An esteemed California-based publicist, Phillips chatted with Digital Journal about his illustrious career in public relations and the entertainment industry.
His publicity career started at Warner Bros. Records back in 1992, and the rest is history. Phillips went on to form his own company, Ken Phillips Publicity Group, Inc. in 1997, and he has repped some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment world. “As president of my company, it’s my job to make sure all of our clients are satisfied with their PR campaign, and that we are doing everything we can to get them national press and television coverage,” he explained.
The greatest aspect of his job involves working with creative and talented artists, and his proudest professional moments include securing his first job as a publicist at Warner Bros. Records, as well as forming his own PR firm, both of which afforded him the privilege to partake in some very memorable moments. “I worked with Joni Mitchell on her comeback album Turbulent Indigo which earned her two Grammy awards and also helped the Goo Goo Dolls become a household ‘Name,’ no pun intended,” he said, with a sweet laugh.
Phillips continued, “I was instrumental in the worldwide global press campaign for Sixpence None The Richer and the breakthrough success with their song ‘Kiss Me’ and am extremely honored to have worked with one of my rock ‘n roll heroes Joan Jett for over 16 years. In addition, Ken has represented such artists as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chevelle, Switchfoot, Hanson, Capital Cities, Pentatonix and many others who have achieved multi-platinum success.”
Regarding his plans for the future, the PR king said, “Our plans for the future are to continue to work with the amazing clients we have on our roster, as well as bring in a few new clients in 2016. We pride ourselves on having long-standing relationships with our clients, some of which have been with us for over 10 years.”
Most impressive about Phillips is that he does not really make any New Year’s resolutions, especially since he is always striving to be better in all aspects of his life on an everyday basis.
His advice for aspiring publicists would be to enroll in a psychology course in college as they will need those tools to deal with all the interesting personalities they will encounter in the music business. “I would also recommend a very long nap before diving into this profession because it’s one where you will work tirelessly, and still feel like there’s always more work to be done. The main advice though is to be extremely organized and focused,” the veteran publicist said.
Each day, Phillips is motivated by success. “I leave no stone unturned for my artists and it brings me great joy to take them to the next level in their careers and beyond. And, my two dogs motivate me,” he said, with a smile.
Speaking of success, he defined the word success as “loving what you do that makes you successful,” and he attested that he loves what he does for a living.
To learn more about the Ken Phillips Publicity Group, check out its official homepage.