Bill Phillips (author)
Encyclopedia
William Nathaniel "Bill" Phillips is an American
entrepreneur and author. He is the author of the fitness book Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength
. He is the author Eating for Life, founder and former editor in chief
of Muscle Media magazine and the former CEO of EAS
, a performance nutritional supplement company. Bill and Shawn Phillips, his brother, also made a promotional movie called Body of Work which was filmed in Las Vegas
, Nevada and chronicled the very first EAS Challenge. On June 21, 2010, Phillips latest book, "Transformation: The Mindset You Need. The Body You Want. The Life You Deserve" was released.
, where he lived with his father Bill (often referred to as BP), mother Suzanne, sister Shelly and brother Shawn. His father, William Phillips Sr., worked for the Coors Brewing Company while taking law classes at night. He reached the level of corporate analyst at Coors, then quit to open his own law practice.
Phillips started bodybuilding
in 1982, then moved to Southern California to train at Gold's Gym
Venice beach (known as the Mecca
of bodybuilding) in 1983, remaining until 1986, a period during which Phillips admits to steroid use, at different times cycling on Deca Durabolin, Andriol, Sustanon
, and other drugs that helped him grow from 185 lbs. to 215 lbs. After not succeeding as a bodybuilder, the 21 year-old Phillips moved back to Colorado where he took classes at the University of Colorado at Denver, specifically the study of exercise physiology and sports nutrition - with an emphasis on steroid chemistry. He then began his publishing career.
On November 11, 2005, he married Amy Molen.
, Editor-in-Chief
TC Luoma
, Charles Poliquin
, Mike Mooney, and Michael Dullnig M.D. aka "Dr. X."
Muscle Media 2000 debuted in March 1992 and featured bodybuilder Lee Labrada
on the cover.
(a meal replacement supplement), and this relationship with readers helped it become the highest selling bodybuilding supplement ever at that time. It was later revealed however, that Phillips and the creator of MET-Rx, Dr. A. Scott Connelly, were in fact business partners, and the endorsements clever marketing. This partnership also included bodybuilders Lee Labrada
and Jeff Everson. It was around this time that Phillips began working with James Bradshaw (later of SoCal Supplements). Bradshaw was convicted of dispensing human and animal steroids without prescriptions in 1986. This eventually would lead to Bradshaw serving four years in a Louisiana
prison
, where he educated himself on marketing
. According to former Muscle Media 2000 editor-in-chief TC Luoma, it was Bradshaw who convinced Phillips to market MET-Rx heavily in the Natural Supplement Review, Phillips' supposed unbiased review of numerous bodybuilding supplements.
He also had the idea for Phillips to give the Review away for free to readers of Muscle Media 2000 providing the MET-Rx with addresses of potential buyers, and a large amount of advertising. Sales of MET-Rx rose exponentially. Bradshaw and Phillips had stumbled upon a very successful method of marketing to bodybuilders, and they, and original investors Everson and Connelly, got very wealthy. Their partnership was short-lived however.
Phillips and Connelly had an agreement that distribution of MET-Rx would be controlled, and that they would not sell it to retail outlets in order to keep supply low during the period of high demand created by the advertisements in Muscle Media 2000. Connelly however, had other ideas and began selling it to mainstream distributors and department stores. Phillips believed this move lessened its appeal to bodybuilders, and destroyed the "mystique" of the product. The two parted ways, and as part of the settlement, Phillips was legally bound not to mention the name of MET-Rx in his magazines (thereafter he would refer to it as "the leading brand"). But by then Phillips had his eye on another venture that would eclipse MET-Rx altogether - EAS.
By 1995 Phillips was a multi-millionaire, and was well known in celebrity and sports circles. Athletes like José Canseco
would contact Phillips for advice on steroids, and he also consulted with celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld
, John Elway
, Sylvester Stallone
and Demi Moore
.
