Feb 18, 2021 [[read-time]] minute read
“In just over four years, we hosted over 45 Pop-up events reaching over 15,000 creators and artists...in over 20 cities that normally wouldn’t have access to a physical Space.”
One of these efforts was the creation of YouTube Spaces. Nine years ago, we launched Spaces in major cities around the world. These physical locations across key markets provided our creators and artists with important resources, including state-of-the-art studios, events, and classes. Most importantly, they offered a place to build valuable creative connections. In 2016, we began seeing that community stretched beyond the four walls of our physical facilities, and we launched YouTube Pop-up Spaces: smaller, more nimble physical locations to bring the best programming of our Spaces temporarily to over 20 additional countries.
In just over four years, we hosted over 45 Pop-up events reaching over 15,000 creators and artists, as well as NGOs and educational institutions. These were located in over 20 cities that normally wouldn’t have access to a physical Space, from Buenos Aires and Mexico City, to Madrid, Milan, Cairo, Jakarta, Taiwan, and Mumbai. And they all brought with them a unique local flavor, like our music-focused Pop-ups in Stockholm and Nashville.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we refocused our partner programming and plans even further to a completely virtual model. Over the course of 2020, we ran over a thousand online events, from introductory Shorts workshops for creators in India, to a U.S. virtual series helping creators produce great content from home, to programs like Boss & Bloom in the UK, which focused on supporting diverse female creators. All in all, in spite of closing our facilities last year, our virtual events reached over 70,000 people across 145 countries worldwide.
“This flexible new strategy will allow us to reach more regions, positively impact more new and existing creators and artists by giving them the guidance and resources they need to take their craft to the next level.”
Today, our YouTube partner community continues to expand at an exponential pace, and we need to better meet the needs of our creators and artists, no matter where they might be. Moving forward, we’re doubling down on the more scalable and nimble strategy to reach more creators and artists with the tools and workshops we offer. As a result, we won't be reopening our physical YouTube Spaces locations in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rio, and Tokyo, but will instead focus on a hybrid model that combines virtual and in-person Pop-up programming.
We truly believe this flexible new strategy will allow us to reach more regions, and positively impact more new and existing creators and artists by giving them the guidance and resources they need to take their craft to the next level.
In 2021, we are committing to the following:
Multi-week virtual development programs to invest in the growth and success of our first-ever #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund for creators and artists—recipients span the U.S., UK, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria Brazil and Australia.
Ongoing investment in the NextUp program to support fast-rising creators in markets like Russia, Japan, the Philippines and Germany.
Multiple live and recorded online workshops as part of the Creator Academy’s Learning Toolkits. These offerings help creators produce great content at home, explore new ways to earn money with YouTube tools, and learn best practices for livestreaming.
YouTube artist and label workshops to preview the latest product developments, content strategies, and case studies.
Once in-person events are allowed, we will once again bring Pop-up events and experiences to even more new communities. Programming will include trainings on new products like Shorts, and events like Music Nights.
Our vision at YouTube is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. This new approach will help us deliver more than ever on this promise.