I get questions all the time about who films my videos, writes my content, and designs my websites. I do all of it. Although this has absolutely nothing to do with my Bartender Course, I’m hoping to save some time answering all of the emails I get about how I do this and what software/equipment I use in the process.

I also have another reason for revealing this information

As you have undoubtedly heard me say many times throughout this course, bartending can be a full-time profession or part-time. If I were to do it all over again, I would use my bartending jobs to finance my education at an earlier age. I would also use the profession to pay the bills while I started my own business. I did do that, of course, but at a later stage of my life and career.

And then I think, “That’s all fine and dandy, Mark, but you really had a good time in your twenties!” Yes, I did. But you may be different – and I recognize that. Make bartending your career. Or use your talents behind a bar to start another career, go to school, or start your own business. It’s your choice, and bartending can make that happen for you. I know – because I did it.

I believe that I get all of these questions now because most people taking my bartending course are younger – in their twenties. Not all are that young, of course, but a good majority. They’re very familiar with YouTube, Social Media, TikTok, Instagram, etc. They want to start their own businesses. I am 100% all in on that way of thinking.

I wholeheartedly agree that having your own business is the way to go these days. Working from home, being your own boss, etc. That’s what I do now. Bartending is a great way to help finance that decision.

In the process of designing and building this website and bartending course I have learned a lot. I have been designing my own websites for many years now, and have really started getting into the YouTube thing to promote my business.

How did I learn how to do all of this stuff? I learned how to design and code websites while working my real jobs as a bartender. I started off using WordPress which requires no coding experience at all.

Eventually, I taught myself HTML, CSS, and a little JavaScript – with a lot of help from Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, (formerly lynda.com), and YouTube videos. I’m currently learning PHP, MySQL, and React. My favorite IDE is Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code.

Learning how to code is really just a hobby of mine. And, no, I do not consider myself a “web developer,” “coder” or “programmer.” I don’t wish to insult the really talented and knowledgeable people out there who are in these professions. In all honesty, I still consider myself a “low code/no code” type of web dude.

I learned how to write properly (at least well enough to write a bartending course!), in college while working as a bartender. I’m not a natural writer – nor am I the “creative” type. I just do my best. However, I do enjoy researching and writing a good article.

I learned how to build PC’s while I was working as a bartender. Just another hobby. I got tired of buying cheap machines from retailers and online stores. I now build all of the PC’s for my family and friends. It’s easier than you think – just watch some YouTube videos on the subject. I know nothing about Mac’s.

I learned how to film and edit videos, using many different kinds of applications, while employed as a bartender. There’s some really talented YouTubers and influencers out there that I follow – and take many of their suggestions.

below is how I accomplish all of this

The Website You Are Using to Take This Course

My Free Basic Bartending Course here is located at: https://bartenderschoolonline.com. This is where you are now, so please bookmark it. This is my main website, and probably where you heard about my course – if not YouTube. This website hosts all of my blog posts and anything else that has to do with the bartending profession.

My “Advanced Bartending Course” is located at https://courses.bartenderschoolonline.com.  As you can see, it is simply a subdomain of my main website. The “course” subdomain hosts only the bartending course, while the main domain hosts my blog and additional pages – like a normal website.

For the “Free Basic Bartending Course,” you will be spending your time here on the main site. As you know, I do not require any registration or user name/passwords – so you’re free to roam around as you wish. You can always find your way back to the Course outline and starting point by clicking on the “Free Bartending Course” in the top menu of every page on this website. Easy, huh?

For the “Advanced Bartending Course,” you will be spending your time on the “Course” subdomain, but sometimes I will have links to my main blog that may have some additional information. Those links will open in a new window or tab, so you won’t lose your place in the course.

Why do I have two separate websites? Simple. Even though it’s a “subdomain,” https://courses.bartenderschoolonline is treated by Google and other search engines as a separate site.

My main website, where you are at now, functions like any other website on the internet that doesn’t require any registration or passwords. The “course” subdomain DOES require registration, so I wanted that to be separate. This is very common for people offering learning courses on the internet. I also use Woo Commerce to process credit card payments for the Advanced Bartending Course. It just good business to keep these things separated. And, the “course” subdomain is stripped down of any extra “stuff” so that only the course software and payment processing is on that site. Nice.

Both websites are built using WordPress. I’m a big fan of the Kadence Pro WordPress Theme – and that’s what I use here. The Advanced Bartending Course, at courses.bartenderschoolonline.com, is powered by LearnDash. Basically, LearnDash is an “online course” application that keeps my course organized, tracks your progress, allows you to sign in and out, and makes everything look pretty. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress – which is why I chose it to organize the sections and lessons in the Advanced Course.

