“I saw the competition and was, like, ‘I’m gonna just go for this.’”
It’s safe to say Derin Adetosoye’s path into the media industry was anything but traditional.
Known for her work in motorsports, the London native stepped into the world of presenting after winning a competition for Formula E.
It was a life-changing opportunity that presented itself during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Prior to that, my background was not in [sports] in any way, shape, or form,” Adetosoye admitted. “[I] ended up in sports and have been here now for the last five years and absolutely love it.”
Adetosoye described it as the natural next step after spending years in front of and behind the camera, filming content for her YouTube channel.
It was a seamless transition. While Adetosoye may not have known every single detail about the sport, she was able to bridge the gap between the championship and a younger audience.
“I was able to just genuinely show up as myself and be curious in places I maybe wasn’t as familiar on,” Adetosoye added. “It was almost a space where I was allowed to bring that in.”
But that wasn’t the only responsibility she took on. Adetosoye was also the first black female presenter for an international motorsport rights holder.
Without realizing it, Adetosoye says she began holding herself to a higher standard, wanting to prove herself.
“What I found really helped me in that moment was almost reframing it,” Adetosoye said. “Whilst there are some people who maybe didn’t agree with the decision of me winning the talent call… there was also the other group of people who were stopping me, like, ‘My daughter, who’s six years old, watches you on TV and is inspired and feels that they can do what you’re doing.’”
That nontraditional entry into the world of motorsports also opened the door to other unique opportunities, including work with Formula 1 Academy.
“There aren’t many people that look like me right now, and so, things kind of really came quite organically,” Adetosoye remembered about the experience.
F1 Academy landed Adetosoye at the Austin Grand Prix in 2023, sharing the paddock with outlets such as Good Morning America and The Drew Barrymore Show.
It rekindled an interest in moving across the pond — and attending Columbia University’s journalism program in New York City.
“It feels like a now-or-never moment,” Adetosoye thought back on the decision. “By the grace of God, it all worked out.”
Adetosoye viewed the opportunity in the U.S. the same way she viewed her nontraditional entry into motorsports.
Since she already had real-world journalism experience, she viewed education as an opportunity to learn new things, challenging herself in different areas such as health reporting and American politics.
“Because at that stage I felt quite confident in my broadcast and digital media capabilities,” Adetosoye said. “I really honed in on learning things beyond my kind of world and areas of expertise.”
While motorsports is still a huge part of her life, Adetosoye says right now, she’s viewing the world as her oyster.
That includes working with the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, from purpose-driven campaigns to more lifestyle and cultural events.
“Motorsports is still a big part of my life, which has been really exciting,” Adetosoye added. “But just getting to approach it from a lens of contributing my passions and kind of combining my experience and expertise from the five years I was there with who I’ve evolved into now.”
As Adetosoye continues on that journey, something that has helped keep her grounded is her faith.
“There is no one way to do things, and I feel like when you put your trust in God and pray over your career and kind of trust that we are all on our specific journeys, it is something that I found has given me the confidence to maybe do things in a less conventional way,” Adetosoye said.
And while her interests and passions may change over time, one thing that will continue to stand out is representing young black women in the sports media industry.
“I always knew I wanted to work in media, it was only until I saw representations of myself doing it that it actually felt like a possibility.”