As a budding digital creator, reading about these innovative courses and clubs for content creators across various universities has left me both inspired and envious! It seems like the future of the creator space is brimming with opportunities and resources to help aspiring creators thrive.
Being a gamer, I can’t help but notice the surge in popularity and potential earnings within the influencer realm. The creator economy is currently estimated at a staggering $250 billion, with predictions of this figure doubling soon. It’s become an attractive career choice for many, especially among Gen Z, where over half dream of becoming influencers. In fact, a significant 54% of Americans aged 18 to 60 have admitted they’d consider quitting their current jobs if given the chance to earn a living as a full-time influencer. It’s a fascinating time to be part of this ever-evolving landscape!
Due to an increasing interest, universities are taking significant strides in the educational sphere. This ranges from renowned professionals like MrBeast, who shares insights into his business empire with Harvard Business School students, to a more holistic strategy. Institutions such as Penn State, Duke, UCLA, and the University of Alabama are now offering classes, clubs, and even full degree programs centered around content creation – be it art or business.
The chosen programs (after consulting with various educators), are designed to accommodate students with a desire to collaborate with creators, as well as those who aim to create content independently.
Cornell University
Professor Brooke Erin Duffy, who has been immersed in digital content creation for over ten years, notes that this subject is now more accessible to a broader academic community,” she explains. As a scholar, author, and instructor of Cornell University’s Platforms, Power, and Precarity in the Creator Economy seminar within their Communication graduate program, her courses delve into current research on information science, algorithms, audience dynamics, inequality, job hazards, and labor activism. These discussions center around these key areas.
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University
Personal Branding for Athletes, Influencers and Creators stemmed from professor Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka’s research on women’s sport communication: “I noticed that the athletes I was studying did not know how to navigate the NIL space and could take lessons from content creators.” Offered as part of a Strategic Communication major since fall 2023, the course has been full every semester. A six-week summer version is also taught online. Students range from athletes and aspiring creators to people who want to study the business side.
Jacksonville State University
As a communications major at JSU, I’ve found myself delving into creator economy topics, which are woven into various courses like mass communication, podcasting, entertainment media, multimedia design, and social media strategy. In these classes, we create, produce, and edit content as assignments. Professor Kate Stewart explains that this aspect is a significant focus in our industry right now, and it’s only going to become more crucial in the future. Even if I don’t plan to be a content creator myself, I might need to collaborate with these influencers to devise marketing strategies, draft contracts, negotiate partnerships, and liaise with agents.
Mississippi State University
Commencing this autumn, The Kosir Code is a digital course designed to guide you on amassing a substantial social media presence and thriving as a lucrative content creator. This expertise is imparted by TV meteorologist Nick Kosir, who boasts a sizable following of 14 million across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, affectionately known as “The Dancing Weatherman.” As he shares, his social media fame caught the attention of an MSU administrator on Instagram, leading to this opportunity. He further notes that his experiences have been instrumental in training interns at Fox Weather, and he believes these insights will be equally beneficial for students.
Salem State University
Influencer Marketing is a fresh option for students majoring in media and communication, taught by Professor Rebecca Hains who is an influencer herself. Upon finishing this course, students will be capable of assessing the effectiveness of influencers in creating content for brand collaborations and utilizing social media trends to help brands achieve their objectives. Dalton Daltoff, a TikToker, was once a student at Salem, but this course wasn’t available back then: “If I had known as much as I do now, I could have made my way through more swiftly.
Southern New Hampshire University
The “Social Media Marketing Campaigns” course offered by SNHU emphasizes designing, sharing, and assessing content to achieve marketing goals. As stated by senior associate dean Jessica Rogers, “I’ve had two students who were already well-known influencers.” This made for stimulating discussions in class, being both captivating and motivational for their peers. The course, which closely resembles real-world tasks, is often praised as one of the school’s most effective methods for student success, according to Rogers. She further notes that in today’s intensely competitive marketplace, students benefit greatly when they encounter coursework that mirrors the practical difficulties they may face in their future professional lives.
Texas Christian University
As a gamer, I’ve found myself diving into an exciting new role: creating virtual influencers for popular brands! In this digital world, we, as students, are being introduced to crucial strategies like audience analysis and social media listening. One assignment tasks us with designing AI-generated influencers tailored for clients such as Whole Foods, Walmart, Home Depot, Tito’s Vodka, and even our very own university.
