A Day in the Life of – Jamie Hurst

I oversee the effective output of AE3 Media’s editorial team, ensuring our content, insight, and events are aligned to audience needs and wider business priorities across our digital platforms and live events.

Alongside this, I continue to develop and nurture key client relationships across the AE3 Media portfolio, building long-term commercial partnerships with industry stakeholders.

I’m also involved in driving innovation and new product development, helping to evolve our proposition across both digital and live formats so the business continues to grow and adapt.

I’ve worked in mortgage and personal finance publishing for 23 years.

What does your morning routine look like?

I’m lucky if I wake up any later than 5 a.m.

If I’m working from home, I’ll usually squeeze in a 6 a.m. gym session. Between 7–8 a.m. it’s organised chaos – getting everyone up, fed, packed, and out of the house. I’ve got a 17-year-old son deep into A-Levels and a 12-year-old daughter with an impressive (and expensive) skincare addiction. From 8–9 a.m. I’ll walk Woody, our Golden Retriever, and then I’m locked in until lunchtime.

Mornings are very reactive – email triage, client conversations, and dealing with whatever the day throws at me. I’m productive early, but it’s very commercially driven and meeting-heavy.

What does a typical afternoon look like?

Any proper strategic thinking tends to get pushed into the afternoon. If I’m in the office, the day is usually spent collaborating with teams or client meetings/lunches. If we’re delivering events, all bets are off – you never quite know what’s coming next.

What do you find to be your most productive time of the day?

Definitely 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

How do you manage your time to ensure you have a good work / life / home balance?

With incredible difficulty. Outside of work, I’m the family’s personal chef, dog walker, taxi driver, life coach, tutor, and occasional party planner.

After having a stroke in 2024, I completely reset my priorities and shifted focus towards protecting my physical and mental health. Once I’d fixed myself, I became far more intentional about spending time with my family. The Kids grow up so quick and Life’s way too short to sweat the small stuff.

What is your favourite part of your working day in your role?

Delivering market-leading live events.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling at the end of an incredibly long day – seeing people smiling, networking, and enjoying themselves and knowing you and the team played a part in delivering something genuinely special.

What does a typical dinner time look like in your household?

I’m in charge of chef duties. Every night I try to juggle everyone’s expectations while delivering something nutritious and home-cooked (not always successfully) .

My current obsession is dough-based, baking fresh bread and spending hours in front of the pizza oven striving when the weather isn’t completely mizzle.

What do you do to unwind?

Beating myself up doing cardio and watching terrible reality TV (Below Deck is a personal favourite), and sleep!

If you could give one piece of career advice what would it be?

You don’t always need to chase the next big thing. Find your tribe. If you love the people you work with, you’ll never feel the need to go anywhere else.

That probably explains why I’ve been in this industry for 23 years.

How important has your support network been in helping you through your role?

Unbelievable.

After my health scare, you really appreciate how supportive people are, not just at home and at work, but across the wider industry too. It’s genuinely heart-warming how much people care and have your back.

Does your job require a degree?

I have a degree in Business Administration (despite bombing my A-Levels due to too much partying), but there are other ways into the role.