Podcast news: Gary Taphouse says ‘personal connections’ are key in digital industry

Sky Sports’ Gary Taphouse has told aspiring sports broadcasters ‘talking to people’ is the key to breaking into the digital media industry, especially when it comes to sports commentating.

Taphouse was the guest on the third Sports News Blitz podcast, which is available on Spotify and Youtube, following in the footsteps of BBC Sport duo John Murray and Charlie Slater.

And he gave podcast hosts Matt Dudley and Sam Herd some sage advice on how to get ahead of competitors when it comes to securing paid work as a commentator or journalist.

He said: “You really have and you've got to talk to people. That's how you get on in this industry, not by sending messages and emails, but by actually talking to people.

“I think this current generation are reluctant to pick up the phone and actually talk to people, but that is how I got a job at Sky.

“I was given the producer's number by another commentator and they said ‘call him up’.

“I was like, oh my god, I've got to actually speak to him. You know, when's a good time to phone someone's mobile? You don't know. And I was really nervous making that call.

“But it's that personal connection. He heard my voice straight away, and I think if I had just tried badgering on email, it wouldn't have got anywhere, to be perfectly honest.

“So make those personal connections. That's what's going to really help you in this industry.”

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Taphouse also shared how ensuring you are well prepared is the key to a good commentary - even if you know the majority of the prep will not be used.

He added: “I did 130 games last season and believe me it's not the games that take time. It's the travelling and the prep.

“I always say to people, 80% of my job is either sitting behind the wheel of a car or sitting in front of this laptop prepping. And actually the games - the other 20% - is the fun of it.

“You can't just rock up. I think a lot of people do think we do that sometimes.

“The reality is I might have a game Saturday. Another game Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, Thursday, and then European week, then Saturday, then maybe Sunday, maybe a Friday night crowbarred in as well.

“I probably do more [prep] for TV if I'm honest. And the reason for that is when you're on the radio, most of your job is describing who's got the ball on where the ball is now.

“Obviously on TV, people can see that. So you've got to add value to the broadcast.

“That isn't obvious. When I first moved into TV, I made the classic mistake that a lot of commentators make by talking too much. I've just come from a radio background where I would talk non stop because you can't leave any silences.

“Actually doing TV is a totally different skill and you learn over time that actually saying nothing is sometimes the right thing to do for quite a long time, because if we were all at a football match, you haven't got commentary in your ears - you're just watching the match and enjoying it.

“A lot of people watching at home want to have that same experience. So you only talk when you need to talk.

“I think it took me a long time to really understand that. So the prep I do - 80% of it I won't use, but you've got to have it just in case.

“I have basically 23 bits of information on every single player, just in case you don't know what's going to happen during the game, whether they're going to unexpectedly score their first goal for eight years or are they going to get sent off for the first time in their career.

“You know, you need to know this stuff, but you probably won't use it. And so, a lot of the time you're researching stuff or preparing stuff, thinking, well, I'm never going to use this, but if you don't do it, the one time you don't do it is the one time you'll need it.

“So I'll do a full day's prep for any game, but knowing full well that the likelihood is the vast majority of it, I won't need.

“A lot of people accuse commentators of using stats too much. I don't like to use huge numbers of stats, but if I do use them, I want to make sure that they are actually interesting and relevant.

“Commentary is a job where it doesn't matter how many games you've done and I've done thousands, you're always learning, you're always improving, and you're always understanding more what the audience wants.

“I think if you think you've cracked it, then you're wrong, because we're all learning all the time.”

READ MORE: BBC commentator Charlie Slater offers advice to aspiring broadcasters