Director Tamika Miller has joined Wondros Collective, the commercialmaking/branded content division of Wondros, for exclusive representation. She comes aboard a Wondros Collective roster under the aegis of executive producer Danielle Peretz.
Miller has already made her mark as a major new talent. She was selected as one of just six directors for the prestigious DGA/AICP’s Commercial Directors Diversity Program in 2018, an initiative created to increase directing opportunities for women and other historically underrepresented groups. The next year Miller earned a slot in SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase, which was unveiled at the DGA Theatre in NYC. Prior to signing with Wondros Collective, Miller directed independently and had a non-exclusive association with production house LAIR.
Miller was recently selected by the arts organization Motionpoems–the world’s leading producer of poetry films–to direct a short inspired by American poet, novelist and activist Marge Piercy’s poem “To be of use.” Previous Motionpoems films have premiered at renowned museums and film festivals around the world.
Miller began her career as a line producer for high-profile music videos and television commercials including brands such as Bank of America, Target, Verizon, Toyota, American Express and Old Navy. Miller successfully transitioned to her true passion, directing, with work that included spots for Dove out of Ogilvy U.K. and Schwartzkopf/Walmart for Viacom. In addition to commercials, Miller directed the television film Back to the Goode Life for BET. Upcoming in 2020, she is slated to direct the telefilm The Christmas Lottery for MarVista Entertainment.
An advocate for storytelling where women and people of color are at the center, Miller co-founded Black Films Travel–a conscious initiative that dispels the myth that Black films don’t make money overseas. In 2021, Black Films Travel will launch its inaugural short-film competition focused on stories about the African-American and/or African Diaspora experience, whereby two filmmakers will each be awarded a film grant to produce their short films.
Jesse Dylan, founder of the overall Wondros, said, “Tamika’s experience as a writer, director and producer for TV, film and commercials gives her a unique perspective that we celebrate. Her commitment to shared values creates a perfect fit, and we look forward to working together with her to bring impactful and meaningful stories to life.”
Wondros Collective EP Peretz added, “After I joined the team last fall, it became my personal goal and really a mandate to expand and diversify our roster of directors, looking for filmmakers and storytellers who can work across all genres and categories. Signing Lacey Uhlemeyer in the new year was the first step in this new direction. I am thrilled that we have signed Tamika Miller. Tamika and I both started out at Propaganda. She is talented, smart, passionate and very compassionate. Her work is exactly what we are looking for in terms of storytelling and narrative. She is also an excellent writer and we love that she has this skill in this ever-evolving advertising landscape. The more tools we have to support agencies and their creatives, the more opportunities become available to us.”
Miller shared, “Having been an independent commercial director, it’s wonderful to have a home in Wondros–to have support and the infrastructure for furthering my development as a creative. I gravitated towards Wondros because of their dual focus–branded content coupled with meaningful, human-interest campaigns that inspire and uplift. I’m also impressed with founder/director Jesse Dylan’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. As a director, who happens to be a person of color, I believe that systemic change for more inclusion in advertising comes from the top-down, when the gatekeepers–brands, ad agencies and production company owners–understand that diverse teams are more intelligent, creative and effective teams. When this is a priority across the board, everyone shines. This isn’t only a smart business decision, it’s a humane one. I appreciate that my point of view as an African-American woman brings a unique and rich perspective to the advertising landscape, and that Wondros sees this as an asset and not as a limitation. As a creative, and as a storyteller, my goal is to create authentic and impactful work in not only commercial advertising, but in television and film.”
The Wondros Collective directorial roster includes Dylan, Miller, Uhlemeyer, Lee Farber, Stephan Malik, Riess|Hill, and Sean Thonson.
