Phil is a writer, editor and content lead based in New York and Woodstock. He writes a biweekly personal spirituality column, What Works, and is assistant coordinator for the New York City chapter of Contemplative Outreach. Phil has also been a political party leader, videographer, web developer, tech journalist, punk roadie, software designer, sheepherder, stockbroker and downtempo radio DJ.
A common thread in a number of these roles is the process of learning about stuff, figuring it out and then sharing that understanding with others. Whether writing a column or working on a small team, Phil is a lateral systemic thinker who sees the big picture, anticipates problems, and imagines fresh approaches.
A related thread is being a bridge or liaison between non-technical types — readers, management — and specialists — software coders, audio engineers, theologians, writers and graphic artists. By combining communication, people and analytical skills, Phil is able to speak to, understand and earn the respect of specialists, relate that information in a clear non-jargony way to senior management, and take their directives back to the specialists.
Phil has been practicing Centering Prayer for over 17 years. In addition to helping lead Contemplative Outreach in New York, he facilitates the Monday night Centering Prayer group at St. Ignatius on 84th St. and Park Avenue. Phil has led workshops for Contemplative Leaders In Action, Ignatian Young Adults and St. Ignatius Loyola parish in New York, and organized several retreats. The opportunity to accompany others on their spiritual journeys, helping a bit along the way, occasionally seeing the light go on in another’s eyes, is a gift beyond measure. Phil is a registered member of Spiritual Directors International.
As Director of Product Design at digital radio company Clickradio, one of the longer-lasting dot-com ventures, Phil was involved in top-level strategy work creating a leading digital radio network, dealing with everything from technical solutions for compressing, delivering and sequencing audio and video, to marketing and promotion, to making deals with record labels.
While Content Director for Housing Works, Phil led a total redesign project for the main corporate site and launched several other sites. He was a contributing editor for distance learning trade publication Corporate Universities International, and has edited and written web content for clients including Citibank, GTE and Human Factors International.
Phil was a founding member of the PC Labs at PC Magazine (now ZD Labs) and Technology Editor at leading trade-only publication Computer Reseller News. Phil was a principal author of the first edition of the Microsoft Computer Dictionary and wrote the landmark PC Magazine cover article about the Macintosh interface. He wrote the Mac and Tomorrow’s Technology columns at CRN and has edited or written hundreds of tech help articles, comparative reviews and columns. Phil was a Contributing Editor at Computer Shopper, and has written for InternetWeek, PC Computing, PC Sources, and Computer Retail Week. Before his editorial work, he was a programmer, IT Manager and QA Manager.
Phil developed and programmed Clickradio’s downtempo station, a popular eclectic format that featured non-dance electronic music, primarily trip hop with some acid jazz, exotica, singer/songwriter, neo-psychedelic and alternative hip-hop, building the playlists as well as producing station IDs and bridges.
Phil is a Final Cut editor and digital videographer. He was editor on the Nick Zedd film, Electra Elf 3, collaborator with King Missile in HERE’s curated series The American Living Room, maker of a documentary on spoken word artist Celena Glenn, and has directed, edited or crewed on a number of smaller commercial, documentary and narrative projects.
Banner photo © 2009 Phil Fox Rose
Headshot photo: © 2009 Sari Henry
About page photo: © 2006 Dustina Wessman-Smerdon
