AN entrepreneur from Burnley who was mentored by entertainment mogul Simon Fuller is making waves of his own with his burgeoning talent agency.

Phil Ercolano’s company, Cassius Management is responsible for nurturing and managing stars from the world of sport, film and television.

The firm’s impressive client list includes football manager Iain Dowie, ex-Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning and former Big Brother contestant and model Imogen Thomas.

But the road to success for the 31-year-old has been a colourful one, having seen him flirt with careers in football, modelling and acting along the way.

Phil grew up in Burnley where his parents, a Yugoslavian former model and Italian restaurateur, ran the Manor Barn.

He boarded at Lancaster Royal Grammar School but returned home at 14 when the family business went bankrupt and his parents divorced.

While at St Theodore’s RC High, he worked three jobs and showed a flair for entrepreneurship, picking up clothes at markets and selling them on for a profit in the playground.

A talented footballer, he was also snapped up by Burnley’s Centre of Excellence and impressed in games against future stars including Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen.

But at the age of 16, he suffered double despair - the death of his father from a heart attack and a broken leg which sidelined him for a year.

With his dreams of becoming a professional footballer seemingly in tatters, he secured a place on the Harrods management trainee scheme in London.

Alone in the capital at just 17, Phil was spotted by a model agency and selected for a Paris show by fashion designer Paul Smith.

This foray into the world of fashion proved crucial as it led to a meeting with Simon Fuller, who launched the Spice Girls.

Phil said: “I wasn’t your traditional model. I would turn up for castings and get chatting to people, but I would be more happy if the other person got the job.

“I’ll never forget, I turned up for this audition with about 50 other people and I asked what it was for. Everyone turned around in disgust.

“They said it was for Simon Fuller but I didn’t know who he was. He kept me behind after the audition and we really hit it off.

“I’m forever indebted to him - he’s an inspirational man. He invested in me and helped me get to where I am today. I’ll never forget that.

“His management skills are second to none, so I learned from the best.”

Phil, who had been earmarked for a television career, moved in with presenter Holly Willoughby and actor Ben Barnes, who is now a Hollywood star.

But when he was 21 he rejected the chance to join the cast of S Club 7, instead choosing to set up his own business.

In 2006, after selling two spa businesses, he was headhunted by the then failing production company, Cellcast.

Within just 12 months Phil transformed the firm and in 2009 set up his own talent agency, Cassius.

He said: “I am a firm believer in things just naturally falling into place if you follow what you love.”