“Creativity is super important, but you need to understand how to monetize.”
Phil Thornton, senior VP and general manager – RCA INspiration
Phil “Phillionaire” Thornton is the modern day Renaissance Man long thought to not exist anymore. Born with an incredible drive and a heart of gold, this media mogul has worked alongside and helped discover some of the most notable figures in Black entertainment. While in his current homebase of Nashville, Tennessee, as the senior vice president of RCA Inspiration/Sony Music, Phil linked up with THE BLOCK via Zoom to share some insights on how he got started in the entertainment business and how he has continued to elevate the culture.
“I grew up listening to the radio and actually my first internship was with a hometown station, WOWI in Norfolk, at 12 years old. So, radio was my thing, I’d listen to all the personalities and music that I was recording, and I was just obsessed with all things radio,” Phil kicked off the trip down memory lane.
“Fast forward to when I was in college at Norfolk State—because of my history [in radio] and me now working with labels doing promotions and marketing—I didn’t feel that young, fresh energy at our college station WNSB, which is still on the air to this day as Hot 91. At the time it was an all-jazz format, and I’m 19 at the time you know? It’s jazz! That’s my parents’ music! No slight to jazz, but I didn’t have the appreciation for jazz then as I do now, obviously (laughs),” Phil recalled.
That sudden place of discomfort was the perfect agitation Phil needed to stir up his entrepreneurial drive.
“I tell people I’m allergic to no.”
Phil Thornton
After noticing that nearby Hampton’s campus radio station also broadcasted jazz exclusively, and that WNSB’s broadcast was not limited to just Norfolk State, but across the entire “7 Cities” region, Phil and his close friend Kandi approached long time station manager Ed Turner with the idea of reformatting the station to something more relatable to the current times.
“To paraphrase, he basically told us, ‘Thank you for your interest, but this is what it’s going to be,’” Phil said.
That rejection led to Phil and Kandi developing a 50-page proposal and presenting it directly to then Norfolk State University President Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, who was completely enamored with the thorough research and outright enthusiasm of the pair. So much so that she immediately green-lit the funding necessary for the change to happen.
“The one condition? She needed me and Kandi to kick things off. She was like, ‘Since y’all want to go R&B and hip-hop, y’all need to get things started,’ he said. “We ended up with a show Monday-Friday from 3-7pm, and we were kind of like a Breakfast Club way before it’s time.
“Plus, I had a young friend at the time, a producer by the name of Pharrell Williams that would literally come in as a co-host with us and bring us exclusive music that he was working on directly from the studio.”
(May 30, 2018 – Source: Jason Kempin/Getty Images North America)
That budding pool of Virginia music and entertainment was bubbling at the perfect time for Phil and his dreams of excelling in the industry. From Pharell to Jay Pharaoh and even a young Allen Iverson, Phil’s foresight brought him squarely to ground zero of the inevitable boom in such a hotbed of talent.
“That proposal led to so much and that station, 20 years later, continues to live on and be an excellent training ground for a number of great people in the media community.”
From middle school to college, Phil was forged in the fire of media journalism, radio and record labels. From interviewing a then brand new R&B singer Monica for a regional magazine at the age of 13 to being tasked with working alongside the Notorious B.I.G. for Arista Records at the age of 15, the Phillionaire was not interested in the age-old adage “fake it till you make it.”
“What I would perceive to be rejection, I’ve always tried to find some way along the journey to turn that ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ or a ‘not now’ or a ‘not yet’. That’s how I was able to secure each of those internships. I had to call Arista six or seven times before they gave me that shot to even help out; and I wasn’t getting paid initially,” Phil exclaimed.
“These are all gifts that God has loaned me. They’re not mine.”
Phil Thornton
Having ideas is one thing, but having the true work ethic to actually accomplish a goal is something else entirely. Many of us come up with wonderful new concepts daily, but quite often find ourselves unable to find that missing link.
From that new T-shirt idea to the niche consulting company, it can indeed be tough when the trend line of ideas aren’t matching up with the bottom line of revenue.
But according to Phil, It’s never just about ideas and pure hustle. There has to be clarity and purpose within what you’re bringing to the table.
“Anytime I’m taking on a project, even though I do believe it’s divine, it is a gift—I always like to have some form of data to support the idea. I do the research, and I want to show “Hey, this celebrity speaks to this audience,” Phil explained when describing a series of pre-production meetings with LisaRaye of TV One back in 2008-2009.
“And at that time social media wasn’t that prevalent. There were certain metrics I could pull to show the breadth and the audience that LisaRaye had, but now you can look at Instagram, Facebook and Youtube and formulate whatever you need from a metrics point of view,” he added.
No great idea has ever come to fruition without a collaboration on some level … and those can’t happen without solid relationships.
Phil Thornton
On top of all of that, you must be open to ‘the collab.’ Phil has been able to flip nearly all of his early relationships into the perfect type of social currency necessary to get the co-signs needed to make moves.
In addition to his role at Sony, Phil has his own production company where he partners with several entities like Swirl Films, Think Factory Media, E1 and Jamie Foxx. In this industry, collaboration is king, and you have to be solid in your approach—something that Phil has never shied away from.
“I love partnerships, they’re super important to me. But it’s a certain feeling I get you know? There’s a lot of noise out here from Hulu to Netflix, Amazon or even ALLBLK, BET and VH1. And they all have original content. So when I’m considering a project, developing it from scratch, I’m always thinking, ‘Is this great enough to cut through all of the noise?’” Phil divulged.
“I’m always patient because I want maximum results.”
When asked for advice to those considering or in the midst of their entrepreneurial journey, Phil kept it neat and succinct with THE BLOCK.
“One, always keep God first, or whoever the higher power is that you worship. Keep your faith first. Secondly, study and learn the industry you want to be in. If it’s music, go and get Donald Passman’s book All You Need To Know About The Music Industry. If it’s tech, go and study the tech industry.
“Creativity is super important, but you need to understand how to monetize,” Phil continued. “Lastly and definitely not least, identify and find a mentor that excels in that respective field. Find that person that is willing to take you under their wing. You’ll be surprised at the amount of people that would love to pour into you and help you.”
No one ever said that it would be easy forging your own path in any particular industry. There is a level of passion, balance of time and measure of man required simultaneously to reach the upper echelons—and oftentimes, it’s not the vertical ladder of success we imagine. It’s more of a lattice, where you might have to travel diagonally for a period and have to pivot at key points. The key is to continue moving upwards, remain humble and never cease your learning.
The passion, the drive, the creativity, the solid reputation and the refusal to accept ‘no’ for an answer are what continue to place Phil into rooms he’s envisioned himself in since he was a kid. Most recently working with Mariah Carey on her newest Christmas song with R&B sensation Khalid, which only means one thing—winter is coming.
Are you ready to claim your own throne?
Follow Phil Thornton on IG @phillionaire1911 and Twitter @phillionaire. Check out his ‘State Of Black Music’ podcast here.
