An employee from Amazon's fulfilment centre in Tilbury has been named as a winner of the Amazon Talent Show competition.

 Josh Hodis, who works in the packing department at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Tilbury, beat hundreds of contestants in the international competition to be crowned as one of three winners of the Amazon Talent Show.

 The show is Amazon's annual global search for a star. Employees across Amazon's buildings worldwide can apply to take part in the talent competition in categories including musical talent, dance acts and variety performances.

Essex-born Josh, who has been practising magic for 11 years, joined Amazon in October 2020 following a career in performing arts and technical theatre.

Josh first discovered his love for magic after attending a magic show in college, which sparked an interest in learning the skills behind the tricks he witnessed. Starting out with basic card tricks, Josh was committed to regular improvement, and has spent the years since building a career from his hobby.

Josh Hodis

As a natural performer, holding years of experience gained in theatre prior to discovering his passion for magic, Josh is no stranger to the stage.

Speaking on growing up with an involvement in performing arts, Josh said: "I have a background in musical theatre from early childhood, so I'm very comfortable performing in front of an audience. I have always used performing as my chance to 'be someone else', as I didn't necessarily fit in growing up.

"Since progressing with magic, I have had many great opportunities over the years to perform for many famous faces in various nightclubs and bars, and I have been particularly lucky to showcase my magic in luxury hotels including The Ritz and The Savoy in London."

The process of the Amazon Talent Show follows a very similar format to recognisable global talent shows – the experience begins with an audition, followed by progression into a voting round to determine the final 12 contestants, who are then condensed down to three for the final round. Josh was one of the three lucky performers to reach the final, sharing the spotlight with Kaspers Vilkaste from Latvia and Agnieszka Piontek from Poland.

 Speaking on his experience of the competition, Josh said: "It feels surreal to have made it this far in the competition – I never imagined reaching the final when I first auditioned. I viewed it as an opportunity to do some magic with my colleagues and get my name out there – winning was an unexpected but much welcomed surprise."

For Josh, winning the Amazon Talent Show is his proudest achievement to date during his time at the company, and he added: "Taking part in the Amazon Talent Show was enjoyable from beginning to end. I would recommend it to anyone considering applying next year. The competition has allowed me to build on my stage presence, enhance my portfolio, and make new friends who I may not have crossed paths with otherwise."

Ruzanna Sargsyan, General Manager at Amazon in Tilbury, added: "Josh is a valued member of our team at Amazon in Tilbury and it's great that he got to showcase his talent by taking part in the Amazon Talent Show. We are extremely proud of Josh for putting himself forward for the competition and for doing so well. We hope that his story will inspire others to invest time into their personal interests and share them with their colleagues, too."

For the past three years, the Amazon Stars programme has rewarded Amazon employees who go above and beyond to use their unique skills and talents to help others. Read more about three of the inspirational employees working at Amazon fulfilment centres across the country at https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/working-at-amazon/animal-volunteer-aviation-mentor-inspirational-musician-meet-our-amazon-stars