In 1999 North Castle Partners purchased EAS for $160 million. Phillips retained about a third of the company, which he sold in 2004.
in EAS (though he remained on the Board of Directors
for a number of years afterward) to North Castle Partners for 160 million dollars and concentrated on his writing and on promotion of his books through his publishing company, High Point Media, as well as Value Creation, a branch of EAS. In 2004, he completely sold his remaining interest and is no longer involved with EAS.
Body-for-Life hit bookstores in 1999 and by 2003 it had sold 3.5 million copies in 24 languages. The book topped the charts in 11 different countries-including the United States
, England
, Japan
, Australia
, Greece
and Finland
. In 2004 USA Today
named it among the Top 15 bestselling books of the past decade.
In November 2003, Eating for Life: Your Guide to Great Health, Fat Loss and Increased Energy! was released. In the book Phillips offers his plan "to help inspire and guide even more people to improve their health and lift their quality of life to new heights."
In February 2006 Phillips announced his "Great American Transformation Experience" (GATE) with a goal to transform America's fitness from world's worst to first within 10 years.
On June 21, 2010, Phillips' latest book, Transformation: The Mindset You Need. The Body You Want. The Life You Deserve was released. A companion website, Transformation.com, that walks individuals through the transformation process was also updated. The site features a community dedicated to supporting its members' personal goals. On July 10, 2010, the book made the New York Times Best Seller list.
and by John F. Kennedy Jr. as one of America's most generous business leaders when EAS was honored in 1999 with a Newman's Own/George Award. The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce honored Phillips in January 2000 as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans. Phillips was also chosen to help carry the Olympic
torch on its relay across the United States for the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City. He has also donated $2 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur and author. He is the author of the fitness book Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength
Body for Life
Body for Life is a 12-week nutrition and exercise program, and also an annual physique transformation competition. It was created by Bill Phillips, a former competitive bodybuilder and owner of EAS, a manufacturer of nutritional supplements. It has been popularized by a bestselling book of the...
. He is the author Eating for Life, founder and former editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of Muscle Media magazine and the former CEO of EAS
Experimental and Applied Sciences
EAS is a large distributor of performance based nutritional supplements with approximately 300 staff, annual sales exceeding $300 million dollars and offices/distributors in 54 countries.-History:...
, a performance nutritional supplement company. Bill and Shawn Phillips, his brother, also made a promotional movie called Body of Work which was filmed in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada and chronicled the very first EAS Challenge. On June 21, 2010, Phillips latest book, "Transformation: The Mindset You Need. The Body You Want. The Life You Deserve" was released.
Personal life
Born in September 1964, Phillips was raised in Golden, ColoradoGolden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
, where he lived with his father Bill (often referred to as BP), mother Suzanne, sister Shelly and brother Shawn. His father, William Phillips Sr., worked for the Coors Brewing Company while taking law classes at night. He reached the level of corporate analyst at Coors, then quit to open his own law practice.
Phillips started bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
in 1982, then moved to Southern California to train at Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers originally started in California by Joe Gold. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment, group exercise classes and personal trainers to assist clients...
Venice beach (known as the Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
of bodybuilding) in 1983, remaining until 1986, a period during which Phillips admits to steroid use, at different times cycling on Deca Durabolin, Andriol, Sustanon
Sustanon
Sustanon 250 is a trade name for an oil-based injectable blend of four esterized testosterone compounds:* 30 mg testosterone propionate* 60 mg testosterone phenylpropionate* 60 mg testosterone isocaproate* 100 mg testosterone decanoate...
, and other drugs that helped him grow from 185 lbs. to 215 lbs. After not succeeding as a bodybuilder, the 21 year-old Phillips moved back to Colorado where he took classes at the University of Colorado at Denver, specifically the study of exercise physiology and sports nutrition - with an emphasis on steroid chemistry. He then began his publishing career.
On November 11, 2005, he married Amy Molen.
