Meet Jason T. Miller, composer/producer, of Woodland Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Miller.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jason. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began playing guitar when I was about 8 years old. My dad, Bruce Miller, is a composer/arranger, and I took an interest in music, very much due to growing up around seeing him work and watching session musicians come to the house to record. I was into rock and metal when I began, and took a handful of lessons while teaching myself songs and licks by my favorite artists. Around the 8th grade, I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan and everything intensified. I became super into his music and playing, and from then on, I was the “blues guitar” kid among my friends and teachers.

In the 12th grade, a favorite teacher of mine, Mike McDonnell, invited me to come to his blues/rock band’s practice in Santa Monica, which led to them inviting me to join them at a gig at The Malibu Inn. I was only 18, so my parents had to plead with the manager to let me in. After he gave the “ok,” I played 3 tunes with them, and they invited me to join the band. I played with them for about 5 years at clubs and bars around LA and the Westside. I had a blast doing that.

I studied Communications and Political Science at UCLA, and in my sophomore year, my dad was hired to score the new CBS comedy “Becker,” starring Ted Danson. He and the executives discussed the show having a gritty, raw tone to it, to reflect Danson’s character. They had a few of LA’s respected session guitarists audition after I provided a demo to show the producers, but the producers liked the “street,” and “unpolished” sound of my playing. They asked my dad if he’d be ok using my in the show’s score every week. He said, “He’s never done it before,” but they were alright with that, and that show (and the gig for me) latest 5-and-a-half seasons. It was an incredible experience and a lot of fun.

After graduating, I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing with my life, but know I wanted it too involved the entertainment industry in some way. I spent about 2 years kind of unsure until a show came along that was looking for a young, punky/pop sound. My dad was hired and thought it’d make sense to collaborate with me since the music was generationally relatable to me. It only lasted about 4 episodes, but it got me to realize I wanted to work in TV music, writing and recording.

I also interned in the A&R dept at Atlantic Records, so I got to see some of that side of the business, and I was getting started writing and producing songs in my bedroom studio setup. I began working with singers and other writers around town, and one of them was a rapper named Al Be Back that got a song we did to Kanye West. That led to the song being included on his multi-platinum selling “Graduation” album as a bonus/iTunes track called “Good Night.”

Shortly after that, another song I produced got to Ron Fair at Geffen Records after I recognized him outside an Italian Deli and he had Keyshia Cole record it. It’s called “This Is Us” and was released on her platinum-selling album “A Different Me.”

During this time, I continued to work on both the TV and record worlds. A few years later, I became involved in the commercial music field. Companies’ commercials I composed for include Honda, Pizza Hut, Kay Jewelers, Red Bull, and others.

Today, it’s a lot more of the same. I was co-composer on the CBS reboot of “The Odd Couple,” had a song released by Reba McEntire called “Promise Me, Love,” and have been actively scoring commercials and doing session guitar-work. Things are good, and I can’t complain much!

Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think “smooth” is something most composers (or even freelancers) would use to describe their paths! It’s a lot of hustling, persistence, and luck. So much of this business if out of my hands. For instance, I can get hired to score a show that doesn’t get past the pilot phase. Or, I can score a commercial that suddenly winds up not going to air.

I can write a song that I love that never sees the light of day; sometimes due to things that have nothing to do with the song, at all. A lesson I learned a while back was, “The people that often make it in this business are the ones who can stomach it.” That holds true for me. It’s a crazy business, and being freelance adds to some of the insanity of it all.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Jason T Miller – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I write music. That entails many things. One day I can be scoring a TV show; providing custom music throughout the show; theme/end-credit music, transitional cues, cues in and out of commercial breaks, etc.

Other days I can be writing music for commercials. Sometimes I’m asked to score to picture; meaning to hit certain cuts on the beat, and really accentuate what’s on screen. Sometimes the client is looking for more of a “song” type feel, that’s not “custom to the visual,” but sounds like a piece of music was simply dropped into the commercial and is much more “background” to the spot. On other days, I might be working on an original song to get to an artist or writer, or, on a song in collaboration with someone else. Then there are times I’m asked to provide guitar or other instruments to someone else’s work.

I think what I’m most proud of is the fact that the people I work with have shown a loyalty that tells me I’m doing something right (to them, at least)! Having a background in both scoring AND records gives me a bit of an edge to simply doing one type of music or the other, in that I understand the difference between the two. There are a lot of people that say they’re TV composers because they wrote a song that someone heard and it wound up in a show or movie. In my opinion, that’s not composing.

And since I write and produce songs, that can be an asset for a scoring job, as the need for an authentic sounding song may be needed instead of underscore. They’re two different processes, and having my hand in both is really important.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
This city is the center of this business! Sure, NY is talked about. Atlanta and Nashville for records are popular. But LA is the epicenter. And being in the Valley used to be viewed as “lesser than” living on the Westside or in Hollywood, where there’s more activity. These days, tons of your favorite composers, musicians, artists, athletes, etc, live in the Valley.

I love that there’s something for everyone here. The weather. The beach. The action. At the same time, all that great stuff has made it a bit tough to get around with the influx of people and cars over the years. I can’t imagine you haven’t heard this before!

I used to love living in Brentwood, but I go there now, and the fact that it may take 45 minutes to move a mile down Wilshire Blvd is something I simply can’t handle anymore! The Valley isn’t there yet, but there are a bunch of us trying to get around, and I don’t see it getting any easier!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jasonTmillermusic.com
• Instagram: @jasontm18
• Twitter: @jasontm18

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