From newsrooms to boardrooms
Phil Carey has spent 40 years doing one thing: taking what's complex and making it clear. The medium has changed. His mission hasn't.
The beginning
Phil started where clarity is non-negotiable: in live television and radio. As a journalist, producer, and presenter across Australian and international media, he learned that if you can't make a complex story land in 90 seconds, you've lost the audience. Every word had to earn its place.
That discipline shaped everything that followed. The ability to find the core of an idea, strip away the noise, and deliver it with precision became the foundation of his career.
Building Cornerstone
In 1993, Phil founded Cornerstone Media to bring newsroom discipline to corporate communication. Over four decades, the company has been translating strategy into story for local and multinational companies, from boardrooms to town halls to global audiences.
But as the work deepened, Phil noticed a pattern. The leaders who communicated best weren't the most polished speakers. They were the most curious thinkers. They asked better questions, challenged their own assumptions, and arrived at messages that genuinely resonated because they'd done the hard thinking first.
The curiosity turn
When AI entered the conversation, Phil saw something most people missed. Everyone was focused on what AI could produce. Phil was interested in what it could reveal.
Used well, AI doesn't replace thinking. It mirrors it. It shows you your patterns, your blind spots, the assumptions you didn't know you were making. But only if you bring the right questions.
This insight became the foundation for The Curiosity Advantage, a book and a set of tools designed to help leaders use AI not as a shortcut, but as a thinking partner that makes human judgment sharper, not redundant.
What drives the work today
Phil now works at the intersection of communication, leadership, and AI. Whether he's preparing a CEO for a high-stakes speech, helping a healthcare team navigate difficult conversations, or writing about how curiosity creates competitive advantage, the thread is the same.
Clear thinking leads to clear communication. Curiosity is the engine of both.
“I've spent my career helping people say what matters. AI hasn't changed that. It's made it more urgent.”
— Phil Carey
The short version
Journalist, producer, and presenter across Australian and international television and radio
Founded Cornerstone Media, bringing newsroom discipline to corporate communication
Produced strategic video and communication for leading Australian organisations
Expanded into executive coaching, speech preparation, and leadership advisory
Pioneered frameworks for AI-human collaboration in communication
Publishing The Curiosity Advantage and launching AI-enhanced communication tools
Want to work together?
Whether it's a single advisory session or an ongoing partnership, it starts with a conversation.