A former Media student from Stratford-upon-Avon College has used his content creation skills to create a niche for himself in the horse racing industry.
Joshua Stacey, 20 from Stratford, has started work for the Racing Post whilst catching the attention of 30.8K horse racing enthusiasts on his verified Twitter account @TheRacingJosh.
After leaving College, Joshua took Media lecturer Lee Skinner’s advice and decided to defer his place at Salford University where he was set to study film. He comments: “Taking Lee’s advice and giving myself a year to find my direction was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
Joshua explains how he used that year to identify how he could make his mark in the Horse Racing industry: “It is a very traditional sport, and I could see that there was a market for young horse racing enthusiasts, it was basically crying out for young blood. I captured that need at the perfect time.”
Employing the skills developed at College, Joshua went on to set up his Twitter account, @TheRacingJosh, where he reviewed races of the day as well as uploaded videos on his YouTube channel.
In 2019, the Racing Post, British Horse Racing publisher, impressed by Joshua’s talent and ability to reach out to a more diverse audience, offered him a role as Content Marketing Executive. He remarks: “When I first walked in the newsroom, I was expecting an office full of men smoking cigars but what I actually found was an accepting environment that was keen to utilise my media skills and knowledge to make the sport more accessible.”
Describing how his love for the sport developed, Joshua says: “It all started when I was 12 and my stepfather came into my life. He owned a horse himself and took me to my first ever Cheltenham event. I dedicated a lot of time studying horses’ form and trying to beat my stepdad.”
Lockdown has not limited the inspirational blogger, presenter and content creator who has continued working from his home in Stratford and gone on to expand his Millenium Racing Club syndicate – a project he works on alongside his other roles.
Joshua was proud to be involved in the production of this captivating video from Racing Post in which he speaks passionately whilst exhibiting his vast knowledge on the sport in preparation for Cheltenham Festival.
Joshua reflects: “The praise my lecturer gave me after my final year project presentation at College always stuck with me and I still go back to it whenever doubting myself against new challenges.”
In his early 20s, Joshua has already made a name for himself and is constantly finding new projects to further establish his career. Looking to the future, he aims to continue his progression in the horse racing media world.
