Nick Kosir, widely known online as “The Dancing Weatherman,” has partnered with Mississippi State University’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies to bring students a course called “The Kosir Code.”
The course, which launched on Sept. 24, aims to equip students with the skills they need to create a large social media following and build a successful career as a content creator.
Kosir, who graduated from the MSU online broadcast meteorology program in 2011, maintains a following of 14 million across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. His journey into social media stardom began in 2019 when a video of him dancing in the television studio went viral.
“I’ve been doing it ever since,” Kosir said. “I just figured I’d run with it and have some fun with it.”
From the initial viral video, Kosir has expanded his brand by creating content that combines both dance choreography and weather broadcasting. Now, he said he’s hoping to pass along his advice for students looking to break into the content creation scene.
Even though Kosir now works as a FOX weather meteorologist, Kosir said that, as a child, he has always aspired to teach in continuing education.
“I remember growing up, I would tell people I wanted to be a college professor,” Kosir said. “And, you know, several decades later, I’m just sitting there, and I get an email that came from Sean Owen.”
Sean Owen, the associate dean at the College of Professional and Continuing Studies, contacted Kosir to propose the continuing education course and set the collaboration in motion.
“I do pride myself on having a lot of off-the-wall ideas,” Owen said. “And unless you’ve lived under a rock in the last couple of years, social influencing has been the way to market that even Fortune 500 companies are going about it.”
For approximately $150, buyers of the online course will gain access to eight video modules. According to Kosir, students can anticipate learning how to develop a personal brand, identify their niche, benefit from constructive feedback and obtain brand deals.
“Sometimes people have the confidence to start, but they just don’t know how and vice versa,” Kosir said. “I think my course should be able to nudge people in the right direction, whatever that nudge needs to be.”
Forbes reports that the influencer and content creation economy is valued at approximately $250 billion. In merely three years, Goldman Sachs expects this figure to double, reaching close to $480 billion by 2027.
“If I’m somebody who’s on the fence about creating content, the sooner they can get into a course like mine, the better,” Kosir said. “This industry is sort of at the ground floor and is still ascending, so now’s a really good time to get in while the getting’s good.”
Kosir said taking his course will give you the knowledge it takes to reach goals relating to content creation, as well as potentially save students time trying to break into the influencer scene.
“You know, you can spend a year trying and failing, or you can take my course and be six months ahead of the game,” Kosir said. “You can certainly use the trial-and-error method, but, you know, two brains are better than one, and a whole bunch of brains are certainly better than one.”
Owen said that continuing education courses like The Kosir Code are helping to change the perception that MSU only provides traditional education.
“We want to be seen as trailblazers and thought leaders in higher education,” Owen said. “Innovation isn’t exclusive to Ivy League schools like Cornell or institutions like MIT; we’re proving that right here at Mississippi State.”
For the College of Professional and Continuing Studies, The Kosir Code marks the beginning of several “lifestyle” courses that Owen intends to introduce to the catalog in the years ahead.
“We have a wine series that we’re working on,” Owen said. “We’ve reached out to HARDY to maybe do something with him. I think lifestyle courses is a niche that Mississippi State can have more value to, not only its immediate community but its surrounding as well.”
For MSU students who sign up for The Kosir Code, Kosir plans to add a special incentive for those who have questions.
“If Mississippi State students sign up for the course, I’ll give them some personalized coaching detail,” Kosir said.
