[8] In the early 1980s, Rosenthal was an actor in New York City before shifting his focus to production work, becoming a writer and producer of such shows as Coach with Craig T. Nelson and the short-lived Baby Talk.

[9] Rosenthal directed President Bill Clinton in a White House Correspondents' Dinner video, which was shown to wide acclaim at the April 2000 event.

[10][11] Rosenthal co-wrote the 9/11 telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes, which aired on all four networks, and won a Peabody Award and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing.

"[13][14] Beginning on September 28, 2015, PBS presented the six-episode television series I'll Have What Phil's Having,[15] in which Rosenthal goes to locations around the world to explore their food culture.

[17] He and the Rosenthal Family Foundation launched a national campaign called "Somebody Feed The People" to support organizations that provided meals to voters waiting in long lines during the 2020 United States presidential election, matching contributions up to $250,000.