"There is no secret ingredient to success" - Jake Humphrey

The thought of presenting live television would terrify the majority of people.

One slip of the tongue or ill-judged comment could derail a career that you had spent years working hard and planning for. But it can also be one of the most rewarding and exciting jobs where you are constantly challenged and tasked with enhancing the experience of millions of viewers around the world.

In the space of two decades, Jake Humphrey has gone from doing work experience for a local TV company in Norwich to presenting Premier League football on BT Sport, as well as co-founding sports production company Whisper Films.

Now a well-established figure in the sports industry, Humphrey has more than one million followers across his social media channels and he posts content on Twitter and LinkedIn giving advice to aspiring sports and media professionals.

We spoke to him about why he wants to give back to an industry that has served him so well.

Humphrey said: “The reason for sharing my advice is that I believe there are so many people that need a chance and to be given an opportunity. People took a chance on me when I was younger, and I feel like I’ve been shown the secret to live an exciting and successful life.”

Having failed his A levels at school, Humphrey’s career began as a runner at regional television company Rapture TV where he helped to move sets around, answered the phones and did little bits of presenting here and there. It was his work in front of the camera that caught the eye of the BBC and landed him a job presenting children’s TV, a role that he held for eight years and eventually led to him moving into sports broadcasting.

“Rapture TV gave me an opportunity when my only selling point was that I was an A level failure, and it would’ve been easy for them to say you're not for us. Then the BBC offered me my next role when I was aged just 19 or 20 and had no formal broadcasting experience. Lots of people have given me an opportunity and taken time to help push me up the ladder and I just want to give back.

“It's only when I got a job presenting Formula One that I was speaking to people who had fought to get to the top of driving cars, big players in business, self-made millionaires, or those that had worked from the ground up to become a team principal, that I realised there was no secret ingredient to success. Every single individual said it’s just about having bags of self-belief, taking risks, and being the hardest working person in the room.

“We live in a world now where we love to focus on faults and outside influences, but the reality is that you have to take total responsibility for the position you're in both good and bad. It's only by doing that that you can really take control of your life and create the life you want.”

It’s clear when speaking to Humphrey that he thrives on pushing boundaries and trying new things to continually improve the work that he does. He recently launched The High Performance Podcast where he interviews highly successful individuals about their road to the top, but it’s his company Whisper Films that has helped to change the face of sports broadcasting in the UK.

Co-founded in 2010 with Sunil Patel and former F1 driver David Coulthard, Whisper has enjoyed substantial growth over the past decade and was named a 'Broadcast Best Places to Work' company for the fourth consecutive time in January.

“Winning that accolade fills me with greater joy than anything else because it means the ethos of the company is absolutely bang on. We believe that investing in people is what has moved our business to where it is today.”

Humphrey worked with Patel and Coulthard on the BBC’s F1 show and the decision to set up Whisper was born out of a frustration from the content that was being produced.

“We were constantly working with brands and teams who would create content with us. They’d have all the opportunity in the world to create brilliant compelling content, but they simply weren’t good enough.

“The whole DNA of F1 is absolutely fascinating and is something that we’ve translated into our business model, with a focus on marginal gains and being as innovative as possible. We're now the largest true independent sports broadcaster in the country, but we run ourselves more like a sports franchise than a TV production company.”

As over-the-top (OTT) video platforms continue to play an increased role in sports production, we asked Humphrey about what he thinks the future holds for traditional sports broadcasting.

“When we produce a live Premier League game on BT Sport, over 20% of viewers are watching the game on a connected device, whether that’s in the back of a car, on a train, or at their mum’s house while eating Sunday lunch.

“Having viewers watch the games on connected devices helps to open up a whole new world of interaction and the ability to be connected while watching sport is unique. It’s why the future of sports broadcasting is probably more exciting than any other form of broadcasting.

“The trick for every sports broadcaster, production company, presenter and governing body is to be at the very forefront of those changes. You can't be standing on the beach when the tide comes out, otherwise you're fucked.”