Hot Shots 2022: Josh Manley

Since joining sports production company Buzz 16 straight from university two years ago, Josh Manley has impressed with his decisive editorial brain and eye for visual storytelling.

Arriving with no previous paid editorial experience, but with some student films under his belt, a love of sport and bags of enthusiasm, he was “like a sponge, soaking up every piece of advice and knowledge he could in Premier Pro, In-Design and After Effects tutorials”, says chief exec Scott Melvin.

From assembling British basketball highlights as a junior editor, Manley is already editing whole episodes of YouTube football fan debate series Overlap. He works through the night to distil a three-hour record featuring a host, three panellists and a studio audience, shot on seven cameras, into two 45 to 60-minute episodes to upload the next day.

“Combining visual flair with the art of storytelling in these episodes is a challenge for the most seasoned of editors, but Josh has risen to the challenge and surpassed all expectations,” says Melvin.

Other highlights include Manley’s first fast-turnaround highlights package of winter sport for Eurosport’s Winter Pass. Working out of house, he takes in feeds and has a package cut and ready for voicing in just a few hours. Manley has also maintained a seamless flow of Gary Neville’s chats with fellow footballers and on-screen highlights clips on Sky Sports’ Soccerbox.

“Unflappable, upbeat, creative and enthusiastic”, is Melvin’s verdict. “What Manley has achieved in two years is remarkable. What he can achieve is limitless,” he says.