Get inside the head of Warner Bros. TV development exec, Mitzi Miller

Development executive Mitzi Miller joined Women's Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) for a Q&A as part of WWFC's virtual workshop series.
In this interview, Mitzi shares how to best prepare for your general meeting and demystifies the development process
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ABOUT MITZI MILLER
Mitzi Miller is a best-selling author, celebrated journalist, veteran magazine editor, and well-respected TV/film executive. She served as editor-in-chief of two of the country’s historic African-American magazines, EBONY and JET. Miller co-authored five popular books and her novel “The Vow” was adapted into a Lifetime Network television movie and BET Network adapted her novel “The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life” into the television movie, “Angrily Ever After.”
In 2015 Miller made a successful leap from publishing to television and film when she accepted the position of Head of Development at Rainforest Entertainment. During her tenure at the production company, she sold and produced multiple projects including the popular BET drama series, “The Quad" and an untitled feature project with Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis at Amazon Studios. In 2021, she was named a vice president at Warner Brothers Studios in the TV development department. She currently serves as the host of the Peabody Award-nominated criminal justice reform podcast, 70 Million.
ABOUT WOMEN'S WEEKEND FILM CHALLENGE
Women's Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) works for gender equity by creating opportunities for women to bring their leadership, talents, and stories to the forefront of the film industry. WWFC places professional filmmakers on crews to write, shoot and edit a short film in one weekend and provides top-of-the-line equipment, insurance and workshops. This career-building opportunity is free for participants.
Since its first challenge in January 2018, WWFC has worked with over 700 women to produce 30 short films, which have been accepted to more than 90 festivals. This grassroots, bi-coastal movement combats the gender imbalance of the film industry by providing an intensive networking experience and telling women's stories on screen.
As a response to COVID-19, WWFC launched a popular virtual workshop series featuring Hollywood powerhouses in every role of production, such as Elle Johnson (co-showrunner, "Self Made"), Kasi Lemmons (writer/director, "Harriet"), Catherine Hardwicke (director, "Twilight"), Alma Har'el (director, "Honey Boy"), DeMane Davis (showrunner, "Queen Sugar"), Leslye Headland (co-creator, "Russian Doll"), Terilyn Shropshire (editor, "The Old Guard"), Alice Wu (director, "The Half of It") and many more.
Recently, WWFC launched a brand-new pilot accelerator designed both to help emerging writers advance their careers and to increase the representation of women and non-binary people in television. This program is geared toward writers with strong, completed pilot scripts who lack the industry connections to sell their series or break into the writers room. With the help of a panel of prestigious industry judges, WWFC selects 6-8 fellows to participate in a three-week intensive and have the opportunity to pitch to HBO, HBO Max, Netflix, Comedy Central, Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions, Sid Gentle Films, Element Pictures, Broadway Video, Jax Media, Fabel, Tornante, Good Fear Content, Semi-Formal Productions and more.