X

YouTube goes to the White House, sort of

Replicas of the Oval Office, presidential briefing room and election-related sets are now on standby for the stars of Google's video site.

Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
Joan E. Solsman
YouTube

Get ready for YouTube's mockery of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to really look the part.

At its "YouTube Spaces" in Los Angeles and New York, Google's video site has created fake election settings for video makers to use. Los Angeles has a 360-degree Oval Office and a multipurpose set including a news desk, presidential podium and polling station. New York also has an Oval Office, White House Press Room and debate stage.

YouTube said in a blog post that that its viewers have watched more than 110 million hours of candidate and issues-related content leading up this year's US presidential election.

YouTube Spaces are the site's tricked-out locales for video creators. They have a variety of sets and sound stages, editing suites and soundboards, and they offer chances for tutorials and networking. They're free for people who post video on the site and have 10,000 subscribers or more.

The company is also hosting specialized workshops in both cities. Creators are working with filmmaker Morgan Spurlock and with Warrior Poets in New York to cover election issues, and in Los Angeles, select creators will have a comedy writing workshop taught by a seasoned improv and comedy writer.

YouTube campaigns for home-grown election coverage with new sets

See all photos