My websites is operating under an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). The website is secure. You’re secure. I know, because I installed the SSL Certificate myself. The Advanced Bartending Course is password protected, so please keep your user name and password in a safe place!

These two websites are designed and built by me – Mark Unger. All content, videos, course sections & lessons, and resources are written entirely and exclusively by me. They are protected by copyright. Please – don’t copy my stuff!

The Videos I Produce

All videos in the “Free Basic Course” are hosted on YouTube. The “Advanced Bartending Course videos are hosted on Vimeo.

For those of you who don’t know, Vimeo is a premium alternative to YouTube. All of my videos are embedded here on the course websites, which means that you never have to leave the course in order to view a video. It’s all here. And, it makes for faster loading time. Nice.

There are no ads in my videos in the Advanced Bartending Course – that’s why I pay a premium to have the videos hosted on Vimeo. There are no affiliate links either. I am grateful that you paid for my Advanced Bartending Course, and believe that you shouldn’t have to be reading/listening to annoying paid ads or have affiliate links pushed on you.

Not so with my free course. I DO run ads and DO have affiliate links. Don’t worry – I keep them to a minimum, and their fairly unintrusive.

All videos are filmed by me. All editing is done by me. The equipment I use is listed lower in this section. I’m fortunate to have an extra room in my house that I use exclusively for filming videos and writing all of my content. The videos you are watching in the course are filmed in this little “studio.”

I have a pretty good lighting system, green screens, and other backdrops. I’m constantly upgrading equipment and software as I learn more and get better at filming videos live or on my PC.

All of my videos are unscripted. Yes, I do have a simple outline that I use for most videos, but there’s no need for me to use a “script.” I know the bartending profession backwards and forewords – and use my actual experience as the content. I find that it’s fairly easy – but I’m certainly not a “natural speaker.”

I make mistakes while filming my videos. Sometimes I edit them out – sometimes not. I’m not a professional actor, voice-over expert, speechwriter, or debate expert. I’m just a bartender, and I leave in a lot of these “mistakes” so that you will be more comfortable knowing that everyone makes mistakes. This will come in handy when you’re sitting down for an interview.

The Written Content On My Site

I write all of the content. For the free course here and the paid course at https://courses.bartenderschoolonline.com. I do not use any “guest” writers or copy content from anyone else. When I cite someone, or use certain graphics or pictures – I give full attribution.

I’m certainly not the greatest writer in the world, but I do give it my best shot. As long as I can get my point across, with a minimum of mistakes, I’m satisfied.

Here’s the Equipment and Software I Use

  • A Canon DSLR for almost all photos and videos
  • Currently, an Android phone: Samsung Galaxy S22
  • Techsmith’s Camtasia Studio, most of the time, for a complete recording and editing process
  • Adobe Photoshop for editing photos and graphics
  • Adobe Premier Pro for editing videos (sometimes)
  • Audacity for recording audio files (MP3 and WAV) only
  • OBS Studio for screen capture videos and other stuff (sometimes)
  • Blue Yeti USB Microphone with Blue Compass Boom Arm
  • Logitech Z623 400 Watt Speaker System
  • Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920
  • Microsoft Office 365 for PowerPoint presentations and other content
  • Techsmith’s “Snag-It” for most screen captures
  • I’m also experimenting with Affinity Photo ($50 lifetime) and DaVinci Resolve – low cost/free alternatives to Photoshop and Premier Pro
  • I use Vimeo to host all videos in the paid bartending course. YouTube for the free course.
  • SiteGround hosts all of my websites and my two courses
  • I do everything on a kick-ass PC that I built myself, and am currently building a brand-new one. I don’t know anything about Mac’s!

My Personal Computer

I’m not a gamer, so I built this computer specifically to have more than enough power for editing videos:

  • Motherboard: Z390 Designare by Gigabyte Technology
  • Processor: Intel i9-9900K
  • Memory: 64 GB G Skill RipJaws
  • Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 2070 with 8GB Memory
  • Monitors (4): 2 BenQ 24 inch IPS Monitor 1080P, 2 Asus 24 inchers
  • Tower: Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C Black
  • Power: Corsair RMx Series RM1000x (1000w)
  • Storage: 5 Drives
    • Crucial MX500 2.5″ 1TB SSD
    • Crucial MX500 2.5″ 2TB SSD
    • Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB – M.2 NVMe
    • Samsung 970 PRO SSD 512GB – M.2 NVMe
    • Seagate BarraCuda 8TB Internal Hard Drive HDD
  • CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-D15S Premium Dual-Tower

There you have it. If you have any questions or comments, shoot me an email: mark@bartenderschoolonline.com