooking, filmmaking, music, and even Sports & Games. If you’ve got the cash, give this a shot. You won’t regret it.