The Nine Network and wider Australian broadcast industry is in mourning following the passing of industry veteran and technical guru Phillip Storey.
Excelling in mathematics and science, Phillip graduated from Vaucluse Boys’ High in 1967 (where he may or may not have operated a pirate radio station) before undertaking studies in Law and Engineering at Sydney University and the University of NSW, respectively. He completed both his Broadcast Operator’s Certificate Of Proficiency (BOCP) and Television Operator’s Certificate Of Proficiency (TVOCP) with highest grades.
In 1968, Phillip, along with Bruce Jackson, founded entertainment technology company JANDS – Phil being the ‘S’ and Bruce the ‘J’.
Writing about Phillip on the company website, former Jands Executive Director Robert Young, said, “I sat beside him on my very first day at high school. Always ahead of the pack, [he] drove the teachers mad, convinced the headmaster he should take over the PA system and convert it to a radio station and the dimmer loft to a disco. He gave me my first job at Jands, developed all the early power amps and left the company in the mid 70s.”
Following JANDS, Phillip Storey joined the Nine Nertwork in the area of Network Technical Planning, including satellite and TV transmission, studios and electronics across Nine’s Australian and international operations.
His time at Nine saw him working alongside the Network’s Chief Engineer, the late Bruce Robertson, on projects such as the first live broadcast of the Australian rugby league grand final from Australia to Los Angeles in 1992, the launch of the Doordarshan/Nine Network Indian joint venture, Niine Gold, and trials of broadcast 3DTV in Australia.
In 2007, he went on to form his own consultancy, Storey Communications. An active member of the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE), Phillip is survived by his wife Paula and daughter Alex.
A funeral for Phillip Storey will be held 11.30am, Friday 7th July at St Peters, Watsons Bay, Sydney. Donations can be made to the Slavation Army and Black Dog in lieu of flowers.