Class of '24
Jack Nash
Jack is a nineteen-year-old student, born in Derry/Londonderry but now living in North London. He is currently studying Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, exploring film, digital and analogue photography, media, time-based/durational performance, and interdisciplinary practices, taking into consideration the notion of identity, subculture, and lived experience. Jack is also a Young Producer at the National Portrait Gallery, delving into cultural events planning and media production through the collaborative delivery of the private view of ‘David Hockney, Drawing from Life’ alongside GUAP Magazine – discovering, showcasing and nurturing emerging and underrepresented creatives and communities.
Outside of the studio, Jack tries to attend as many race meetings as possible; he has currently attended fourteen racetracks, with the hopes of visiting all fifty-nine in the future. His best meetings include the York Ebor, 2000 Guineas, St Leger, Tingle Creek, and most recently Trials Day at Cheltenham.
Jack’s infatuation with the sport has led him to become involved with Catch Us If You Can Racing, a family-run syndicate based at Phantom House stables, Newmarket, run by South African trainer Dylan Cunha; Jack has a share in two two-year-old fillies who are now in full training. Jack is also an avid Arsenal fan and is beginning to learn dressage in his spare time.
Jack applied for the RMA as he wholly believed his creative knowledge, his love for all things media-based, and his passion for horse racing made him a superb fit. Jack had struggled to find a role that married these two seemingly varied career paths but is very much looking forward to gaining his first steps in this industry and learning the behind-the-scenes of the race day experience at British flat racing’s most prestigious event.
Alexa Kozaczek-Wright
Alexa is eighteen years old and from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. She is currently working as a SEN learning mentor. Aside from her love for racing and media, she has her horses. She likes going out with friends and going on holiday to different locations.
She applied for the Racing Media Academy because she knew this was something suited to her. She has a real passion for racing and works with Careers in Racing in the Youth collaboration group, helping to create social media content and take over days at the races. She has always been influenced by her older brother in the racing industry and this academy lets her combine her two passions of racing and media.
She hopes to gain and widen her knowledge of media within horseracing and hopes that this opportunity will be a step in the right direction.
Nigel Mardemootoo
Nigel, recently residing in London, is a dedicated enthusiast with a profound interest in horse racing and video production.
Beyond his academic achievements in media, film, and television, He spends much of his time immersed in the world of horse racing.
With a background rooted in Video Production or cinematography, He is eager to merge his love for the equine world with his skills in video production.
Applying for the Racing Media Academy, he envisions this opportunity as a crucial stepping stone toward a fulfilling career at the intersection of horse racing and media.
Eager to absorb knowledge and gain hands-on experience, Nigel is excited about the prospects this unique program offers and looks forward to contributing his enthusiasm to the racing media industry.
Grace Carter
Grace is nineteen years old and is from Derby. She has loved horse racing since completing the Riding a Dream Academy and currently works for Ian Williams, whilst also having a passion for journalism which is why she will be studying it next year at university. As well as this, Grace is in the BHA Diversity in Racing Steering Group and is a Women in Racing committee member because she is passionate about improving inclusivity in horse racing.
She applied for the Racing Media Academy as she thought it was a fantastic opportunity to learn new skills and expand her knowledge of horse racing and the media industry. This will help her encourage more people to love the sport and get involved.
Laura Ward
Laura is a twenty-six-year-old Irish amateur jump jockey based in the South West of England. She studied law at the University of Maynooth, graduating in 2020 before taking out her amateur licence. She is extremely passionate about horseracing having worked for several trainers in Ireland and then made the move to the UK in 2022 to avail more opportunities.
Laura has ridden in both flat and jump races in Ireland and Britain and has a strong passion for analysing races, studying form and various other statistics. She hopes to combine her love for racing with her industry knowledge to forge a career in racing media.
She applied for the Racing Media Academy as it is a fresh and unique opportunity to extend herself into a new area of the racing industry. Having been a part of many media campaigns for the yard she currently works in ,including one with ITV, she has become increasingly interested in media within racing.
Laura is eager to challenge herself by learning a new set of skills and working in an area of the racing industry that is unfamiliar to her. She hopes to make valuable connections by learning from industry leaders and take a step towards a future career in racing media, while gaining as much hands-on experience as possible.
Mageswar Periasamy Vishakan
Mageswar, a twenty-four-year-old from Chennai, India, has been around horses for as long as he can remember. His equestrian journey began at a young age at Lawrence School, Lovedale, where he fostered a deep love for horses. Beyond the stables, Mageswar enjoys running, football, and scuba diving.
Mageswar’s passion for horses extends beyond riding. He has also trained in showjumping since the age of ten. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Science in Strategic Marketing at Cardiff University.
Joining the Racing Media Academy (RMA) is a dream come true for Mageswar. He sees the RMA as a stepping stone towards his chosen career path, one that allows him to combine his passion for horses with his marketing expertise. The RMA’s program will provide him with the opportunity to apply his prior education and work experience through the course. Additionally, the RMA offers him the unique opportunity to be involved in the dynamic world of racing in the United Kingdom.
Mageswar brings to the table his knowledge of digital marketing and his experience as a Racing Manager in India for three years. The skills he honed during this time will undoubtedly be valuable assets to the RMA programme.
Mageswar is eager to learn and grow at the RMA, and he believes the academy will equip him with the necessary skills and experience to navigate a successful career on the media side of the horse racing industry.
Lexi Danielson
Lexi Danielson grew up in an area known for horse racing but did not begin to follow the sport until American Pharoah’s 2015 Triple Crown sweep. She’s a proud Marylander, but after studying abroad and working with Together TV, a non-profit broadcast company, she fell in love with England and its media industry.
