Today we’d like to introduce you to Herschel Peters.
Hi Herschel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey really started through music, ministry and serving people. I began playing music in church at a young age, and over time that opened the door for me to grow far beyond just being a musician. I became involved in leadership, administration, media and communications, and I found myself helping organizations tell their stories more effectively. What started behind a keyboard taught me a lot about people, responsibility, excellence and what it means to serve consistently.
As technology and social media evolved, I naturally moved deeper into content creation and digital media. I started producing videos, developing social content, podcasting and helping build brands and platforms. That eventually expanded into sports media through 71 Sports Collective, which I co-founded with my brother, longtime NFL offensive lineman Jason Peters. Through 71, we’ve focused heavily on Texas high school football, highlighting athletes, coaches and programs while telling the stories around the game.
Today, I describe myself as an Educator, Leader and Creator. Education has become a big part of this current chapter of my life. I work in schools while finishing my bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies with a minor in Business Administration at Texas Woman’s University. Being around students has given me another perspective on impact and reminded me that leadership isn’t always tied to a stage, a title or a platform.
I’ve learned that life and purpose don’t always move in a straight line. There have been seasons of transition, disappointment, rebuilding and having to rethink what success looks like for me. But when I look back, the common thread has always been there: using what I have, where I am, to serve people, communicate well, create something meaningful and hopefully leave things better than I found them.
I’m still building, still learning and still evolving. I don’t feel like my story is finished at all. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m stepping into one of the most meaningful chapters of it now.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. A lot of my journey has involved learning how to keep moving when things didn’t turn out the way I expected.
There have been seasons where I gave a lot of myself to opportunities, organizations and relationships that I thought would lead somewhere long-term, only to realize that a season had ended or that I needed to move in a different direction. That can be difficult when you’ve invested years of your time, energy and identity into something. I’ve had to learn that being faithful to one chapter doesn’t always mean you’re supposed to stay there forever.
Education has been another part of that journey. My college path hasn’t been traditional or linear. I started later, transferred schools, stepped away for a period of time and eventually made the decision to go back and finish. At one point, it would have been easy to look at the timeline and feel like I was behind. Now I see it differently. I’m finishing with more life experience, more clarity and a much stronger understanding of why I’m doing it.
Working in media and creative spaces has also taught me that talent alone doesn’t guarantee opportunity or stability. You can do great work and still deal with closed doors, changing relationships, limited resources or moments where you have to rebuild. I’ve had to become comfortable creating without always knowing what the immediate reward will be.
One of the biggest lessons for me has been learning not to tie my identity to a title, position or platform. Things change. People change. Opportunities change. I’ve had to learn how to carry the lessons from one season into the next without feeling like starting over means I failed.
Those challenges have made me more grounded. I’m learning to value peace, consistency, integrity and being able to look at my life and know that I’m becoming a better version of myself, even if the path doesn’t look exactly how I once imagined it would.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
A lot of my work lives at the intersection of media, storytelling, leadership and culture. I’ve spent years creating content, producing video, developing social media, podcasting, working with live production and helping people and organizations communicate what they do in a way that actually connects with people.
That has also included podcasting through The MySpace Effect, where I’ve used concise conversations and commentary to explore culture, life, faith and the experiences that shape people.
I think one of my strengths is being able to see the bigger picture. I’m not just looking at a camera shot, a graphic or a social media post by itself. I’m usually thinking about the message, the audience, how everything fits together and what somebody should feel or understand when they see it. I enjoy taking an idea that may be scattered or unclear and helping turn it into something that feels intentional.
Sports media has become a big part of that creative work through 71 Sports Collective, which I co-founded with my brother Jason. Our bread and butter has been Texas high school football, and I really enjoy being able to capture more than just what happens on the field. There are stories behind the players, coaches, families and communities, and that culture is something we’ve tried to represent authentically through our coverage.
Music has also shaped the way I create. I’ve been a musician for more than two decades, and I think that background taught me timing, feel, discipline and how to pay attention to what’s happening around me. Those things carry over into everything from video editing to live production and storytelling.
What I’m most proud of is probably the fact that I’ve been able to build a body of work across different spaces without feeling like I have to become a completely different person in each one. Whether I’m working in media, sports, music, education or community work, I still bring the same values with me.
What sets me apart is that I care about both the quality of the work and the people connected to it. Excellence matters to me, but I don’t believe excellence has to come at the expense of authenticity. I want what I create to look good and be done well, but I also want it to feel real. At the end of the day, I want people to be able to see themselves, their story or their work represented with care.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I definitely haven’t gotten here by myself. A lot of people have played a part in different seasons of my life, even if their contribution looked different depending on the chapter.
My family has been a big part of that. I’m also grateful for the pastors, leaders and mentors who gave me opportunities when I was younger and trusted me with responsibility beyond just playing music. A lot of what I know about leadership, preparation, serving people and working behind the scenes came from being in environments where I had to learn by doing.
There have also been clients, collaborators, coaches, creatives and organizations that trusted me with their ideas and allowed me to help tell their stories. Every project has taught me something. Some people opened doors, some gave advice, some challenged me, and others simply believed in what I was doing enough to give me an opportunity.
And honestly, I’ve learned that support doesn’t always come from the places you expect. Some of the strongest encouragement I’ve received has come from people who had no obligation to give it. I don’t take that for granted.
So when I think about anything I’ve been able to accomplish, I see a lot of fingerprints on it. I’m grateful for the people who gave me opportunities, worked alongside me, challenged me to grow and helped me become better at what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/HerschelMPeters
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herschelmpeters
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HerschelMPeters
