Brent Miller (producer)

Miller was born and raised in Toledo, OH. He attended Bowling Green State University, graduating with a Bachelor's degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.[2] Soon after he graduated, Miller relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment.[3]

While working as a freelance event planner, Miller was hired to work exclusively in collaboration with Norman Lear in planning a series of events for Lear's 85th birthday. After the events concluded, Lear offered Miller a position with his company, Act III Productions.[4] Although there was no specific role for Miller, they continued their collaboration by co-producing the Declare Yourself Unofficial Presidential Inaugural Ball in 2009.[5][6] The event was hosted by Jessica Alba and featured live performances by Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Maroon 5, and other notable artists.[7][8][9][10] In addition to the celebrity performances, they premiered their music video, Born Again American, a song composed by actor and singer Keith Carradine.[11][12][13] The song was a response to the devastation of the 2008 economic collapse and the renewed sense of liberal patriotism inspired by the election of Barack Obama.[14][15][16] The video was co-produced by Miller and directed by Grammy Award winner and founder of Playing for Change, Mark Johnson.[17] It showcased 16 performers in 14 locations around the country in an American take on Playing for Change's international multimedia project.[18]

Miller and Lear continued their collaboration on short form content by executive producing Ronnie Butler Jr.'s satirical short film The Photographs of Your Junk (Will Be Publicized!) in the vein of Gil Scott-Heron's political poem The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The Huffington Post described the project as "a biting social commentary."[19][20]

In 2013, he created and executive produced the AXS television documentary series Tait Stages, which followed the employees of Tait Towers and their clients and the behind-the-scenes of designing and building large scale touring stage sets for international productions. The series featured artists Kelly Clarkson, Linkin Park, Metallica, Madonna, and Bon Jovi.[21][22]

As a follow up to his docuseries, he co-produced his debut documentary feature film Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.[23] The film, directed by Academy Award nominees Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing,[24] premiered at the opening night of Sundance Film Festival in 2016 where it received a standing ovation.[25][26] The film was later released theatrically, followed by a PBS broadcast on American Masters for which it was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, Miller's first Primetime Emmy Nomination.[27] The film examines the career of notable television producer, writer, and activist Norman Lear[28] and received rave reviews from multiple media outlets, including Variety who praised it as a "sprightly, brightly assembled celebration of the veteran showrunner,"[29] Matt Zoller Seitz who called it "a striking piece of work,"[30] and the San Francisco Chronicle who described it as "an entertaining look at an influential figure."[31]

That same year, he co-executive produced the first season of the documentary series America Divided, which was executive produced by Norman Lear, Common, and Shonda Rhimes.[32][33] With the use of celebrity correspondents, the series examined "critical societal issues," including the criminal justice system, education, housing, and drug addiction in America.[34] Miller returned as an executive producer for the second season in 2018 alongside executive producers Norman Lear, Gretchen Carlson, and Jussie Smollett. Notable correspondents included Norman Lear, Gretchen Carlson, Common, Rosario Dawson, America Ferrera, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Peter Sarsgaard, Jussie Smollett, Jesse Williams, Diane Guerrero, Nick Offerman, and Martin Sensmeier.[35][36]

Miller brought the idea of reimagining the 1975 CBS sitcom One Day at a Time to Sony Pictures Television, which owns the rights to the original series. The contemporary version, centered on a Cuban American family led by a female Army veteran, began production for Netflix in 2016 with Miller as co-executive producer.[37][38][39] Sony introduced Miller to writer Gloria Calderon Kellett and veteran showrunner Mike Royce who became co-showrunners on the series.[40] The sitcom stars Justina Machado and Rita Moreno and includes social commentary on a variety of topics, including veterans' issues, sexuality and sexism, PTSD, and the experiences in immigration and exile of Cuban Americans.[41][42][43][44] The show was renewed for a third season in 2018.[45][46]

In 2018, he executive produced the NBC pilot Guess Who Died, written by Norman Lear and Peter Tolan, which starred Holland Taylor, Héctor Elizondo, and Christopher Lloyd.[47][48][49][50]

Act III Productions currently has multiple projects in development and production including a documentary on Rita Moreno for American Masters [51][52][53] and an adaptation of Rain Pryor's one-woman show Fried Chicken and Latkes.[54]

• Act III Productions Official Site
• Brent Miller on IMDb