Lexi studied film for eight years and is a recent graduate of Ithaca College. She has worked in multiple areas of the industry, from educational videos with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to live coverage of the 2022 Beijing Olympics with NBC Sports. She also leads the children’s department at a bookstore.
In her spare time, she loves devouring novels, taking long hikes, scrapbooking, and driving with the top down in her yellow punch buggy. Lexi applied to the Racing Media Academy because she saw it as an opportunity to combine her two loves: horse racing and film. She loved the combination of education and practical experience that the program provides. She hopes to learn more about the European side of horse racing, understand the sport as a participant instead of a spectator, and ultimately, turn her experience into a career.
Killian Hunt
Killian is twenty-four years old and a native of County Waterford in the South East of Ireland. He is a Master’s graduate from Maynooth University in European History.
Aside from having his head buried in history books, his other major passions in life centre around sports. He is a keen golfer, enjoys watching his beloved Liverpool win, and most importantly, enjoys watching and going horse racing as often as he can. In the last number of years, he has got a few of his friends more interested in the sport and he likes to organise trips to the races as often as he can.
He has attended several different racecourses across Ireland including Leopardstown, Punchestown, Galway, and his local track, Tramore.
He was exposed to the sport at a young age as his Grandad owned a small number of horses and some of his earliest memories at ages four and five were of attending race meetings at the Curragh with his family. However, he had never seriously considered a career in the horse racing industry as he had never been too keen on riding horses or working in a racing yard.
While studying at Maynooth University he came across the Racing Media Academy, and it stuck out as a fantastic opportunity for him to jumpstart his career in the sport he loves and to get the opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s leading professionals.
The main thing that he hopes to gain from his time at the RMA and his placement is experience. Ultimately, he hopes that the RMA will allow him to combine the skills that he has developed from his academic pathway with some fantastic practical experience of the inner workings of the horse racing media industry to forge a truly enjoyable career path in horse racing.
Lauren Greer
Lauren Greer is twenty-three and originally from Cambridge.
After finishing school, she dived straight into the world of thoroughbred stud work and has been fortunate enough to work closely with a high calibre of racehorses all over the world.
When Lauren’s not working, she spends most of her time pursuing her main interest in videography and editing. In applying to the RMA, she hopes to combine her passion for racing and video and to further develop a skillset applicable to a media-based career path.
Sidra Woodward
Sidra is twenty-four years old and from Northamptonshire. She graduated with a first-class degree in Film & Television from Solent University which unfortunately was greatly impacted by the pandemic.
This has spurred her on to try and gather a vast range of practical experiences in various filmmaking industries. She loves learning new things and is interested to learn more about the competitive nature of horse racing.
She applied to the RMA because of the opportunity to learn with the vast range of media/broadcast companies and to understand more about the coverage and platforms concerning the world of horse racing. She would love to learn how the racing media in general is trying to broaden its horizons and reach new audiences, whilst not isolating its deep longstanding relationship with its traditional audience.
Sidra hopes to learn more about the sport of horse racing, as well as the practical and technical skills required to operate and broadcast the coverage of races and more.
Mary-Jo Jackson
Mary-Jo Jackson is twenty-three years old and from Middlesbrough. A life-long love of horses meant she became a racing fan at a young age—her earliest memories are cheering on Comply Or Die in the 2008 Grand National, and watching Sea The Stars complete his perfect season in the Arc.
Since then, Mary has been an avid follower of racing worldwide. Having consumed racing media throughout her life, she credits its contributors with helping facilitate her wider love of literature and storytelling. She graduated with an English Literature degree from the University of York. Mary’s favourite meeting to attend is the Ebor Festival.
Outside of racing, she is a keen portrait artist, largely focusing on racehorses of course! She applied for the Racing Media Academy as it would give her the chance to intertwine her passion for racing with skills developed during her degree. She sees the academy as an invaluable opportunity for someone from a completely non-racing background.
Mary cannot wait to gain insight into the intricacies and nuances of racing media production from its dedicated professionals. She hopes to let her creativity and passion shine through while exploring what a career in racing media would look like. Above all, she is chasing individual growth and specialist knowledge which will serve her in future endeavours.
Daniel Horner
Dan has a degree in Sports Management. His hobbies include going horse racing, following Chelsea FC, and playing cricket during the summer.
He became increasingly interested in the media aspect of racing during his teens and applied for the Racing Media Academy to broaden his understanding of different media sectors.
His ambition is to gain more knowledge about the sport and hopes that the course will be the first step towards a successful career in the industry.
Liam Mullen
Liam Mullen is twenty years old, and from Newmarket, Suffolk. He is studying sports broadcasting at UCFB Wembley, with aspirations of becoming a racing presenter / social media content creator after graduation.
While growing up, he developed a passion for horse racing influenced by his dad being a jockey. Having grown up in a racing background, Liam has been very fortunate to spend half of his life growing up in Dubai, in and around the racetracks, he has been lucky to be at multiple Dubai World Cups. Initially heading to the US on scholarship to play college golf, a growing interest in media changed his decision and he has recently been volunteering as a production assistant at AFTV.
Liam applied to the RMA because he wanted to learn from the experts in the racing industry. For him, the RMA is the first major step in his racing media career, and he can’t wait for his placement with the Jockey Club; having spent the last year and a half dedicated to his horse racing social media, he was lucky to begin creating social content for William Buick during the last six months.
He would love to be part of securing the longevity of horse racing and hopes to learn new skills with a long-term ambition of presenting horseracing and encouraging more people to enjoy the sport.