Phillip Lewis’ unplanned path to creative success
By Sarah Owens
By the time Phillip Lewis landed in New York City, the move felt less like a carefully mapped decision and more like a continuation of a pattern that had defined much of his early adulthood—trusting instinct, taking risks and figuring things out along the way. “It was just kind of like rolling with the punches,” Lewis says. “Honestly, it wasn’t very planned out by any means.”
Lewis, an Alabaster native and Thompson High School Class of 2018 graduate, now works as a creative producer in New York City, collaborating with fashion houses, agencies and global brands on everything from magazine editorials to large-scale campaigns. His path there, however, was anything but traditional.
After graduating from Thompson, Lewis enrolled at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, drawn primarily by the opportunity to continue his athletic career. “The reason I went to UAH was because I wanted to keep participating in track,” he says. But after an injury ended his career, his outlook shifted. “That kind of put things into perspective of, ‘OK, if I’m going to be going to school out here [without sports], could I do that?’ And the answer was no.”
Unsure of his next step, Lewis made an impulsive decision that would reshape his life—he moved to Los Angeles. “After the flight was paid for, I think I had $200 in my account,” he says, recalling how his mother questioned the decision. “It ended up working out, which is crazy. I don’t know, this is one of those God things where it was already predestined to happen.”
Originally drawn to the city after YouTube creators and the entertainment industry sparked his interest, Lewis began looking for internships in the area and arrived in LA in early 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down. At the time, he had planned to attend LA Film School, but those plans quickly unraveled. “COVID changed everything,” he remembers. “Then I realized how little—thankfully for my industry—college degrees matter.”
Instead of returning to school, Lewis leaned into opportunities already forming around him. “I was already working in the industry,” he says. “I’m already making money, like, I’m already doing things.”
His introduction to photography and media came through an internship at a small agency with an older photographer—an experience that helped shape both his skills and his boundaries. “It showed me who I didn’t want to be in the industry,” Lewis says, “and it also showed me how the industry could work.”
Lewis remained in Los Angeles until 2023, when another unplanned opportunity shifted his trajectory once again. After being booked to shoot fashion shows during New York Fashion Week, he experienced the city for the first time. “I had a very stereotypical New York Fashion Week experience,” he says. “I was going to parties; I was shooting all types of things. I was meeting all types of people.”
The experience prompted a conversation with his LA landlord—and an unexpected break. “I was talking to my landlord when I got back, because I was like, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about possibly moving to New York. I have some opportunities out there that I would love to experience,’” Lewis recalls telling his landlord. “He was like, ‘Honestly, if you’re serious, I’ll let you out [of your lease] for free, just let me know 30 days in advance.’ I think that same day I gave him my 30 days.”
Lewis sold or donated most of his belongings, including his car, and boarded a one-way flight to New York City.
Today, Lewis works under his own LLC as a creative producer, operating at the intersection of creative production and brand partnerships. “I work with fashion houses and agencies and some on the client facing side as well,” he says. “It’s about doing the creative [work], like any magazines that you see, Instagram ads, a campaign, or a photo campaign, a photo shoot.”
Among his most notable projects are a Nike campaign and a Vogue editorial, though Lewis is careful not to frame his success as an endpoint. “There’s so many levels to this,” he says. “I don’t know if I’ve had the ‘I made it’ moment yet.”
Life in New York, he says, has pushed him both personally and professionally. “I feel like I’ve hit my highest highs and also my lowest lows here,” Lewis says. “But I’ve also been fortunate to keep the core essence of who I am in the process.”
That grounding, he believes, began in Alabaster. Growing up in a smaller, slower-paced community shaped how he navigates larger, faster-moving cities. “We have a lot more societal rules in terms of hospitality,” Lewis says. “When I got to LA, everybody just thought I was nice. And I was like, I’m not really nice; I’m just being hospitable.”
Despite living across the country, Lewis remains connected to home. When he returns, his routine is simple. “Waffle House, definitely,” he says. He also makes time to walk Buck Creek Park, where he spent much of his childhood training for track.
When asked what advice he would offer students or young adults in Alabaster considering a leap into the unknown, Lewis doesn’t hesitate. “I’m a really big risk taker,” he says. “Nine times out of 10, I’ll risk it.”
He believes leaving home—even temporarily—is essential. “If you live in your hometown for the majority of your life, you have all these things placed upon you and your society, because people have known you forever,” Lewis says. “When I moved to LA, I was able to really figure out who I was, because I knew nobody there.”
For Lewis, the willingness to take chances—and the understanding that home will always be there—has made all the difference. “You should at least experience option B, because you can always go back to Option A,” he says. “It’s easier than you think.”
It’s a philosophy that has carried him from Alabaster classrooms to New York creative studios—proof that success doesn’t always follow a straight line, but it often rewards those willing to take the risk.