COLUMBIA – Herman Phillips of Winnsboro, is one of six University of South Carolina graduates who were honored for their outstanding achievements at the 2024 South Carolina Honors College Homecoming Weekend Brunch.
Phillips, who grew up in the White Oak community in Fairfield County, is the co-founder and CEO of Cinapse, a cloud-based scheduling software company that is, according to an Honors College press release, revolutionizing the film and television industry. Phillips’ role in creating Cinapse earned him a spot on the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Prior to starting his own company, Phillips worked in the assistant director’s departments for shows such as The Mandalorian and Silicon Valley.
Growing up, Phillips, who now lives in Los Angeles, was home schooled and showed interest in film from an early age.
As a high school student, he began The Young Film Critics Association of Columbia, where students viewed and critiqued films. During high school and college, he produced in-house training videos for a large company in Lexington, SC. During the summer between his freshman, sophomore, and junior years of college, he worked in production in the television industry in Los Angeles.
Phillips completed Honors College in three years with a concentration in film and media studies, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2018
“These students are exceptional, but they’re also illustrative,” says Steve Lynn, dean of the Honors College. “Our students and our alumni are truly doing remarkable things. Their contributions span decades and disciplines, from journalism to public service.”
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized as a Distinguished Young Alumni by the University of South Carolina Honors College,” says Phillips. “The freedom to pursue my honors thesis on production technology and filmmaking sparked a passion that continues to drive my work in media and entertainment technology at Cinapse.
“I’m deeply grateful for the foundation the Honors College provided and am excited to support the next generation of innovators emerging from this remarkable community,” Phillips says.