The Way I See It: Phil Lee

I was born in 1974 in a mining village in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. My mother was a primary school teacher and my father was a medical rep, then in leisure centre management. So I didn't necessarily have artistic influences in my family but I had great art teachers at school who inspired me. 

I went onto to study graphic design at Nottingham Trent University. Days before I graduated a friend working for XL Recordings asked if I'd cover him while he was away. I jumped on a train, moved to London and filled in for him in the art department. It was around the release of the Prodigy’s The Fat of the Land so I was thrown in at the deep end handling a lot of their marketing. 

I knew what a good music video was but I didn't know how to get them made. Richard [Russell] said, 'you’re a clever guy, you’ll work it out, just immerse yourself'. 

XL was part of a group of labels including Rough Trade, 4AD and Beggars Banquet so the in-house art department that serviced those labels was very busy. Once my cover period was up they asked me to stick around and I was fortunate to work alongside one of my design heroes, Vaughan Oliver. 

He was someone I’d studied closely and had written a dissertation about in my foundation year, so to work in his studio was a dream come true. I freelanced at XL for a few months, then they offered me a permanent role as a junior designer.

Part of the album artwork for the Lush album Split, designed by the late great Vaughan Oliver.

I spent six years in that role, then the designer and video commissioner at XL left and the owner Richard Russell, rather than replacing them both individually, combined the jobs into one more holistic creative role. So the artist or the management could just liaise with one creative lead. 

Back in those days, MTV was the only outlet. They were the gatekeepers.

This was 2003, it was pre-social media and websites and interactive DVDs were becoming a thing. So I was offered the role of Head of Visuals – a point person who’d help artists bring their ideas to fruition.

I had no experience in video commissioning. I knew what a good music video was but I didn't know how to get them made. Richard said, 'you’re a clever guy, you’ll work it out, just immerse yourself'. 

Day one, I introduced myself to people who’d worked in film and TV for years; held my hands up and said, 'I know nothing about this'. I could have tried to bullshit my way through it, but I probably would have got caught out. 

Back in those days, MTV was the only outlet. They were the gatekeepers and they’d often share what type of content they were looking for. 

I remember at one point MTV said they weren’t going to play any black-and-white videos. I'd have to relay this back to the artists, and say that monochrome couldn’t be part of the brief. 

Now there are people making videos in their bedrooms for tens or hundreds of pounds. And some of them are very good.

But XL was a creativity-led label so if the artist responded by saying they wanted a black-and-white video, we'd happily oblige – knowing full well we might struggle to get it aired. 

It was creativity first – worry about the rest later. 

I do feel privileged to have been in the music industry in the pre-internet era, it was a very different process to making video content now.  

Music videos can bypass the gatekeepers now. Anyone can make anything they want and get it seen. The problem of course is that there’s so much content that you have to try and cut through the noise.

The barriers have come down, not just from the artist’s point of view but from the filmmaker’s. Gone are the days when you needed hundreds and thousands of pounds worth of kit and access to artists was impossible. Now there are people making videos in their bedrooms for tens or hundreds of pounds. And some of them are very good.

Also, because of the way music is produced now, timelines are so short and there’s an expectation that you can get a visual accompaniment out for a piece of music instantly. 

In the music video production space we’ve all shot ourselves in the foot. If you’ve pulled it out of the bag and worked all hours for no money and delivered something at breakneck speed, then that becomes the benchmark. You've done it before you can do it again. 

Lee has worked closely with Adele from the very beginnings of her career.

Different commissioners have different styles. Some are a lot more hands-on and are very creative themselves, some are either wannabe, or former directors. I’ve never wanted to be a director, I see myself as a creative conduit for the artist. 

Of course, Adele is different now, she has to be different because the world treats her differently.

I started working with Adele when she was newly signed and hadn’t released anything. She’s gone from being a 16-year-old unsigned female singer songwriter through to probably one of the biggest artists in the world, so it’s been an interesting journey for me.

Adele logos throughout the years. 

I don’t really know Adele as anything other than the person I met on day one. Of course, she is different now, she has to be different because the world treats her differently. 

Although it’s great that people are able to create a high production aesthetic on relatively small amounts of money, I think it's produced an era of videos that have lacked great ideas.

