YouTube NextUp Europe: Funding, Training, Promotion and Networking

Are you a YouTube partner? Do you have fewer than 50,000 subscribers? If so, then you could be part of the first wave of the YouTube NextUp programme in Europe, which is designed to support aspiring channels of all types to accelerate their progress and take the next step in their activities online.

Last year, our partners generated more than 100 billion views as part of our partner programme. We believe that the successful singers, dancers, actors, producers, musicians and make-up artists of the future are practicing their craft on YouTube today. Partners are key to our platform, and we want to see even more of them take the next step in their YouTube careers and turn their video hobbies into careers or even businesses.

So, today we’re announcing an initiative geared towards up-and-coming YouTube partners: YouTube NextUp. The goal of the project is to accelerate the growth of the next big YouTube stars. Up to 25 partners from around Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands) will be selected for the development programme, which consists of:

• €20,000 funding to produce a new project, purchase new tools or advance their overall YouTube careers.
• A place at a YouTube Creator Camp in which they’ll benefit from 1:1 mentoring and learn an array of production techniques from leading industry and YouTube experts.
• Promotion of their final work and channel.
• The opportunity to become better connected with a special community of aspiring and talented content creators from around the world.

We’re asking existing YouTube partners to apply with a short (up to three minute – no more, or it won't get watched) video that best represents their craft and the initiatives that they’d like to pursue on YouTube. We’re also asking for short written explanation of how they’ll use the €20,000, why they want to be part of the programme, and what they hope to learn at the YouTube Creator Camp. Partners can apply at the NextUp channel by midnight on June 28, 2011.

Our Partners succeed thanks to the support and interest of the YouTube community as a whole, so we’re encouraging users to cast their votes on the longlist of finalists from July 1 to July 9 at the channel. Once this public voting ends, a final shortlist of Partners will go forward to the final round, which will be judged by a panel of YouTube representatives. The members of the first YouTube NextUp programme in Europe will be announced on August 2.

So, if you are a partner and you have a) a clear idea of how you want to develop on YouTube, and b) can demonstrate the drive to do so, then you could well find yourself NextUp for YouTube fame.

Jamie Dolling, YouTube UK, recently watched "Love/Hate OOTD".