In 2023, 30% of internet users in the EU aged between 16 to 74 said they had completed an online course or used online learning material in the three months prior. In the US, the e-learning industry grew by 900% between 2000 and 2020, and in 2024, the online education market is expected to reach over $185B. The appetite for online learning is significant, and their subject offerings go far beyond the typical use of those in tech jobs.
Miracamp is an online creative bootcamp with teachers from HBO, Netflix and Disney. Prior to its launch, Miracamp’s cofounder, Pierre Narchi, saw there was nothing for profiles like its now-students who wanted to become video editors or content creators – which is why he and his team decided to build their platform in the format of an online bootcamp.
“Our unique selling point is for around $2,000, you join a course that has everything that school can provide you with like materials, teachers and a community of students,” Narchi tells Maddyness UK. “We can interact, there are the job boards, high quality of lessons, certification and so on. It's really job oriented and practical like any bootcamp is in the tech industry.”
The feedback loop
The creative industry is a fast changing environment with new tools constantly developing and an AI revolution to contend with – and with all this information, it’s easy to get lost. Narchi understands this, and knew the curation and careful training on the right software and tools to use was imperative to the success of Miracamp.
So too, Narchi says, was creating a place for a feedback loop. For creatives, getting feedback from a trusted and experienced source is important to improve, and many competitor courses online offer only one-way learning and this doesn’t make for the best video editors.
“If you want to become a content creator or edit videos, you start by learning key softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro,” says Narchi. “You edit your first videos, you show them to a family member, they say 'wow, this video is great' and you feel like you already made it – yet, when you go and start applying for jobs or looking for clients, they choose your competitors and you don't understand why. Could it be because you didn't practice enough and you didn't get enough trustworthy feedback?
“It's in the Miracamp teachers' interest to try to bring you up to the right level. They've seen hundreds of junior editors before you and they know what you should do in order to reach the right standards and what the industry will be expecting from you once you've graduated from our program.”
Boosting employability
In 2023, there were around 2.4 million jobs in the UK creative industry, representing a 15.1% increase from 2019. To help seize these opportunities, Narchi and his team prioritised embedding an employability section within Miracamp’s courses.
“Creative people might know how to deliver projects, but they struggle more than other industries to sell and market themselves to clients,” he says. “Some students build the greatest edits but when it comes to building their own website or CV, it’s not as great as the edits.
“There is a huge interest from students for being coached on how to market themselves, structure their past experiences and explain it properly to recruiters and companies. The last section of our course is employability covering how to build a LinkedIn profile, resume, portfolio and so on. We also post jobs internally that we have insider access to.”
Narchi believes the online bootcamp market is growing in part because people are increasingly understanding that some college courses have huge fees and don’t focus on the areas that are most valuable to them – this is particularly prudent for young people in the UK, who are facing yet another university tuition fee increase from 2025.
“Online bootcamps are efficient products that teach you how to do the job without all the unnecessary costs and time associated with it,” explains Narchi. “We've built our course structure and curriculum so people are able to do it in 30 days if they work on it full time.
“Many people don't need an expensive three-year college course. With our courses, it's definitely possible that you could edit like a professional in 30 to 60 days – then, you can start looking for your first internship or job and get further mentoring. After three years, you might already be a senior in an agency while other people could still be struggling with their university course.”
Right now, Narchi says the Miracamp team is excited about new partnerships and its growing community, where students are helping each other on the platform’s forum.
“We have a student-first policy and it's always a great feeling to provide them with the best experience possible,” concludes Narchi. “To see their satisfaction level being that high is always a relief.”
Pierre Narchi is cofounder of online creative bootcamp Miracamp.
