I didn't take the traditional path. I dropped out of high school, earned my GED, and eventually graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago. Somewhere in between I figured out that the detours were the education.
Over the past decade I've built a career that doesn't fit neatly into one lane. I've written, produced and directed branded campaigns for LEGO and Riot Games across Asia Pacific, produced sales enablement content that closed million dollar enterprise deals for Fortune 500 companies, and more recently started doing the work I've always wanted to do, designing narrative for games.
Taking the long road gave me something I wouldn't trade. I learned early to put myself in other people's shoes, pay attention, and find what someone actually needs underneath what they're saying. It's why I'm drawn to character and emotional truth over spectacle. It's why people feel comfortable on my sets and through collaboration. And it's why I keep coming back to the same question no matter the format or the client: what does this person actually feel, and how do we earn that?
https://creativepool.com/magazine/inspiration/learning-the-unexpected-with-philip-giancola.23360
https://www.dareclan.com/post/journey-of-twists-and-turns-philip-giancola
