Spotlight: Phil Konya
Creative Director & Tiny Dancer
Spotlights are a chance to take a look behind the curtain and catch a glimpse into the lives of those who make working at Five & Done challenging, weird, and seriously wonderful.
Welcome to another edition of Five & Done Spotlight. Today we’re covering the interrogation of Phil Konya, Five & Done’s Creative Director. We used methods that might be called “cruel and unusual punishment” in some circles. Phil recalls the earliest days of Five & Done, working from home in his slippers, our first day in a real studio, to the day we won our first award (while also in his slippers). Phil was born in Indiana but spent much of his formative years in Hungary, where he learned to play football with gypsies and evolved his total fascination for all things design. Without further ado, here is the rarely sought after, never before seen, and only mildly anticipated interview with Five & Done’s Creative Director, Phil Konya.
Q: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Phil: A Police dog, but that all got ruined when my mom and dad told me I’d have to piss on newspaper. I watched a lot of “Dukes of Hazzard” growing up and Rosco had a Basset Hound. I wanted to be that Bassett Hound.
Q: What is your favorite podcast/last podcast you listened to?
Phil: “Ash Thorp’s- The Collective” Podcast . Specifically the episodes with Mike Winklemann. I did listen to “Serial”, but I tend to listen to more audiobooks than podcasts.
Q: Last book you read or listened to?
Phil: I’m in the middle of “House Industries- The process is the inspiration ”, I’m listening to it on audio book. I just finished “My Stroke of Insight” by Jill Bolte Taylor, she was a renowned doctor who had suffered a stroke. She was actually studying the stroke as it was happening, and contrary to what people believed she ended up making a full recovery.
Q: The Rolling Stones, or Beatles?
Phil: That’s a tough one, I would say “The Rolling Stones” for the drugs and “The Beatles” for the hooks.
Q: What music gets you in the zone?
Phil: Blues and soul, I got into James Brown at age 7. I started listening to Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters when I was around 12. I learned about a lot of music from movie soundtracks, we’d check soundtracks out at the library.
Q: Tell the story of your best day at Five & Done:
Phil: I don’t think there’s a “best day”, there are just a whole lot of good ones. I could say it’s the people but that’s an every day thing. Maybe when we won our first FWA, once we started to get recognition and a little validation. It felt like we were actually a studio.
Q: Tell The story of your First Day at Five & Done:
Phil: I was working out of my house in my pajamas. I don’t remember what the first day was all about, it was all a blur for me until we got into an actual office.
Q: What Harry Potter house do you belong to?:
Phil: I don’t think about Harry Potter.
Q: Describe your dream project, or your dream client:
Phil: It would either be tied to The Natural History Museum or something to do with The Children’s Hospital. The Make a Wish Foundation, The Smithsonian would both be super cool too. I like the idea of working on something that in’t about marketing.
Q: If you weren’t a Creative Director, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Phil: I’d be a shepherd, like herding sheep. You know how easy it would be to be a shepherd? I’d take naps, camp and make sure the sheep didn’t get eaten.
Q: What is something that are you irrationally afraid of and why?
Phil: Sharks, I know it’s not like they’re gonna come get me. I just don’t like them. I also have an irrational fear of heights which is crazy because the height isn’t what’s going to kill you, it’s the fall. My answers would be different if I was a shepherd. I’d be afraid of the economy, if people weren't buying lamb, wolves, bears, things like that.
Q: What conspiracy theory do you actually believe?
Phil: Did we really land on the moon? My other one is not really a conspiracy, but are we in someone else’s dream, Is this really reality?
Q: If you could time travel, where would you go/who would you meet and why?
Phil: Maybe I’d travel to the time they were building the pyramids. Figure out what the hell happened, and how they really did it. There are just so many theories that could line up.
Q: If you could have dinner with anyone in history who would it be?
Phil: Abe Lincoln, he was a fascinating president at a fascinating time. I got to see his exhibit at The Reagan Library. They had this pillow and the top hat he was wearing. You can see Lincoln’s blood on the pillow from the gunshot. I’d also like to have dinner with Churchill, it’d probably be in a bathtub.
Q: What are you really bad at, but enjoy doing anyway?
Phil: Dancing for my daughter, she likes it when you act like an idiot. If anyone here saw it they would think that I have mental problems.
Q: What is your guilty pleasure?
Phil: “The Voice”, that’s probably it. I like everything leading up to the competition, especially the blind audition stuff.
Q: A sugar daddy buys you nice things, what does a “Splenda” daddy buy you?
Phil: Mediocre shit. Off brand jeans, they would have a tight ass though.
Q: Who are your top 3 heroes?
Phil: Batman, because Batman, Jimmy Hendrix, because he influenced all the guitarists that I love now, and I don’t know…Steve Irwin.
Q: What was cool when you were a kid, but is NOT cool now?
Phil: Tire swings, wait those are still cool. I think 3 wheeler bicycles were cool. Mullets were cool, but I never had a mullet. However, I did have a perm. I am not hiding anything. I might have a picture of myself with with a perm somewhere in the Czech Republic.
* Authors note: we are still waiting on that photographic evidence, Phil..
Q: What are you proud of, but you never really get to talk about?
Phil: Building stuff, I just plastered our fireplace. The last thing I built was the barn door to my daughter’s room. I’ve always wanted to do that stuff, you can make it whatever you want.
Q: How did you decide that you wanted to get into design:
Phil: I really didn’t get into it, I was born into it and I was always doing it. As a kid I would sit in front of the TV and draw. I’d draw out and design sneakers or a full on living room design.
Fun Fact:
“When I was a kid my dad was a pastor. I remember making a card for my grandma that had the Easter Bunny in casket. I somehow confused the Easter Bunny with Jesus Christ”
If you liked this article, check out the rest of our feed at blog.fiveanddone.com. If you just like Phil, you can check out his website here and of course, Five & Done’s website here.
