The Learning Center's Phil Hyland on his acting career & the arts
Deep in the depths of the 2020 Covid pandemic while we were all stuck at home, Mr. Phil Hyland and his wife Robin Hyland found their own home in Chattanooga and moved from California to the CCS community. Hyland came from a community very similar to ours. Hyland was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and attended a Christian school named Trinity Episcopal. There he participated not only in his school soccer team, but also their theatre program. This is where he fell in love with the arts.
While he had already participated in his school's theatre program, a neighbor suggested that he should audition for a local play called Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon. After deciding to audition, he got the lead role. Working under the director, a New York City actor, he learned a lot about acting through his practices. While the school plays had helped him discover his passion, this play helped to develop it.
Following the play, he began to find local acting opportunities within Richmond. He got a small one line role in a NBC Civil War drama and was then admitted to the Screen Actors Guild. After a fellow actor encouraged him, he decided to move to Los Angeles when he was 19. There he acted in many different TV projects such as a CBS Schoolbreak Special which was his first substantial TV role. Despite his success in LA, he decided that he wanted to move to New York City in the 90’s. While he continued to pursue acting, he also decided to take up music as well. When Hyland explained his interest in music, he began by describing acting. He mentioned that “acting is kind of like football. They give you the play and you have to run it. Do it right and hopefully you don’t get a flag on it.” Music on the other hand was different. “It was an outlet for me to be creative while I was waiting on others to be creative for me (I.e, waiting for another acting role),” he said. While he was still performing, he still wasn’t able to fulfill his own urge to create. In response to this he began to bring a guitar to each set. He would play in between sets and when he wasn’t busy. He then began to write music.
“Acting is kind of like football. They give you the play and you have to run it. Do it right and hopefully you don’t get a flag on it.”
This passion for music soon unfolded into yet another aspect of his career. “Some people love the Wordle or doing puzzles,” Hyland says, “and that's what music is like to me, it's like doing a puzzle.” After writing just three songs, he then began to perform them at various open mic nights in the city to see how they landed with the crowd. After playing a few gigs, he realized that he wasn’t the best singer so he decided to seek out a vocalist. Later, he went to the opening of a children’s musical in the city and noticed an incredibly talented vocalist on the stage. After the show, she agreed to do some demos with him and eventually ended up creating a band named Girlfriend with her. This woman ended up becoming his wife.
While still acting, he began to play more gigs in various places and was offered new opportunities. He was well established in the New York cafe circuit, performing in the same cafe that broke artists such as Jeff Buckley only years before. His band Girlfriend also performed at Woodstock in 1998 and got an exclusive radio interview with Joey Ramone, a founder of the Ramones, a staple of his childhood. In addition to his appearance at Woodstock, he also was asked to open for Howard Jones, one of his favorite artists. Following his success with music, he and his wife decided to move back to California in 1999 where he took up a job working in studio logistics for Panavision and then Warner Bros.
While he worked for Warner Bros, his role was to help coordinate the logistics behind shooting movies and televisions shows, making sure that what needed to happen happened. Among others he worked with directors such as Christopher Nolan shipping sets and camera equipment around the world. During this time, he also worked on one of his favorite projects of coordinating the 25th anniversary marketing tour for the show Friends. As a part of this campaign, he was in charge of moving iconic set pieces from the show around the world, such as a mockup of the Central Perk Cafe and the famous orange couch. While others were getting photos with the set and couch, he was making sure it arrived at its next destination safely and on time. Some of these destinations were the top of the Empire state building, the Burj Khalifa, the Eiffel Tower, and the Willis Tower, just to name a few. As the pandemic hit however, this very in person job was disrupted and prompted his move to Chattanooga.
After hearing his daughter rave about Chattanooga, he and his wife decided to take a gamble. Mrs. Hyland flew across the country, toured a house, and made an offer on it. Mr. Hylands first visit to the house was the day he moved in–something he would not suggest anyone do. After his wife was hired at Chattanooga Christian School as a reading interventionist, he soon began his work in the Learning Center. While he never would have thought that he would have ended up working in education coming from Hollywood, he absolutely loves it. He still continues his work with acting on the local scene alongside his job at CCS. His acting now consists of acting in commercials and other short films in and around Chattanooga.
As far as advice for anyone considering a career in the film or music industry, Hyland suggests tapping into the local scene. He explained that you don’t have to live in Los Angeles, New York, London, or Paris to be successful. He explained that the connections and foundations that you have in your own home city are invaluable. Whether you realize it or not, the foundation that you have in your hometown is one of the greatest advantages you have. Hyland mentioned that this was the one thing that he wishes he did. He explained how without his hometown base of friends, teachers, mentors, parents, and employers, he became lost during his early years in Hollywood and deviated from his faith for a period of time - a mistake that he regrets to this day. In his move to Los Angeles, he explained that he was chasing fame. He also explained that, “The Fame game is a joke. It's not real and it is a taker. It is evil. Be an artist who loves Jesus.”
“The Fame game is a joke. It's not real and it is a taker. It is evil. Be an artist who loves Jesus.”
He also suggests joining a theatre program. He says that whatever you want to do with your life, theatre offers a great skillset. He also says that this is especially true at CCS. Hyland said that “This program is just on a different level. I would say Chattanooga Christian theatre is above community theatre in the level of professionalism, the level of talent, the production crews, the directors, the production coordinators, and everyone involved … I’m just blown away. It’s incredible.” Overall, he said theatre gives you an exposure to the arts. “It will change your life.” he said. "The arts have changed my life and have opened doors for me that have been really cool.”
To sum it all up, Hyland said that he would “Work locally, tap into a great network, don’t be afraid to get a mentor, don’t be afraid to talk to your youth group leader about stuff that's going on, make friends, put your hand out there and meet people strong in their faith and craft, and be a pro as much as you can at your current age…” As far as our time at school, he said that, “We are here to learn… to go out into the world and be the light, hands, and feet of Christ… I learned the hard way. You can maintain your faith and be a successful artist.”
