EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT – Jeff Miller

How long have you been at Mills James?

I’ve been at Mills James for a little over 10 years. 

What did your life look like before MJ?  

I previously worked for Luxottica Retail in their Corporate Communication department as a producer, videographer, and editor. I did many of the same type training and executive videos then, that I do now for our Cincinnati and Boston divisions with the difference being Luxottica sold eyewear. One of the passions I had while working at Luxottica was producing, shooting, and editing videos for OneSight their charitable division of the company that provided free eyewear to third world countries and underprivileged people. I’ve been to 26 countries, some of them being the most beautiful and some the most depraved and poorest in the world. It was one of the best experiences of my life seeing the gift of sight given to those who just needed a pair of glasses to see clearly. 

What led you to a career in this industry?  

When I was in high school, scouting led me to a TV production explorer group that operated out of a local cable access TV studio. I fell in love with the work so much so, that I quit the varsity soccer team to my coach’s dismay so I could work inside the TV production truck and direct the games instead of playing. From there I went to NKU and majored in Radio Television and Film and in my TV 1 class orientation I sat down at the production switcher in the TV studio and had it mastered in minutes. My adjunct professor noticed I was not the normal entry level student and asked me to meet him at WCPO TV where he worked the next day to talk. After an hour of editing a test package for him he hired me to edit local prime time TV specials, and I did that all through college and beyond winning many Emmys. After my time at WCPO I worked at several local production companies as an online editor, then producer. 

What is a project that you have worked on that sticks out to you? 

There have been many, but one that sticks out was a video for the Jim Walton House a Veteran’s home in Phoenix, AZ. A friend of mines brother died in the Gulf War and their family opened homeless veterans’ house in his honor to help vets get a hand up, not a handout. I volunteered my time to do a touching video to spread the word in hopes for donations and that other organizations would do similar projects. 

What is your favorite part of being a part of the Cincinnati and Boston teams? 

We are a fun group and together we do amazing work. I love being part of something special and working with some of the most talented people in the industry is incredible. Seeing our team grow, succeed, and get excited about what we do is the part I really enjoy. Everyone contributes, makes a difference and is appreciated. When you see the creative spark in an associate’s eyes, that makes all the long hours’ building a team worth it. 

Tell us about a professional success story that you’re proud of. 

• Our success story in Cincinnati and Boston and the massive growth we have seen is something I’m very proud of as we grow the Mills James brand. I’m proud to have a track record of helping to build many teams and divisions throughout my career. 

I have a few things that stick out to me for how I got here:  

• Each step along the way I’ve had great mentors that pushed me to never settle, always do better and not just be good, but be great.  

• I’ve lived by the old TV station adage that it isn’t done until it airs. I also love instilling a great work ethic in others and always push to the end of a project and lead by example.  

• I also use some of my father’s leadership guiding principles he taught me including my tag line, “be first, be best and be different and we will win”.   

Describe an interesting hobby or pastime that you have. 

I don’t really have a hobby I like to work and be productive in any way I can. I do love playing frisbee with my golden retriever, roller coasters, sci-fi or time travel movies and love traveling. I’m also known as a travel agent to friends, family, and coworkers as I find the best deals, best rates, with the best perks and best bang for the buck. 

What are you looking forward to in your future? 

Happiness and health with family and friends. In terms of work, since I’ve been at Mills James I’ve seen the company basically double in size which is amazing. I’d love to see us double in size again over the next 10 years.