Baker, James

Born in Barnet, James Baker is the son of veteran broadcaster Richard Baker.

He joined ITV’s breakfast station TV-am in 1984, working in their children’s department as a presenter on Splat (1984) and The Wide Awake Club (1984 – 1987).

He subsequently moved behind the camera as a producer at TV-am and left when the station closed in 1992.

He transferred to MTV Networks to become head of programming at Nickelodeon (1994 – 1996).

James was appointed head of programming at Sky One before becoming MD of Networked Media at Sky (1996 – 2005). In 2006, he attended the Harvard Business School AMP Programme.

James served as managing director, networked media at BSkyB (2006 – 2007).

Baker moved into media investment with Fleming Media and TwoFour54 in 2007, whilst also working with Al Gore on Current TV (2009 – 2011).

Between 2011 and 2021, James worked with German Media Group ProSiebenSat1 to establish Red Arrow Studios, a group of television production and distribution companies across the UK, Europe and the US.

In 2021, James established Silberhorn Media Capital to provide strategic and advisory guidance for global IP and media investors.

He is also the chair of Anyway Content in London and Los Angeles and a board member at media venture capital fund, IPR.VC.

Correspondence

Paul R. Jackson corresponded with James in August 2025 about his career.

As a child, did you ever go with your father into the TV studios? Any memories of that and who you met?

“I’m sure the main reason I ended up in media was the time my brother and I spent in TV studios, watching my father present the news and appear on wonderful shows like Morecambe and Wise.

“A studio felt like a natural place for me to be!”

Your father presented the Proms for 31 years (1964 – 1995) – did you ever attend the Last Night of the Proms?

“Yes, I was very lucky to attend a number of LNOTPs, tucked into the back of the BBC box where my father teetered on the edge of the balcony.”

Had you always wanted to get into presenting and how did your presenting role at TV-am come about?

“I joined TV-am as a post boy and was lucky enough to meet the amazing Anne Wood, who was the first head of children’s programming.

“She kindly gave me a chance to learn the ropes, and when she left, the great Nick Wilson gave me the opportunity to be a researcher and presenter on the Wide Awake Club.

“I had briefly presented a quiz show called Crack It (Splat), which was truly awful (mainly because of me), so I was surprised when Nick gave me the chance to be a presenter on WAC.”

Did you join along with Arabella, Michaela, Timmy and Tommy?

“My first WAC experience was with Arabella and Tommy – a great team and amazing teachers.”

What was the dynamic like within the group?

“I loved working with all of them, but the original team of Tommy and Arabella was the fondest memory. They were both truly cerebral and smart people and the show was smart and layered – a lot to do with Nick’s producing genius.”

Was it all pre-recorded at the TV-am studios and did you do a number of shows in one day?

“We were live – 7.30am every Saturday morning for nearly 2 hours – terrifying.”

How did you transition from presenter to producer and did you feel more comfortable behind the camera?

“I think I fired myself from presenting when I became a producer on WAC – it was obvious there were far better people available (my father agreed!).”

What did you do after you left TV-am before joining Nickelodeon in 1993?

“I briefly worked with Channel 4 on the launch of The Big Breakfast.

“Michael Grade was concerned it may not work. As it turned out it was a huge hit (mostly thanks to his genius in choosing it and the team), so it was obvious I wasn’t really needed there to check on them.

“Nickelodeon appeared as an opportunity as I was finishing at Channel 4.”

 

Personal information

Clips of James on The TV Room

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Online presence

Acknowledgements