Craig Miller, pioneer of Georgia’s film industry, dies at 69
Craig Miller was a busy man.
He ran a production company that was taking on more narrative work after years of mostly focusing on commercial projects. He held leadership positions on numerous boards and organizations and was an elder at Roswell Presbyterian Church. He had seven, soon to be eight, grandchildren, and routinely attended every baseball or football practice and game, ballet recital and school play.
Miller also never missed a meeting or an industry event, his colleague Darius Evans said. Come rain, shine or sickness, he was there.
“He was always a familiar face for a lot of us here,” said Evans, who is a producer and the co-president of the Georgia Production Partnership. “If you go to events, you’re going to see Craig Miller in the crowd, holding court, having a laugh.”
Miller, one of the champions behind Georgia’s film tax credit and the larger statewide industry, died Sunday at 69, his family confirmed. The cause of death was cardiac arrest.
He leaves behind his wife, Carolyn Miller, six children, his grandchildren and dozens of industry professionals he has mentored over the past several decades. His death prompted an outpouring of social media posts from many of them, waxing poetic about the impact he has had on their careers.
In a statement, Gov. Brian Kemp said Miller’s legacy will be felt for “years to come.”
“Georgia is mourning the loss of a giant in the entertainment industry — an industry that took root here and employed many hardworking people of our state because of his vision and contributions,” Kemp said in the statement.
Miller had been a mainstay in Georgia’s film industry since 1985, when he founded his eponymous production outlet Craig Miller Productions. He’s produced feature films, television pilots and documentaries, among other projects. His roster of clients span small businesses up to Fortune 500 companies, including Coca-Cola, CNN and the Weather Channel. Craig Miller Productions is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Miller was also one of the original founders of the Georgia Production Partnership, a lobbying group focused on enabling the growth of the film industry in Georgia. It was instrumental in getting the Legislature to pass the state’s first tax credit in 2005. He served two terms as president and was the chair of its government relations committee.
Miller is remembered as a thoughtful collaborator willing to sacrifice both time and energy to see others succeed, his own family included. He was a man of deep spiritual faith, which his loved ones and colleagues said reflected in his actions. He wanted to serve his community, whether it was the Georgia film ecosystem, his neighborhood, family or church.
He wasn’t introverted. With a grin, his son Ben Miller remembered him as unapologetically himself. He didn’t take himself too seriously and had no problem with self-deprecation. He showed up to his children’s career day with magic tricks up his sleeve and dressed up as Santa Claus every Christmas, even as his grandchildren slowly began to realize that it was, in fact, just their grandfather in a big red suit.
“He certainly believed laughter was the best medicine, and he was full of medicine,” Ben Miller said.
A familiar pattern emerges when industry professionals talk about Miller. He is often one of the first people they meet when they either become involved in the film industry or move to Georgia from other cities. This includes Brennen Dicker, the executive director of Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute, who moved to Atlanta from Chicago.
“Whether he’s talking to you or me or anyone, he would spend the time to learn and listen to you,” Dicker said. “We’re so busy and focused on what’s happening next. And he would take the time to focus on you.”
Miller was born in 1956 in Richmond, Virginia, and soon became the eldest of three boys. At the age of 10 he moved with his family to Georgia, where he became involved in the Columbus theater. This was his gateway into the world of production — it wasn’t with messing around with a Super 8 or working at a video store. It was through acting.
He graduated from the University of Georgia and took a job with American Family Life Assurance Co., now known as Aflac, working in their production department.
He then moved to Atlanta and began working with another company that didn’t suit him. He knew it was time to do something different, so he opened his own company. This was always his dream, Carolyn Miller said.
His first client was Callaway Gardens, the sprawling gardens and resort in Pine Mountain. Carolyn Miller calls the further growth of the company a “faith journey” — doors kept opening as he prayed for new opportunities.
Evans said Miller always represented what you wanted to become as an independent producer.
“I’ve been proud to see his development as an independent producer, really living the dream he had over 30 years ago to create a space in the state of Georgia where independent creators can flourish and be a part of the film and entertainment ecosystem,” Evans said.
Miller worked relentlessly to support his family and their endeavors, Carolyn Miller said. They chose to live on one income so Carolyn could stay home with their children, which was important to them. His kids had braces, cars and all graduated from university without debt.
“If he had to refinance the house or whatever he had to do, he never changed his business model,” Ben Miller said. “He never tried to upcharge people. He was going to do right by his clients and by the people that worked for him, even if it came at a personal sacrifice.”
Miller’s upbringing and personality gave him a useful skill in the political arena: He knew how to speak with and relate to lawmakers from more rural Georgia towns. Dicker, who is from Colorado, joked and said it’s not quite the same when he tries to do it.
“He had this ability to transcend, you know, urban and rural city, which was amazing to watch,” Dicker said.
His family intends to continue Craig Miller Productions. In honor of Miller, GPP and his family are establishing a memorial scholarship fund to benefit future student leaders in film. It fits with his ethos, his son said, which was all about giving people a shot and growing Georgia’s film industry.
“That’s what gave him joy. Helping other people,” Ben Miller said. “He didn’t do it so he could get the next job. He didn’t have an ulterior motive. He helped people because it genuinely made him happy. Helping Georgia film made him happy.”
About the Author
Savannah Sicurella is an entertainment business reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
