Welcome To Youtube School

There’s a brand-new facility aimed at creating the superstars of the future – and these five ‘creators’ might just be them. Will Storr steps inside for a closer look

In an underground studio, nestled between London’s King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, operatives with cameras and face-microphones stare out of the darkness towards a stage. Sitting on the edge of a Westlife-ballad stool is a youngman with an acoustic guitar. This is Archie Norris. Archie is pale and thin and has sad eyes, a high fringe and a pink jumper. His fingers rest on the strings of his instrument as he waits for the clapperboard man to clap in the next take. You might imagine that we’re in a television studio and Archie is a professional singer with a record to promote. But you’d be wrong.

In fact, Archie Norris is a ‘creator’ and this is a multi-million-pound facility owned by YouTube. It opened in August, and it’s here that the online platform’s stars can come to produce their content, and plot world domination. They can attend workshops on everything from lighting your bedroom to maximising the profitability of your channel.

At over 20,000 sq ft, it’s the second largest YouTube Space in the world, and the biggest outside LA. It contains three fully equipped studios and sound stages, as well as 15 full-time production staff who can both work on your videos and offer training. There are 360 cameras and rigs, including HTC Vive and Jump cameras, an SSL Dante Audio Console with a 64-fader large format console, as well as a smaller 16-fader desk.