AboutBiography
Nicholas Phillips is a Houston based entrepreneur with interests in a variety of ventures from new media, to secure power systems and live entertainment. He co-founded the daily digital magazine CultureMap.com, is the founder of DreamSolutions USA, wattsON Power, and regularly provides consulting and advisory services across a variety of industries.
His career began as a self taught prodigy in theatrical lighting, scenic and projection design and his experience spans concert events, Broadway shows and tours, major ballet, opera, theme park extravaganzas, corporate/industrial theater, and architectural projects the world over. While still in high school, Broadway lighting legend Ken Billington provided an extraordinary catalyst when he invited Nicholas to a mentor-ship in New York City. From there he vaulted to the top of the industry and went on to design his first world premiere for Houston Ballet at eighteen years old, his first work at The Kennedy Center at nineteen, and his first world premiere for American Ballet Theater at twenty-one. Nicholas' second work for Washington Ballet, The Rite of Spring, was his career first joint lighting and scenic design and was recognized with the Metro Dance Award for Excellence in Stage Design.
Other clients of note include Disney Creative Entertainment and Grupo CIE/OCESA, the world's largest producer of live Spanish language entertainment. In 2010 Nicholas was instrumental in the creation of the live experience for the Mexican Government's Bicentennial celebrations. Nicholas was also a creator of the hugely successful Starbucks Mixed Media Series at Museum of Fine Arts Houston that saw an audience of more than 45,000 in and around the museum.
In 2004, just three years out of high school, Nicholas began to explore opportunities outside of theatrical design and production. Much like he had done with some of the world's leading theatrical designers and producers, Nicholas fostered relationships with leading international manufacturers of high-performance lighting technologies. These relationships saw him travel the world over consulting on the design, development, and marketing of some of the most innovative technologies and brands in lighting and, at twenty-one years old, he was featured as the youngest of Lighting Dimensions Magazine's "ten top under thirty professionals shaping the lighting industry".
As its Co-Founder, Nicholas invested more than three years in the development of CultureMap.com, a venture that is defining what it means to be a new media company with a groundbreaking hyper-local news website and publishing software platform. Focusing on the distribution of real-time, culturally-relevant breaking news and guides to the best of the city, Nicholas oversaw the launch of the "Daily Digital Magazine" as its President. In just its second year, CultureMap has become the leading source for real-time lifestyle information in Houston. In Q3 2011 CultureMap expanded to the Austin, Texas market through a joint venture partnership with LIN Media (NYSE: TVL) and has immediate plans for further expansion in Texas.
Nicholas heads DreamSolutions USA; the North American arm of a technology company focused on the development of software control systems. DreamSolutions' LightFactory control software product now has more than 5,000 licensed users worldwide and is licensed to a number of OEMs including Cooper Controls a division of Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE). Following his involvement in the Mexican Bicentennial, and seeing the opportunity to fundamentally change the way entertainment technology is distributed, integrated, and supported in Mexico, Nicholas entered into a partnership with NERD (Light and Control) to better support the growing Latin American entertainment production market from its Mexico City headquarters.
His latest venture is wattsON Power - "The Secure Power Company" promotes and distributes the Astronic utility-grade dynamic uninterruptible power supply. Astronic is a robust, battery and inverter-free UPS with a track record spanning more than 25 years and has proven itself in an installation base of the most critical of applications for some of the world's most demanding customers. wattsON represents the system's Mexican inventor and manufacturer who has a more than a 50-year legacy of pioneering dynamic electrical systems, motors, generators, and renewable generation technology. wattsON will introduce a wider audience to proven, simple solutions to the complex problems of secure continuous power.
Nicholas continues to be a frequent speaker on topics surrounding the entertainment, lighting, arts, media, and technology industries. His writing for the lighting trade has been seen in several publications, he is an automotive industry expert and member of the Texas Auto Writers Association. He has served on advisory and directorial boards for both for-and-not-for-profit organizations including PLASA, Penton Media, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Glasstire.com, Young Audiences of Houston, Houston Arts Partners, the Entertainment Technology and Services Association Foundation, The Menil Collection, and others. Houston Business Journal has honored Nicholas in their 40 Under 40 Class of 2012.
