Despite being in close collaboration with BBC Studios, starting BBC Maestro wasn't without its challenges. Setting up a new business with a remote team during a pandemic was hardly normal circumstances. Despite this, very early on in the process we realised how strong the demand was for exceptional teaching from the undisputed experts across a range of disciplines.
A high bar
Since the beginning we've been fortunate enough to work with some of the most experienced creatives in the world. One of the very first courses we launched was Writing Drama for Television with Jed Mercurio, the award-winning creator of Line of Duty, Trigger Point, and Bodyguard. Not only did Mercurio share his personal process of how to successfully translate an initial idea to a final script, but he also broke down plot set-ups, demystified the challenges of the production process and shared his guidance on how to ‘crack’ the television industry. To produce a course that offered this amount of steer, inspiration and personal experience through pre-recorded lessons and detailed course notes was a powerful combination. This is something we have taken forward into every course since.
A Maestro for everyone
Over three years, our number of courses has grown exponentially. You can write poetry with Carol Ann Duffy, learn comedy with Sir Billy Connelly, write a novel with Lee Child, cook up a storm with Marco Pierre White or write a song with Mark Ronson. The list goes on. One of the most intriguing things is seeing which courses people choose and how their learning journey evolves, as it is rarely limited to just one course. A personal highlight for me was working alongside Jojo Moyes to produce her excellent course on Writing Love Stories. I've followed her career closely for years, so to have the opportunity to capture her passion as she taught was an absolute joy.
Recent releases taking centre stage
This September we were thrilled to launch Writing and Performing Musical Theatre with Sir Tim Rice and Public Speaking and Communication with Richard Greene – two legends in their respective fields. Sir Tim's lessons feature many guest appearances, with eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken joining him to discuss music and lyrics, theatrical producer Nick Allott sharing his thoughts on getting a musical produced today, and casting director Jane Deitch sharing invaluable audition tips. The highly charismatic Richard Greene's course is equally one of our most interactive to date, with journalists, podcast hosts, wedding celebrants and more benefitting from taking part in his filmed workshops. Once you've heard Greene speak, it'll come as no surprise to discover he has coached everyone from Princess Diana to Joaquin Phoenix.
Coming soon: The formidable Brian Cox
Still to come later this winter is our new course on Acting with the inimitable Brian Cox. There's no better ‘maestro’ for anyone who dreams of one day taking on a starring role, whether on stage or screen. This will be Cox's first ever online course and he has not held back! As every one of our courses is self-paced, you can watch the lessons as many times as you like, giving you the chance to perfect the techniques our experts share. Experiencing first-hand as Cox led drama students through a practical workshop, honing their craft in real time, was brilliant, and I suspect this will quickly become one of the lessons that viewers return to again and again.
What could your success story look like?
This winter will mark three years of BBC Maestro. It's been extremely gratifying to see the impact our courses have had on people across the world. We've had aspiring authors sign their debut publishing deal after completing Julia Donaldson's course on Writing Children's Picture Books, and a trainee barrister appear on radio to promote her new song after Gary Barlow's course on Songwriting led to a career ‘epiphany’. It's been a pleasure to watch the creative ripple effects of our courses in real-time and witness their ability to give viewers the confidence to make private passions public. I can't wait to see what our latest set of BBC Maestro courses inspires.