Get A MasterClass Subscription Gift For Free When You Buy An Annual All-Access MasterClass Pass

By Tobey Grumet Segal @tgrumet
Published Feb. 11, 2021, 12:15 p.m. ET
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Almost everyone has had time to learn a thing or two during Covid. From cooking and baking, to sewing and painting, to writing and creating, this last year has sparked curiosity and imagination in a way we may never have thought possible. Which is where the compelling online learning subscription service, MasterClass, comes in.

A hub of online streaming classes and lectures in the form of slick, well-produced, immersive videos, MasterClass covers just about anything you might set your mind to. And they don’t do it with a bunch of schlubby, boring instructors either. MasterClass videos feature the best and brightest of A-list talent, including an influx of people of color and women over the last few years.

From “Stock and Sauce Making Fundamentals” with Thomas Keller to “Illuminating Your Inner Truth” with RuPaul to “The Blueprint for Developing Your Pilot” with Issa Rae, and literally everything in between, you will be awed by the skills you can pick up after a few hours with the celebs and master instructors on MasterClass.

Here’s what you need to know before you subscribe.

Price and Availability: For $180, you’ll get an all-access pass to every course on the site, which you can watch on your computer or on the corresponding smartphone and TV apps. Currently, this annual rate also includes an extra all-access pass to gift anyone you like. If you’re intent on just watching the one class that caught your fancy, you can buy a single for $90.

Each class includes approximately 20 individual lessons which last about 10 minutes each. You’ll also receive a downloadable a PDF workbook for every class, which means you can watch without the burden of taking notes.

Why We Chose It: When we started our MasterClass subscription, we were almost overwhelmed with the choices. But the website makes it simple to bear down, browse and find your passions, so we began with David Mamet Teaches Dramatic Writing. The class is comprised of 23 short video lessons on everything from Story Ideas to Character to Dialogue to Closing (like, Always Be) and we were stunned at how immersive it was to watch this Pulitzer Prize winner teach, chat and joke his way through the fascinating lessons.

Staying in that vein, we devoured Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing and silently crushed on our favorite writer as she walked us through 23 video lessons in her velvet-trimmed, book-stacked office. These included Creating Compelling Characters, Prose Style and Texture and even The Business of Being a Writer. Be still Our beating heart. And did you know that Atwood never named her character June in the Handmaid’s Tale? She goes on to explain that her readers figured it out by noticing that every other name mentioned in the first chapter of the book occurs again in the story, other than June. Personal revelations and stories like this occur throughout the site’s classes, and it’s what makes them even more special.

After we got our fill of writing and storytelling, we started exploring other classes and lessons, like Gordon Ramsay’s Make: Beef Wellington, where the bombastic chef known for MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen gives a one-on-one about why a good cast iron pot and a cut of Chateaubriand are both worth the investment, and how to make this classic in our own (admittedly less gorgeous) kitchens. This video is just one of the 20 lessons in Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking MasterClass.

You can also try the preset Quick Lists, which cobble together lessons from larger classes and pinpoint specific things you might want to learn, like Inside the Craft for movie lovers featuring Helen Mirren, Aaron Sorkin and Steve Martin. You’ll also be pushed new classes on your home page depending on what you watch.

Who It’s For: MasterClass is sure to pique the interest of any age, gender or personality. With over 100 different classes that cover fashion, music, sports, cooking, the arts, nutrition, motivation, political messaging, screenwriting, architecture, game design and so, so much more, there is literally something for everyone.

Why You Need It: There are so many different classes, it’s impossible to talk about them all, but as Decider readers, you might also appreciate Samuel L. Jackson Teaches Acting , Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing for Television, Ron Howard Teaches Directing and Robin Roberts Teaches Effective and Authentic Communication.

And for all of us trying to find new ways to connect, create and well, maybe just keep busy, MasterClass is the cure to our homebound ills.

What Others Are Saying: Business Insider loves the diversity, quality and flexibility of these online classes, claiming, “If I’m going through a cooking phase, I can watch bite-sized clips that are interesting and useful—and, if it’s not my number one passion, the allure of a “master” helps me remain interested in the lessons.”

And PC Mag loved how captivating the videos could be. “While reviewing the service, I would play a video in the background while making notes or doing other work, only to find myself drawn into it or pausing it until a time when I could engage with it more fully.”

Final Conclusion: No, MasterClass will not teach you everything you need to know about a subject. If you want to learn how to use a camera correctly, Annie Leibovitz Teaches Photography is not going to do it. Rather, you will learn more about how you can tell stories through your photography and create better portraits.

MasterClass is good for old and young, active and passive, and most of all, anyone with a little curiosity and a yearning to learn.

Subscribe to MasterClass for $180 per year