STACK #256 February 2026

TECH FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

CREATOR Q & A Josh Neille with

J osh Neille lives in the small country town of Tinamba, Victoria, where, alongside his family, he spends his days rescuing vulnerable wildlife, nursing them back to health, and returning them to the bush. What began as sharing day-to day moments has since grown into a huge social media community, built entirely around caring for and rehabilitating native wildlife. Josh recently took home the

removes friction and helps you stay consistent.

eil le

o s h N

i t s: J

I’ve built my entire Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat presence almost entirely off a phone. It just proves you don’t need fancy gear. A phone is powerful, portable, and more than enough. For trickier situations I use hands-free tech like smart glasses or head-mounted cameras. When you’re dealing with wildlife or rescues you need both hands, and

o c r e d

P h o t

help make videos more interactive.

Are there any tricks that instantly makeTikTok videos feel more pro? Keeping the pace up is a big one. If there’s dead space I’ll speed it up so there’s always something happening. Music at the right moments helps and switching angles keeps things interesting. Cutting from animals to the environment, then aerial shots, then back to ground level. Those small details really bring a video to life. Do you use AI tools? Yeah, I use AI mainly for spell check and helping put captions and text together. I was never great at spelling, so it really helps there. I also use AI for audio cleanup, pulling voices out when they’re quiet or buried in background noise. That can completely change how a video feels. What’s the best advice you would give to newbie short video creators? Find something you’re genuinely passionate about and get really good at it. If you truly love what you do, people feel that and things grow organically. If you’re only chasing influence without passion, you’ll burn out fast.

What’s the most underrated aspect of creating short videos? Audio, without a doubt. Especially outdoors when wind is a factor.

If people can’t clearly hear what I’m explaining about the animals, they disengage fast. Clean audio keeps people watching. What’s the best way too hook viewers in a few seconds? I’m probably not the best person to over analyse hooks because my content is very raw and natural. I don’t really try to hook people in. I just film real life. For me it’s the realism, the animals, and the day to-day unpredictability that keeps people watching, not anything flashy or forced.

‘TikTok for Good’ award at the TikTok Awards in Sydney, and we asked him for some pro tips on creating successful short video content. Short videos look effortless, but what actually happens before you hit record? For me, especially being around animals, it’s completely in the moment. I don’t really set things up. It’s just the day-to-day stuff I see out here, the small interactions, the unexpected moments, the chaos, and the calm – that’s the stuff people connect with. You can’t plan animals. You can’t stage it. You just grab the phone when you can and hope you catch a bit of the magic.

What’s the easiest way to get lighting right?

Josh Neille with wife Amber, daughter Ashlee, and furry friends

Lighting can be really tricky with animals, because you can’t always stage or control the situation. For me it’s about having a good quality camera and sometimes running multiple cameras so you can switch angles if the light drops. When we can, Ashlee and I will also use a ring light and a light coloured background to keep things clean and clear.

filming has to happen safely in the background. When I’m underwater or fishing I’ll mix it up with action cameras and 360 cameras. Wind is a big challenge outdoors, so I rely on good microphones. I also use drones for aerial shots to

What kind of tech is in your creator setup?

Pretty much everything I capture is on my phone. I need huge storage because I’ve genuinely built this whole thing off it. You can film, edit, and upload all in one place, which

Follow Josh on Instagram @joshneille11 and TikTok josh_neille

20 FEBRUARY 2026

jbhifi.com.au