Joshua McCormack
Director of photography

Destined for a life on the water, Josh relocated from Christchurch to the City of Sails at an early age. First dipping his toe into sailing with Opti’s, he progressed throughout the classes, right up to Olympic competition level before focusing on twelve and eighteen-foot Skiffs. He tested out various sports including surfing and kiteboarding along the way, but it was skateboarding that led to his career in film. 

From a small community of freeboarders in Auckland’s North Shore, Josh and his friends shared their skateboarding and photography skills with a community of hundreds around the world. Impressed by the skill and storytelling of these filmmakers, he thought a similar approach could be used to better portray sailing. As a long time content creator and experienced yachtsman, it was natural he turned his camera to the water. 

After completing a Bachelor of Design at Massey University, spending four years boat building, and working as a Machinist and Draftsman for two America’s Cup challenges (Oracle Team USA 2013 and Emirates Team New Zealand 2017), Josh started shooting full time for various projects including the 2021 America’s Cup, Sky Sport NEXT’s youth regatta, and Live Ocean. 

As a trusted connection within the industry, Josh has had the privilege of bringing together other talented filmmakers to direct and produce larger scale content. His intimate knowledge of yachting, from a technical and sailing perspective, means he also knows where to be to capture those once in a lifetime moments while allowing teams the space to do their thing.

Career highlights:

• NZL Sailing Foundation Youth Championships with Sky Sport NEXT (2020). 
• Mission: The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve with Live Ocean (2020). 
• Tokyo Olympics – Olympic Broadcast Services (2021).
  
• Americas Cup – Photography (2021)