Meet Mitzi Miller of Los Angeles

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

Hi Mitzi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my career in the entertainment business as an unpaid intern at HONEY Magazine. I worked my way up the masthead to become the Entertainment Editor of the magazine. While there, I connected with two of my colleagues and co-authored my first book, THE ANGRY BLACK WOMAN’S GUIDE TO LIFE. When I left HONEY, I joined the staff at JANE Magazine. While there, my co-authors and I wrote our second book, the Essence Magazine bestseller THE VOW. After the success of THE VOW, I left JANE and started my own production and editorial consulting company, My Mother’s Child Productions. I was an entrepreneur for the next seven years. During that time, I freelanced for several major publications like Glamour, VIBE, Elle UK, and Essence. I also co-authored a three-book teen series entitled HOTLANTA. After working for myself, I was hired by Johnson Publishing Company to serve as Editor-in-Chief of JET Magazine. I held that position for three and a half years, and then I was promoted to Editor-in-Chief of EBONY Magazine. After six months at EBONY, I left the print publishing industry to work in television and film. I accepted the position as Head of Development at an independent production company, Rainforest Entertainment. From there, I accepted an offer from Warner Bros. TV Studios to join the scripted drama development team as a VP. I left WBTV last July. Two months later, in September, I was diagnosed with cancer. I successfully finished chemotherapy at the end of December. I have spent the last year recovering, resting, and creating a community that focuses on the inclusion of the pursuit of authentic joy in the definition of success.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
LOL, I’ve been blessed to be working for so many years; it’s impossible to recall them all.

However, my greatest challenges were being fairly compensated and staying optimistic and creative during times of industry contraction.

Like so many women, I was grossly underpaid for the majority of my career. However, because I was blessed to love my work, I found creative ways to overcome the disparity at the time. It wasn’t until the later years of my career that I finally started to demand fair compensation regardless of how excited I was about an opportunity.

I worked as an executive at the end of the golden age of magazines and during the recent writers’ strike, which, as we know, has completely changed the landscape of the TV/ film industry. During both periods, the intense sense of uncertainty about the future made many businesses very risk-averse. So, it became challenging to continuously ideate and execute fresh, bold ideas during those times compared to when things felt more stable and abundant.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
From a young age, I have been passionate about telling stories- especially those of Black people from across the diaspora, immigrants, women, and other marginalized groups. I’ve been blessed to share and curate these stories in print publishing, television, and film. Now, as I enter the fourth quarter of my career journey, I’m turning the lens inward. And as a full-time Ambassador of Joy, I coach others on how to prioritize the inclusion of authentic joy through my own story of perseverance in the face of devastating loss, battles with potentially terminal illnesses, and unexpected life plan pivots.

How do you think about happiness?
So many things- big and small- make me happy. Feeling the warmth of the morning sun on my face, playing with my rambunctious dog, reading a page-turner of a novel, binge-watching old episodes of Law & Order: SVU, spending time with my godkids, shenanigans with my friends, tight hugs from my family, receiving a clean bill of health from my doctors, traveling to different parts of the country/world, sharing the career wisdom that I’ve gained with aspiring creators, are a few on the list.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mitzimiller.com
• Instagram: @mitzimiller.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitzimiller1116
• Twitter: www.threads.com/mitzimillerco
• Other: TikTok- @mitzimiller.com