Tulane University School of Professional Advancement
This Professional Media + Design degree program, delivered online, includes courses on strategic planning, storytelling, and studio work. The innovative curriculum benefits greatly from the expertise of industry professionals. For instance, the Influencer Strategy course was developed by adjunct faculty member D’Anthony Jackson, a key figure in social strategy at Ogilvy in New York. A potential topic for this class could explore how brands can effectively engage audiences through the use of influencers’ online presence.
University of Alabama
The university’s sorority recruitment process has gained popularity on TikTok, but it isn’t the only link between the school and creative culture. Professor Jessica Maddox teaches courses like Social Media & Society and Social Media Storytelling, where students create “day in the life” videos, YouTube essay-style clips, and 30-minute promotional live streams for platforms such as TikTok, IG, and YouTube. Topics such as ethics and algorithms are also covered in these classes.
UCLA Extension
This course, titled “Personal Branding and Influencer Development,” empowers students by providing them with essential skills for their professional journey. From shaping a unique personal brand to honing expertise, expanding through strategic collaborations, and more. Assignments involve crafting media kits and producing videos as a means of showcasing themselves to potential partners. Emma Sofija, an alumna and AR effects creator, expresses that the course’s guest lecturers and trend insights helped her discover her niche within the creative realm: “My true passion has always been in digital creativity and innovation.
University of Central Florida
The “Social Media as Mass Communication” course offered by UCF within the Nicholson School of Communication and Media is an online elective specifically designed for communication majors, yet it’s also highly sought-after among those aiming to become B2B influencers, as 75% of B2B marketers actively hire such individuals. This course emphasizes enhancing LinkedIn profiles, a platform that’s seen significant growth in B2B influencer marketing. The curriculum also includes a team project involving a SWOT analysis and crafting a target persona and video for a nonprofit organization. According to senior lecturer Christine Hanlon, PhD, the course frequently experiences high demand with up to 120 students per section, often resulting in a waitlist.
University of Illinois Chicago
The Digital Influencers elective, offered by the Communication department, delves into three key areas of the influencer market: examining scholarly research on creator culture, mastering content creation techniques, and understanding how to collaborate with influencers as a marketer, advertiser, or talent manager. This comprehensive course aims to foster critical thinking in aspiring creators about the influencer economy. The course was first introduced in spring 2022 and has been consistently available each semester since then.
USC
Since 2017, USC’s student-led content creation club Reach has been at the forefront, followed by the introduction of the innovative Influencer Relations course in 2019. This unique program is designed for both graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in grasping the intricacies of the influencer market. As professor Robert Kozinets puts it, “The course is extensive and all-encompassing. It delves into influencers not just as a commercial aspect but also as a societal phenomenon that plays a significant role in today’s economy.
University of Texas at San Antonio
This autumn, UTSA launches a fresh B.A. in Digital Media Impact. In this program, budding content creators will learn to strategically produce and disseminate material, with an emphasis on understanding the psychology behind media and learning how to prompt audiences into action. The digital coursework is designed to equip students with the skills needed to become media influencers, as well as transferable soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and collaboration that are valuable in a variety of industries beyond the fleeting realm of social media trends.
Club Web: Collegial Networking for Creators
The Reach Club, established at USC in 2017, has grown to encompass over 75 universities across the country, with UCLA and UPenn among them. Students have interacted with industry professionals from Google, Disney, Twitter, TikTok, Meta, and others. According to CEO Dylan Huey, “Our organization gives our members a competitive advantage.” … The University of Louisville’s student-led agency, The Bird’s Nest, offers comprehensive influencer marketing services and has collaborated with clients such as the Kentucky Derby, where Alex Cooper and Alix Earle conducted an activation. … Launched in 2023, Duke Creator Lab aspires to foster a collaborative, innovative environment, providing mentors and advanced technology to assist students in developing into skilled social media content creators. Professor Aaron Dinin aims to put Duke on the map with this initiative.
This story appeared in the Oct. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Pennsylvania State University
The school organizes a summer camp focused on social media and content creation for high school students, offers a creator accelerator called the Digital Test Lab, houses a student creator group named Reach, and provides an online course, COMM 210: Independent Content Creation worth one credit. Furthermore, Professor Bill Zimmerman has authored a fresh textbook, Understanding the Creator Economy: Leveraging Digital Media for Yourself, featuring insights from industry experts like Brooke Berry of Snapchat and YouTube personality Marissa Hill.
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2024-10-11 17:27