File this post under “New Things Under the Sun.” Two highly experienced mobile journalists—Mark Egan and Glen Mulcahy—have developed an original program—Mobile Creators Academy (MCA)— designed to enable participants to master the art of producing quality content. The following interview gives the basics. If you want to know more, you’ll find a link (below) to their hour-long video presentation. MCA launches January 18, 2022. But as Mark and Glen explain, you can join later.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you gives us the MCA elevator pitch?

MCA: The Mobile Creators Academy is both a community and a learning platform. We realised that lots of training around mobile content is in short bursts with little support afterwards. To solve that, we have put together a curriculum that leads members through 6 months of live trainings and Q and As. This means they can master each element(eg. photography, video editing) before moving onto the next. Our aim is to transform them into high quality mobile content creators who can create on their phone at any time, anywhere and for any platform.

MobileMovieMaking: Tell us about yourselves.

MCA: Mark Egan is a mobile video specialist and former BBC video journalist. He has worked with major organisations including the European Broadcasting Union, World Health Organization and WAN-IFRA. Mark has also spoken at major conferences from Kuala Lumpur to Paris, highlighting the opportunities of mobile content creation. Glen Mulcahy is an internationally recognised trainer, speaker and consultant. He spent 20 years working in the broadcast industry focusing on innovation and transformation. He qualified as a trainer with BBC Academy in 2006 and since then has been training people how to shoot and edit on a variety of devices. In 2015 he started RTÉ Mojocon-the first international conference dedicated to mobile journalism. After leaving his role as head of innovation with the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ he started his own business with his wife and created a new independent event called Mojofest. After being postponed for the last two years by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mojofest is due to return in May 11-12 this year. Glen has worked with broadcast clients like BBC, Aljazeera, NRK and more as well as international brands and companies like Symantec, Oracle, KBC Bank and others.

MobileMovieMaking: Why is MCA needed?

MCA: People learn best when they have time to absorb the information, ongoing support and a community to encourage them. Most training is either delivered over a day or two, or is self-paced without live interaction. People are also busy so it is difficult to give up entire days, whereas MCA is delivered over months with live calls which are easy to fit into people’s schedules. In short, it allows a more in-depth and long-term relationship which yields better learning outcomes.

MobileMovieMaking: Is the focus entirely on nonfiction forms—interviews, mini-docs, reports, news, promotions—or will you include fictional genres?

MCA: While much of our expertise comes in the non-fiction realm, a large amount of the technical side of mobile content creation applies whatever genre you are involved in. We also have a community rich in a diversity of experience, so if there was a demand for more sessions on fiction we would respond to that.

MobileMovieMaking: Is it possible for someone to join the course after the January 18 start date  or will potential members need to wait until the next session?

MCA: They can join after the course begins as the recordings of the live sessions are available for the duration of that cohort’s training. They could catch up and also benefit from the live Q and A sessions too. It works best, though, if they join from the start and participate in the live sessions.

MobileMovieMaking: When are the live sessions?

MCA:  They run  7 to 9 PM London time.

MobileMovieMaking: Because potential participants live in different time zones, do you believe MCA will be of interest to folks far away—e.g., in Los Angeles or Tokyo?

MCA: Yes, because they can still access the recordings and if there were significant numbers in those time zones we would look at running sessions for that audience. In addition, MCA is a community where you can learn from both your peers, but also some of the top names in the industry who are already members.

MobileMovieMaking:  Is there a process by which someone in a different time zone could participate by viewing recordings of the live presentations?

MCA: Yes. And in the Q and A sessions we will deal with questions that have been posted as well as any questions put to us live on the call.

MobileMovieMaking: Is there a certain level of mastery needed for someone to benefit from your course?

MCA: No, we will start at the very beginning, presuming no prior knowledge. For some, that will mean a good refresher before getting into advanced topics, but make sure everyone is on the same page. We don’t mind where you start, but we are determined to make sure you finish reaching a very high standard.

MobileMovieMaking: What gear and software will participants need?

MCA: If you have a phone you have enough to get started. Part of the learning process is understanding what kit you do or do not need, based on your needs and workflows. Like the course itself, it is good to start simple and build to more complexity later. As the group grows we will explore additional add-on mini courses in response to the communities’ requests/needs.

MobileMovieMaking:  And the cost?

MCA: $20 a month for a monthly subscription, or save 17 percent and get a year for just $200 We feel this introductory offer—which founder members get locked in at—is an extremely good value. You can sign up www.mobilecreator.academy.

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Here’s the MCA video overview: