Jim Castillo


Jim Castillo Phillips is an American certified broadcast meteorologist at KSDK 5 On Your Side in St. Louis, Missouri.
Before moving home to St. Louis, Jim enjoyed a successful career in three of the country's top five media markets -- WNYW in New York City, KCBS and KTLA in Los Angeles, and WTXF in Philadelphia. He also spent time in Seattle; first as chief meteorologist at KCPQ in Seattle and later a meteorologist at KOMO.
Castillo has won numerous Emmy Awards, Associated Press awards, a Golden Mic Award, and an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award. He's also lent his on-camera experience to film and television projects including, the CBS drama Criminal Minds and the BBC America series . While working full-time in television news, Jim also managed to land a few small roles in movies like Leap of Faith, Blink, With Honors, Duplex, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In 2015, Castillo left KTLA to get married and moved to northern Indiana where he became a commercial real estate broker. In January 2020, he moved with his family back to his hometown of St. Louis.
He is a SAG-AFTRA vested member and has been certified by the American Meteorological Society with the CBM Seal of Approval.

Early life

Jim was born to John and Judy in St. Louis, Missouri. His mother died on March 17, 2010 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. His father passed away in 2017 in Kansas. He has an older brother, John, and many cousins throughout the United States and Canada.
Some of his interests include jogging, yoga, working out at the gym, social media, music, acting, skiing, snowboarding, real estate, architecture design, making movies, genealogy and photography. He also enjoys being an active volunteer with local organizations.

Education and career

Castillo attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri on a leadership and academic scholarship and received his bachelor's degree, with honors, in Atmospheric Science. While in college, he was secretary of the Meteorology Club, a member of the Delta Tau Delta, fraternity and a cheerleader.
Castillo grew up loving sports, including soccer, gymnastics, diving, pole vaulting and scuba diving. His passion for weather sparked after a F-3 tornado struck his neighborhood and made national news on April 7, 1980. "I just wanted to know how and why it happened," he said in an article in Hispanic Times Magazine. "And how do I help people so this doesn't happen to them? I just really got into weather: seeing my neighbors, the rubble, people screaming and total panic. People were just freaked out. And I just had to get involved."
While in college, he began his career as an intern for the National Weather Service in Jefferson City, Missouri. He also interned in the weather department at KOMU, an NBC Network affiliate in Columbia, Missouri, eventually leading to his first on-air position as a weather anchor and host of a popular weekly exercise show.
His career began as a storm chaser across the Midwest and Texas, even earning a storm chasing card from the National Weather Service. Jim was the first meteorologist on "Good Day Philadelphia" at WTXF, the Fox Network station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he also hosted segments and conducted man-on-the-street interviews.
After nearly two years, he was offered his first chief meteorologist position at KCPQ, the Nexstar Media Group-owned station in Seattle, Washington. While at the station, he won his first individual Northwest Emmy Award for Best Weather in the Pacific Northwest in 1999.
In 2001, Castillo moved up to the number two media market, joining the CBS Network affiliate KCBS in Los Angeles, California as the chief meteorologist working on the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. In September 2002, Castillo accepted an offer at WNYW Fox 5 in New York City as the evening meteorologist. He stayed at the station for more than three years, where he was nominated for numerous Emmy awards, and, for the first time in a decade, the 10 p.m. newscast won a regional Emmy award.
From January 2006 until August 2009, Castillo worked as the morning meteorologist at KOMO in Seattle, Washington.
In June 2010, Castillo joined the weekend team as the first weekend meteorologist at KTLA, the oldest television station in Los Angeles, California. He also anchored the weather on the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. weekly newscasts.
Castillo married his partner in July 2015 and moved back to the Midwest where both were both raised. He worked as a commercial real estate broker at in Fort Wayne, Indiana for several years before jumping back into television.
In January 2020, Jim joined KSDK as a meteorologist, working on the 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows on Fridays, 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. shows on Saturdays, and the 5 p.m. newscasts Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Filmography

Castillo's passion for performing has also led to many roles in film and television over the past two decades. His credits include:
2014: Million Dollar Arm
2011: Criminal Minds
2011:
2010: Photo Booth
2003: Duplex
1994: With Honors
1994: Blink
1992: Leap of Faith KTLA’s Season of Sharing: Help for the Philippines

Awards

2015: KTLA-TV - Commemorative Emmy Award, Winner, KTLA’s Season of Sharing: Help for the Philippines)
2008: KOMO-TV - Emmy Award, Winner, Morning Newscast
2008: KOMO-TV - Emmy Award, Nominee, Morning Newscast
2008: KOMO-TV - Emmy Award, Nominee, Morning Newscast
2008: KOMO-TV - RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, Winner, Overall Excellence
2007: STAR 101.5 FM - 1st Place, Newscaster You Would Most Like To See Naked
2007: KOMO-TV - Emmy Award, Winner, Morning Newscast
2003: WNYW-TV - Emmy Award, Winner, Evening Newscast
2003: WNYW-TV - Emmy Award, Nominee, Weather Reporting
2001: KCBS-TV - RTNA Golden Mic Award, "Winner, News Broadcast
2001: KCBS-TV - Emmy Award, Winner, Evening Newscast
2000: STAR 101.5 FM - 1st Place, Newscaster You Would Most Like To See Naked
1998: KCPQ-TV - Emmy Award, Winner, Weather Reporting
1996: WTXF-TV - Emmy Award, Nominee'', Weather Reporting