Career
In 1985 Mile High Publishing began with a small newsletter teaching bodybuilders how to use anabolic steroids. The newsletter was written and printed in his mother's garage. Funded with $180 he and his brother had made from mowing lawns, its original name was The Anabolic Reference Update. In 1991, Phillips began working with doctors and research scientists to develop performance nutrition products that could help athletes get better muscle-building and fat-burning effects from their workouts.Muscle Media 2000 ("MM2K")
In 1992, Phillips moved out of his mother's home and changed the publication's format and its name to Muscle Media 2000 (usually referred to as "MM2K"). The magazine used frank discussion of the underground aspects of bodybuilding such as the use of and even how-to smuggle steroids, and columns by writers such as The Steroid Guru Dan DuchaineDan Duchaine
Daniel "Dan" Duchaine was a former American bodybuilder, author, and two time convicted felon. Nicknamed the steroid guru, Duchaine gained worldwide notoriety due to his outspoken opinions on the use of performance enhancing drugs, and made numerous television appearances discussing the subject...
, Editor-in-Chief
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
TC Luoma
TC Luoma
Terrence Christian "TC" Luoma is the Editor-in-Chief of the online bodybuilding resource Testosterone Magazine , and of the printed magazine of the same name...
, Charles Poliquin
Charles Poliquin
Charles Poliquin is a Canadian strength training coach who has trained and/or consulted numerous world class athletes and professional sports teams. Poliquin, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, has trained Olympic medalists in 12 different sports, including gold medal sprinter Donovan Bailey. and...
, Mike Mooney, and Michael Dullnig M.D. aka "Dr. X."
Muscle Media 2000 debuted in March 1992 and featured bodybuilder Lee Labrada
Lee Labrada
Lee Labrada is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder winning 22 major titles and a former Mr. Olympia competitor, published author and current CEO of Labrada Nutrition. Labrada was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004...
on the cover.
MET-Rx
In MM2K Phillips highly endorsed MET-RxMet-Rx
MET-Rx is a brand name of nutritional supplements, originally produced by Met-Rx, Inc., a California company started by A. Scott Connelly, and sold several times since....
(a meal replacement supplement), and this relationship with readers helped it become the highest selling bodybuilding supplement ever at that time. It was later revealed however, that Phillips and the creator of MET-Rx, Dr. A. Scott Connelly, were in fact business partners, and the endorsements clever marketing. This partnership also included bodybuilders Lee Labrada
Lee Labrada
Lee Labrada is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder winning 22 major titles and a former Mr. Olympia competitor, published author and current CEO of Labrada Nutrition. Labrada was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004...
and Jeff Everson. It was around this time that Phillips began working with James Bradshaw (later of SoCal Supplements). Bradshaw was convicted of dispensing human and animal steroids without prescriptions in 1986. This eventually would lead to Bradshaw serving four years in a Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, where he educated himself on marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. According to former Muscle Media 2000 editor-in-chief TC Luoma, it was Bradshaw who convinced Phillips to market MET-Rx heavily in the Natural Supplement Review, Phillips' supposed unbiased review of numerous bodybuilding supplements.
He also had the idea for Phillips to give the Review away for free to readers of Muscle Media 2000 providing the MET-Rx with addresses of potential buyers, and a large amount of advertising. Sales of MET-Rx rose exponentially. Bradshaw and Phillips had stumbled upon a very successful method of marketing to bodybuilders, and they, and original investors Everson and Connelly, got very wealthy. Their partnership was short-lived however.
Phillips and Connelly had an agreement that distribution of MET-Rx would be controlled, and that they would not sell it to retail outlets in order to keep supply low during the period of high demand created by the advertisements in Muscle Media 2000. Connelly however, had other ideas and began selling it to mainstream distributors and department stores. Phillips believed this move lessened its appeal to bodybuilders, and destroyed the "mystique" of the product. The two parted ways, and as part of the settlement, Phillips was legally bound not to mention the name of MET-Rx in his magazines (thereafter he would refer to it as "the leading brand"). But by then Phillips had his eye on another venture that would eclipse MET-Rx altogether - EAS.
