YouTube Pop-up Space back in Manila…...helps creators ‘learn, connect, create’

MANILA, Philippines — Dozens of Filipino YouTube video creators and enthusiasts flocked to Green Sun, Makati, on Oct. 19 to 21 for the YouTube Pop-up Space Manila that offered them free access to cutting-edge audio, visual and editing equipment and help them produce high quality content and a chance to collaborate with other creators while realizing their creative goals effectively.

For the second time this year in Manila, YouTube Pop-Up Space brought in programs, classes, sets and equipment that YouTube creators used for free at studio facilities that were set up as playgrounds to “learn, connect and create.” Filipino creators were given the chance to experience the exact things done at permanent YouTube Spaces in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Berlin, Bangkok, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, as well as 45 pop-up spaces in various countries.

Helping kick off the three-day event was Sen. Paolo Benigno (Bam) Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committees on Education, Culture and Arts, and Science and Technology, who described the young creators as “the present and the future of education, entertainment and what society thinks is cool.”

The senator was joined by Patricia Mae Lopez of the National Youth Commission; Moe Inaki, senior strategist of YouTube Space Asia Pacific; and the 12 winners of the first YouTube NextUp in the Philippines held in July and who are all dubbed YouTube sensations.

One of the 12 winners, Trisha Sanchez, 19, said YouTube gave her a “big opportunity to expand” her channel Lou Sanchez, which features makeup challenges and tutorials. “As a student, I need a budget to sustain my passion especially the equipment,” Sanchez shared. “With the vouchers and other assistance from YouTube, I was given the opportunity to grow my own channel and learn techniques like lighting. And with the surge in the number of my subscribers (now 70,000), I was challenged to be a better creator that’s why I joined the YouTube NextUp.”

“NextUp helped me level up my videos by learning more about production work to improve my videos and make them more interesting,” said NextUp winner Renee Dominique, a singer/songwriter with a remarkable, soothing voice covering the music of the ’70s and ’80s and whose channel has now over 178,000 subscribers. “This is the year when I decided to make YouTube a career because I’ve seen how it helps people achieve their dreams.”

Iñaki said Pop-up Space Manila is the latest effort of YouTube to invest in the development of the Filipino creator community, which has grown considerably and is among the world’s most vibrant. “By giving them access to all these trainings and opportunities, we hope to see more empowered creators growing their audiences, building their careers, and contributing more to the Philippines’ digital system.”

She added YouTube is still studying the possibility of opening a permanent YouTube Space in Manila to empower the next generation of digital creators.

Stay informed through #YTPopupSpaceMNL. Find more creator resources at youtube.com/creators and learn more about YouTube Spaces across the globe at youtube.com/space.