XL had been known for working with underground, slightly left-of-centre artists, but Adele fitted in creatively with every other artist on the label, whether it was Jack White, Thom York, M.I.A. or Dizzee Rascal, in terms of the types of conversations and meetings we were having. The passion, the desire for creativity is the same, just the output was just for a broader audience. 

Drawings for early Adele logo designs. 

There are definitely trends in music videos. With the tech advancements in cameras, lenses, lighting etc, people can create content at a much higher quality than previous generations. This has sparked a trend for things to look and feel very cinematic.

I was very privileged to work with Michel Gondry on The White Stripes' The Denial Twist. He would challenge the medium  – he was never really bothered about how slick something was. 

Although it’s great that people are able to create a high production aesthetic on relatively small amounts of money, I think it's produced an era of videos that have lacked great ideas.

It’s often a topic of conversation in the commissioning world, it feels like that wave has never been replaced. There’s definitely been some great individuals that have come up in recent years but not as prolific as some names back in the 90s.

I’m a huge fan of Michel Gondry. I was very privileged to work with him on The White Stripes' The Denial Twist. He would challenge the medium  – he was never really bothered about how slick something was. It was more about the idea. 

I’ve always thought it would be great to work with Bjork. The work that she has done over the years is incredible. 

Oscar Hudson is one of the recent directors whose work I enjoy. I commissioned him when he was a newly-signed director and he’s gone on to make some fantastic music videos and commercials. 

Lee admires director Oscar Hudson, whom he worked with on the promo for Radiohead's Lift.

If I hadn’t become a CD, one profession I’d thought about was being an architect – until I found out you needed to be good at physics and maths and do eight years of training. 

I’ve worked alongside some amazing people but one human being who’s been a great influence on me is XL’s Richard Russell. Without me realising it at the time his thoughts and decision-making process influenced me. I often put myself in his shoes; thinking what would he do, what would he say? 

In terms of people I’ve not yet worked with and would like to, I’ve always thought it would be great to work with Bjork. The work that she has done over the years is incredible. 

All portraits of Phil Lee by Charlie Sarsfield.

I last cried when I left my job. It was so emotional saying goodbye. I guess having worked there for 21 years it was like leaving a family.

I kind of grew up with XL. I turned up here at 21 years of age. Met my wife, bought my house, got married, had kids… all those life changing things and the one consistent thing was that job. So it was a tough decision to leave there but one I knew I had to make. 

Creatives are very lucky people. It's a career that feels more like a hobby. 

XL is an amazing company and group of people and artists to work with. I’m very blessed and feel very privileged. But it’s also been amazing to find somewhere like Untold Studios, we're only three years old and it’s a young, exciting environment.

Managing a work/life balance has been a struggle. I have a boy and girl who have just turned nine years old and their birth was one of the greatest moments  in my life. 

Creatives are very lucky people. It’s a career that feels more like a hobby. Being able to do something everyday that gets you excited, that you feel passionate about can be very rewarding but you can easily get sucked deep into this work with the pressure of doing a good job and hitting deadlines. 

But it’s important to remember the maxim that your last words are never gonna be, "I wish I’d spent more time at work". 

My greatest weakness is probably that I can’t say ‘no’. Only in certain contexts, generally work related. People say ‘can you just do this for me...? I’ll usually agree to do it and then probably regret it when I’ve got too much on my plate.

It’s all about balance, isn’t it? You try to accommodate people, make them happy, but if you stretch yourself too thin you can’t give the best of yourself. You want to make sure that the people who you are working with or alongside are getting the best of you rather than just a little piece of you. 

I guess if there is one thing that makes me angry it’s litter. It can’t be excused. 

If I was UK Prime Minister for a day I would ban all fossil fuels – that would be a good start. My wife works in the environmental sector and I'd try to help preserve our planet or at least give my children a fighting chance of having a future.

Artwork for Kojey Radical's first full length album, Reason to Smile.

What makes me angry? I’m rarely angry. I never really hit great highs and the lows emotionally, or at least I don’t show it if I do. 

But I guess if there is one thing that makes me angry it’s litter. It can’t be excused. My problem is that I would love to go up and say something every time I see someone littering, but the thought of the potential fallout – especially living in London – it's not worth the risk. 

I’d like people to remember me as a nice guy. I don’t think that’s a bad way to be remembered.