Director Tamika Miller has joined production house LAIR for commercial and branded content representation in the U.S.
Earlier this year, Miller earned a slot in the SHOOT New Directors Showcase on the strength of “Get Answers NOW,” her Amazon Echo spec commercial which was facilitated by the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP), the joint initiative of the AICP and DGA designed to create opportunities for women and ethnic minorities. She was one of just six Fellows chosen for the CDDP (from more than 400 applicants) in 2018. “Get Answers NOW” also earned Best Commercial distinction at the LA Femme Festival.
The L.A.-based Miller’s spot credits include such brands as Doritos, Nike and Lifetime. She also directed the TV movie Back to the Goode Life starring Kyla Pratt (Dr. Doolittle, Love & Basketball) and London Brown (HBO’s Ballers) for Black Entertainment Television (BET), which premiered this past spring.
Writer-director Miller began her career as a line producer and production supervisor for TV commercials (Samsung, Bank of America, AT&T, Toyota, American Express) and high–profile music videos (for artists such as Christine Aguilera). She made her film debut with a short narrative she wrote and directed, Gift for the Living starring Cannes Special Jury Prize-winning actress Irma P. Hall (Ladykillers), with voiceover by actress Vanessa Williams (New Jack City, Soul Food). Gift for the Living won the Showtime Black Filmmaker Showcase Grand Prize, gained airtime on Showtime and performed well on the festival circuit, winning the Outfest Audience Award for Outstanding Short Narrative.
Miller is currently developing her feature film Undercard starring actress/comedian Wanda Sykes in her first dramatic role.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More