We were lucky to catch up with Jay Miller recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents always supported me. I never had the issue like so many others of struggling to achieve the approval from their parents through a career path. Luckily I’ve always known what I wanted to do with my life at a very early age, so in a since they knew what they were getting into. There’s nothing I’ve done career wise that made them question whether or not I should be pursuing the life of a filmmaker, and at this rate I doubt they ever will. I’m incredibly grateful of my parents.

Jay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jay Curtis Miller and I am a film director, editor and screenwriter based in Nashville Tennessee. Since 2020, I have been writing and directing independent genre based (thriller/horror/slasher) short films as I gear up to make my first feature as a director within the next few years. From the moment I watched the ROCKY series with my dad at age 6 during a snowstorm, I knew cinema was an artform I would want to spend the rest of my life pursuing. I first got into this industry after I graduated from college and began directing and filming my own music videos for independent artists in Detroit. During those first few years out of college I built up an impressive portfolio that allowed me to move to Nashville and really hone my craft here. Since moving here in 2017, I’ve directed over 30 music videos for independent artists and have easily edited over 100 for some of the biggest names in country music.

I think there’s never a limit to preparation for any project, whether it’s a music video, a short film or even when it comes to writing. Having spent hours upon hours prepping and working with department heads before a single shot is setup really helps build confidence in the client before hand, so when it comes to the shoot day it’s mostly a breeze. Doing the intense level of prepwork upfront, and having a list a of solutions should Plan A go awry is the best way to problem solve for a client in my book.

Also, viewing the client as a co-collaborator and not as a client is such a helpful mindset to have. It allows the relationship to open up and flourish during the process, and ultimately brings a level of trust onto me as the creative I wouldn’t have otherwise. The more the client feels apart of the process the better the experience, and ultimately the final outcome, will be.

One of the projects I am most proud of is my latest short film I wrote, produced, edited and directed, MK ULTRA VIOLENCE. I first had the idea for this project in May of 2022, and I had just read Tom O’Neill’s book CHAOS on the hidden history of Charles Manson and MK-Ultra experiments. The story has just hit me like a lightning bolt and I immediately jotted down the beats of the story on my iPhone after a drive home from work. I would then spend the rest of the summer prepping the film, scouting locations, casting actors, rewriting the script, all on my own. It was an intense shoot, both physically and mentally (I lost 5 pounds by the end of the weekend and the rest of the week in bed), but the final outcome of the project has received an incredible response from festivals and peers. The best comment I received from a fellow director friend of mine who said “it’s bold, weird, and unique in the best way. To me it feels like a Carpenter and early Tarantino love child in the best way. Proud of ya for making movies and excited for you to make more!”

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The work itself. If you don’t LOVE the process of the WORK, then you should probably work in customer service and live for the weekends. Being an artist is about satisfying that undying need to CREATE, no matter the outcome, be it a success or failure. The worst moments of my life were periods when I had unfulfilled creative endeavors, so actively feeding that beast is vital for the lifestyle of any artist or creative.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Contact Info:

• Website: jaycurtismillerfilm.com
• Instagram: jaycurtismiller
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaybird1192
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-miller-7832a991/