EAS
Phillips acquired Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) from founders Anthony Almada and Ed Byrd in 1996. He promoted the company's products through heavy editorial-style advertisements in MM2K, and led by flagship products like Myoplex (a meal replacement powder), the creatine supplement Phosphagen, and HMB this would eventually put him at the forefront of the nutritional supplement industry for more than five years.By 1995 Phillips was a multi-millionaire, and was well known in celebrity and sports circles. Athletes like José Canseco
José Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
would contact Phillips for advice on steroids, and he also consulted with celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
, Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
and Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
.
In 1999 North Castle Partners purchased EAS for $160 million. Phillips retained about a third of the company, which he sold in 2004.
Muscle Media
In 1997 Phillips was eager to expand his empire beyond the bodybuilding industry. MM2K changed from targeting the hardcore bodybuilder to the more mainstream exercise participant, and the July 1997 issue saw the magazine redubbed simply as Muscle Media. While Muscle Media 2000 at its peak had a distribution of 500,000 copies per issue, the change in direction alienated many traditional readers, and sales numbers reportedly declined sharply afterwards. Publication finally ceased in 2004 after the EAS company was sold a second time.High Point Media
In 1999, Phillips sold his majority interestShareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
in EAS (though he remained on the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for a number of years afterward) to North Castle Partners for 160 million dollars and concentrated on his writing and on promotion of his books through his publishing company, High Point Media, as well as Value Creation, a branch of EAS. In 2004, he completely sold his remaining interest and is no longer involved with EAS.
Body-for-Life hit bookstores in 1999 and by 2003 it had sold 3.5 million copies in 24 languages. The book topped the charts in 11 different countries-including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. In 2004 USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
named it among the Top 15 bestselling books of the past decade.
In November 2003, Eating for Life: Your Guide to Great Health, Fat Loss and Increased Energy! was released. In the book Phillips offers his plan "to help inspire and guide even more people to improve their health and lift their quality of life to new heights."
In February 2006 Phillips announced his "Great American Transformation Experience" (GATE) with a goal to transform America's fitness from world's worst to first within 10 years.
On June 21, 2010, Phillips' latest book, Transformation: The Mindset You Need. The Body You Want. The Life You Deserve was released. A companion website, Transformation.com, that walks individuals through the transformation process was also updated. The site features a community dedicated to supporting its members' personal goals. On July 10, 2010, the book made the New York Times Best Seller list.
Awards
Phillips has been honored by Paul NewmanPaul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
and by John F. Kennedy Jr. as one of America's most generous business leaders when EAS was honored in 1999 with a Newman's Own/George Award. The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce honored Phillips in January 2000 as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans. Phillips was also chosen to help carry the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
torch on its relay across the United States for the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City. He has also donated $2 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
.
Books
- Anabolic Reference Guide. Mile High Publishing, 1991.
- Sports Supplement Review. Mile High Publishing, 1997.
- Body-for-LIFE: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength. HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 1999. ISBN 0-06-019339-5 - Body for Life Success Journal. HarperCollins, 2002. ISBN 0-06-051559-7
- Eating for Life: Your Guide to Great Health, Fat Loss and Increased Energy! High Point Media, 2003. ISBN 0-9720184-1-7
- Transformation: A Path from Physical to Spiritual Well-Being. Hay HouseHay HouseHay House is a New Thought and Self-help publisher. It was founded in 1987 by author Louise Hay, when she self-published her books Heal Your Body and You Can Heal Your Life...
, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4019-1176-8
External links
- Transformation.com Bill Phillips' current website.
- MM2K and EAS: An Insider's View
- Entrepreneur Spotlight: Bill Phillips Is A Champion Building Other Champions.
- Interview with Ami Cusack
- Mr. Big Bill Phillips, the most successful fitness author in history Outside Magazine