Course Creator Success Stories: Unreal University and Joshua

Joshua’s Unreal Journey: From YouTube Tutorials to a Thriving Course Academy

Discover how Joshua built Unreal University, a thriving online learning platform, empowering aspiring game developers through high-quality Unreal Engine courses and a supportive community. Learn from his journey and get inspired to start your own online course business.

Learn the inspiring journey of Joshua, the creator behind Unreal University, an online academy that aims to make game development accessible to anyone.

Here is just a quick snapshot of his success:

Built a thriving YouTube channel focused on Unreal Engine tutorials
Developed structured courses based on student demand using real-world feedback from his audience
Created a highly engaged learning community via Discord, where students connect and share their progress
Leveraged OnlineCourseHost.com (OCH) to streamline course creation and enhance the student experience

So how did he do it?

That's what you are to find out in the rest of this post.

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From YouTube Tutorials to Full-Fledged Courses

Joshua started his journey in 2020 by creating Unreal University, a YouTube channel focused on game development tutorials.

His notable success came with a 2D platformer tutorial that garnered over 100,000 views, showcasing the popularity of structured learning content.

Seeing the overwhelming response, Joshua's popular free tutorials led him to create paid, structured courses tailored to his audience’s needs. The positive student feedback encouraged him to turn Unreal University into a complete learning platform.

"I started Unreal University as a simple YouTube channel in 2020, sharing tutorials on topics I had mastered. One of my most popular videos was a tutorial on how to make a 2D platformer, which quickly gained over 100,000 views."

"As the channel grew, I realized there was a strong demand for structured learning, so I developed a full-fledged course based on that tutorial. To my surprise, the course performed even better than I expected, solidifying my decision to create more in-depth learning experiences."

Overcoming Challenges in Course Creation

Like many course creators, Joshua faced challenges balancing content creation with online course business operations. Beyond producing high-quality tutorials, he had to learn about email marketing, pricing strategies, and audience engagement.

“The biggest challenge was balancing content creation with learning how to run an online business,”

Joshua explains.

“Producing high-quality tutorials takes time, and on top of that, I had to navigate business operations, pricing strategies, email marketing, sales tactics, and audience engagement all at once. I overcame this by staying consistent, listening to feedback, and continuously improving with each video. Looking back, it was a steep learning curve, but I gained invaluable experience along the way.”

The Course Creation Process

Joshua follows a data-driven approach when creating new courses. He starts by analyzing his YouTube audience and sending surveys to his email list to gauge interest.

Once he validates a topic, he moves through the following steps:

Planning – Identifying student pain points and structuring the lessons accordingly.
Content Creation – Scripting, recording, and editing high-quality video tutorials.
Delivery – Uploading courses to the OCH platform, ensuring a smooth learning experience.

Standing Out in a Competitive Market

Joshua ensures that his courses stand out by focusing on quality and student support. His teaching philosophy revolves around making game development accessible and enjoyable.

“I focus on delivering high quality and excellent support for my students. The best way to stand out in any market is to create the best possible product when something is truly valuable, people naturally want to have it and they want to share it.”

One of his biggest marketing assets is his YouTube audience, which he nurtured long before launching his courses. The trust he built with his community made his transition into online course creation seamless.

"Beyond that, YouTube has been a game changer for me. Long before launching my course, I focused on growing a loyal audience on YouTube. I did not even realise it at the time. That foundation made a huge difference when it came time to sell, as I already had an engaged community that trusted my content."

The Power of Community and Engagement

Community building has been a cornerstone of Joshua’s success.

"I have a Discord where students can share their progress and connect with other users of my courses."

he shares.

“Platforms like YouTube allow for direct engagement with the audience, and my Discord server has been a great space for my most loyal and engaged students to connect. In fact, I’ve even gotten course ideas directly from my Discord community, making it easier to identify demand.”

Memorable Student Success Stories

One of Joshua’s proudest moments was hearing from a student who successfully launched a game on Steam after completing his courses.

“A student recently messaged me saying they secured a deal with a publisher and successfully launched their game on Steam, where it has received positive reviews, all thanks to my courses. Hearing that kind of impact is incredibly rewarding and keeps me motivated to continue creating content.”

Advice for Aspiring Course Creators

Joshua emphasizes the importance of building an audience before launching a course.

“Start with free content to build trust and an audience, then create premium courses once you understand what your audience needs. Also, invest in good production quality it makes a big difference.”

Looking back, he wishes he had started email marketing earlier.

“I wish I had focused on building an email list sooner. Social media platforms evolve, and algorithms change, but email gives you direct access to your audience. While growing my YouTube channel was a great move, I now realize I should have started collecting emails from the beginning."

"I only truly understood the power of email marketing after reading a blog from the online course platform, and it completely changed my approach to audience building.”

Tools and Productivity Tips

Joshua relies on a few key tools to streamline his course creation process:

MailerLite – For email marketing and audience engagement.
OnlineCourseHost - for hosting courses and managing student communication
OBS Studio – A free, high-quality screen recording tool.
Blue Yeti Microphone – Ensures clear and professional audio quality.
Google Docs, Sheets, & Google Forms – These help organize content and collect student feedback.

His biggest productivity tip? Focus on one platform and master it.

"Having a routine makes everything easier. You might also notice that I focus on just one social media platform for my business. I believe in the “less is more” approach; rather than being average on multiple platforms, I’d rather master one. This allows me to build a strong, engaged audience on YouTube instead of spreading myself too thin."

He also said:

"I also recommend pairing social media with an email list, as it gives you direct access to your audience, regardless of platform changes. One of the biggest advantages of YouTube is that a single well-made video can continue generating views and driving traffic to your site for years."

"While YouTube can be challenging to grow at first, the long-term payoff is absolutely worth it."

What’s Next for Unreal University?

Joshua plans to expand Unreal University by adding advanced courses and one-on-one coaching.

“I’m working on expanding the platform with more advanced courses, I am thinking I may offer one-on-one coaching; a lot of people ask me for this. Eventually, I’d love to turn Unreal University into a full-fledged learning hub for aspiring game developers.”

Why Joshua Loves the OCH Platform

Joshua finds OnlineCourseHost.com invaluable for hosting his courses.

Page Designer – Helped him revamp his landing page, leading to increased conversions.
Intuitive UI – A modern, clean interface that enhances the learning experience.
Email Notifications for Student Questions – Allows him to respond quickly to students needing help.

Here's how he said it in his own words:

"I really like the new page designer. I used it to update my landing page, and it has performed really well. I also appreciate the clean and intuitive UI; it feels modern and memorable."

"Another feature I love is the email notifications for student questions. Whenever a student is stuck and reaches out, I get notified right away, ensuring that no one feels left behind."

Final Thoughts

Joshua’s journey from a YouTube content creator to a successful online course educator showcases the power of consistency, quality, and audience engagement.

By leveraging his strengths and building a strong community, he has turned Unreal University into a go-to platform for aspiring game developers.

For anyone considering course creation, Joshua’s advice is simple:

"Start before you feel ready, listen to your audience, and keep improving along the way."

If you want to explore Joshua’s courses, visit Unreal University or check out his YouTube channel for free tutorials on Unreal Engine development!

This post is part of our Course Creator Spotlight series, where we highlight inspiring creators who are making a difference in the online education space. Stay tuned for more stories like Joshua’s!

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Let me know in the comments below what other topics you would like me to cover or any questions that you have.

Thanks for reading… and enjoy the course creation process! 😉

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