DarwinLife and Home Magazine

He was born in the United Kingdom and received much of his film and television training and success in Holland, yet Phil Williams calls Darwin home.

With an Australian dad who worked around the world as an accountant for Shell and a Dutch mum, Phil had lived in England, Ireland and Venezuela by the time he was five, until his parents moved the family, which included Phil’s older sister, to Australia where they settled in Melbourne.

Young Phil thrived in all areas of the creative arts at school and went onto La Trobe University where he earned his Diploma in Media, majoring in video production. Phil was directing and editing corporate videos when the opportunity that would shape his film and television career came along in 1999.

A Dutch relative called with an offer to work in Holland for the world’s biggest TV production company, Endemol. “I don’t think I realized at the time just how amazing the opportunity really was or that I would end up walking in the shadows of some of the best directors in the business,” admits Phil. “I knew Europe was at the cutting edge of the film and TV game so I could not get on the plane quick enough.”

Upon arriving at Endemol, Phil was given a three month apprenticeship as a variety show director. He also had to learn to speak fluent Dutch. “Many people I directed and worked with spoke excellent English, but not everyone and a lot of the scripts and notes were written in Dutch, so I had to learn the lingo pretty quickly,” he says.

Not long into his apprenticeship, Phil’s talents caught the attention of his bosses and he was offered a permanent contract with the company. He stayed for four years, directing a host of live variety shows, galas and concerts.

Phil left Endemol after being headhunted to work for Eyeworks, another major European TV production house where he continued to produce and direct live Prime Time TV shows, documentaries and a host of TV dramas and sitcoms.

Following 10 years in Europe, Phil returned to Melbourne for a holiday and that when he met the “woman of his dreams” who kept him in Australia. “I met my partner Renae who told me she was moving to Darwin, so I thought I had better go too in case I lost her to a rich Territory cattleman,” he says with a cheeky grin.

That was in 2009. Since then Phil has set up his own production house named Vanilla Sky Productions. “It is actually named for a famous Monet painting which represents new beginnings, but most people associate it with the Tom Cruise movie,” he tells me.

Vanilla Sky Productions has been responsible for a swag of TV segments on Channel 10, 11 and One HD including Taming The Toll, NT Nomad and the NT Bucket List. Phil has also produced, directed, written, filmed and edited a host of local TV commercials, corporate and government videos.

He says he is thriving on the challenge of building his own business. “Running a business still comes with stress but it is different to the stress of directing a live Prime Time show to millions of people,” he says. “I am able to build relationships with clients and do work that is more personal and has more heart which is so exciting and so meaningful,” he says.

“I keep getting offers to go back to Europe but I am not temped because I love my life in Darwin and I love the opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to make great television here.”

Phil Williams

Vanilla Sky Productions Pty Ltd

Tel: (08)8941 5480 or 0458 893 933

www.vanillaskyproductions.com