Rumsey was born in California but grew up in England. As a teenager he volunteered during his summer holidays from school to work as a music teacher for the Elizabeth Johnson Organization where he taught approximately 40 exchange students from Yugoslavia, Italy, France and Germany. He also worked for the Alton Archaeological society working on local site excavations. It was during these years that Rumsey started DJ-ing at local clubs and, upon leaving college, pursued a broadcasting career with Radio Caroline as their ‘Roadshow’ DJ. In 1983 he returned to California to pursue his goals, starting as a DJ on radio stations KDHI, KQYN and KCSB, and as a news announcer for KWVE. During this period he completed a Broadcasting degree and became a popular Night Club DJ in Los Angeles where he also was one of the first DJ’s to pioneer and incorporate a MTV style music video mix show into a live club environment to sell out crowds.
In 1986 Rumsey studied with Farmers Insurance and passed the California State exam to become a licensed Fire, Casualty and Life Insurance Agent. He achieved the rank of number two Reserve Agent in production sales. He left the company in 1989 to focus on cable television production. He studied Television Production, learning lighting, camera and production techniques. After completing the course and working on a variety of cable TV shows in various capacities, Rumsey became Producer of ‘World Of Flying’, a weekly aviation show, and later produced ‘The Amateur Comedy Showcase’. He was also Production Coordinator for the ‘Bob Hope U.S.O. Show’ in Las Vegas and other celebrity and large arena events. In addition, he managed and developed the careers of two country artists and other acts, and upon the suggestion of Randy Travis’ Manager Lib Hatcher, Rumsey was nominated and accepted for membership to the Country Music Association.
In the late Eighties while pursuing his entertainment industry goals during the day Rumsey started working night shifts in IT for a Life Science Company.
During the day Rumsey created, produced and hosted the successful magazine format radio show ‘London Calling’ on KWIZ (Los Angeles), targeting the British community but surprisingly also attracting a large American audience (total audience estimated 450,000). He marketed commercials for ‘London Calling’ to such diverse companies as MTV, the Daily Express newspaper (International Edition) and Graham & James Attorneys. The show also supported nonprofit groups such as the British American Chamber of Commerce and the Grove Shakespeare Theater Group.
Rumsey has also appeared in the movies ‘Strange Days’ and ‘Tyson’ (HBO Films) and has freelanced as a Foreign Correspondent for Radio Mercury (UK).
In the late 1990’s Rumsey worked as Marketing and Publicity Manager and Consultant for ‘Bodyman Fitness Group’ and other small companies. He also assisted in the publication of a fitness book and the launching of radio and marketing campaigns.
Rumsey’s hobbies include flying, a highlight of which was piloting a former military jet (Folland Gnat), which saw service with the Red Arrows.
