In 2002, Phelan began her career in features at Furst Films, where she worked on the films The Cooler and The Matador.[2] Phelan later served as the director of television development at Varsity Pictures, where she developed the Spike TV series Blue Mountain State and the E! series The Royals.[2]
Phelan joined Awesomeness as its head of development and production in 2012.[2] There, she produced dozens of series for Awesomeness’ YouTube channel, including Side Effects and Foursome, the latter of which would go on to become YouTube Premium’s longest-running series.[2]
In 2018, Phelan became the SVP of Live Action Scripted Development and Production at Nickelodeon.[2] During her tenure, she oversaw the development and production of shows such as iCarly, That Girl Lay Lay, Danger Force, and Tyler Perry's Young Dylan.[3]
On June 14, 2022, Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins announced that Phelan had been tapped as the EVP and Co-Head of Live-Action Series and Films at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness.[1]