Daniel Millican
Encyclopedia
Daniel Millican is an American writer/director in the film industry. His most recent film The Imposter Movie
, starring Kevin Max
of dcTalk is due to be released in late 2008. His previous movie Striking Range starring Lou Diamond Phillips
was released in 2006 by Sony Pictures. Millican's movies have played all around the world, distributed by companies Curb Entertainment, Artist View Entertainment, Sony Pictures, First Look Media and played on television, both cable and free TV like Lifetime Movie Network and Starz/Encore. Actors like Lou Diamond Phillips, Adam Baldwin, Sean Patrick Flanery
, Mimi Rogers, Joey Lauren Adams, Yancy Butler and Tom Wright have starred in Millican's movies.
and moved up to the Dallas/Fort Worth area before graduating high school. He began his interest in filmmaking while in junior high, writing skits and stories. While a junior in high school, Millican helped a college friend with a communications project and fell in love with the industry. He began writing scripts almost immediately. Millican attended three different high schools (Dripping Springs, Austin Anderson, and graduated from Kennedale
south of Fort Worth, Texas).
from 1983-1989 with a Bachelors Degree in Communications with a major in Radio/TV and a double minor in English and Drama. While at UTA, he was a member of Chi Alpha and met his wife Jill in the organization. He also took film electives and completed several short films.
Daniel Millican made the leap from Commercials and Music Videos to features in 2000. With his first film The Keyman: Finding Redemption http://www.the-keyman.com, Millican explored the issues of regret and abandonment on the streets and the destructive power of unforgiveness. That movie starred Adam Baldwin
and is being released worldwide by Artistview Entertainment out of LA. The movie was inspired by a near miss when Millican was a new parent. When the film was being cast, Millican chose veteran Los Angeles actor Tom Wright to play the role of a homeless man. Wright has gone on to have a role in every one of Millican's films.
Millican's sophomore project was the film A Promise Kept starring Sean Patrick Flanery
, Joey Lauren Adams
, Jeff Speakman
and Mimi Rogers
(The Gunman for US video). This movie asks the question, "Do we take justice into our own hands, even for the most noble causes"? Worldwide sales were strong and the movie was released on video in the summer of 2004. Lifetime Movie Network premiered the film on television in January 2005. The film was shot in and around Millican's birth city of Austin (even though he lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area) in the winter of 2002 and 2003.
Striking Range is drawn from Millican's experiences working in the corporate environment. In addition to Lou Diamond Phillips, the movie also stars Yancy Butler, Glenn Moreshower and Jeff Speakman. The working title of the movie was Bloodlines as Millican had weaved the central plot around a hereditary blood disease, porpheria. Later, as that plot point was moved back a little, the title was changed to Striking Range. The movie's central message is one of the devastating effects of narcissism
. The movie opens with a quote from 19th century theologian Charles Finney "the natural state of man is selfishness." This was from Finney's sermon entitled True and False Conversion.
The Imposter is Millican's fourth film and his first to be targeted for the Christian audience (although Christian themes are woven through all his movies). The movie's main character, Johnny C, played by Max, is a Christian rock star for a popular band called Grand_design. The plot mirrors the prodigal son story from the Bible with a few significant twists. "The Imposter" was released by PureFlix Entertainment in February 2010.
"Rising Stars" is the fifth film by Millican and stars Barry Corbin, Catherine Mary Stewart, Christian recording star Rebecca St. James and Fisher Stevens. The story centers on a group of older teens who are trying to make it big in film and music.
Millican has been compared to fellow Austin-native Robert Rodriguez
-as far as the technical areas. Like Rodriguez, Millican writes, directs, produces and edits his own features and even occasionally composes and performs the musical score.
Millican lives with wife Jill, his two children,and the large Newfoundland dog.
The Imposter Movie
The Imposter is a 2009 Christian film that was shot in January and February 2008 in and around Burleson, Texas. The movie stars Kevin Max, Kerry Livgren, and Jeff Deyo and is produced by Jeff Rodgers and Daniel Millican, also the writer and director....
, starring Kevin Max
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk...
of dcTalk is due to be released in late 2008. His previous movie Striking Range starring Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
was released in 2006 by Sony Pictures. Millican's movies have played all around the world, distributed by companies Curb Entertainment, Artist View Entertainment, Sony Pictures, First Look Media and played on television, both cable and free TV like Lifetime Movie Network and Starz/Encore. Actors like Lou Diamond Phillips, Adam Baldwin, Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery is an American actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone and for portraying Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as Bobby Dagen in Saw 3D.He is currently known for his role as Sam Gibson on The...
, Mimi Rogers, Joey Lauren Adams, Yancy Butler and Tom Wright have starred in Millican's movies.
Early life
Millican was born in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and moved up to the Dallas/Fort Worth area before graduating high school. He began his interest in filmmaking while in junior high, writing skits and stories. While a junior in high school, Millican helped a college friend with a communications project and fell in love with the industry. He began writing scripts almost immediately. Millican attended three different high schools (Dripping Springs, Austin Anderson, and graduated from Kennedale
Kennedale High School
Kennedale High School is a public high school in Kennedale, Texas. The only high school in the Kennedale Independent School District, it serves students in Kennedale and a small part of Arlington...
south of Fort Worth, Texas).
College
Millican attended and graduated from the University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
from 1983-1989 with a Bachelors Degree in Communications with a major in Radio/TV and a double minor in English and Drama. While at UTA, he was a member of Chi Alpha and met his wife Jill in the organization. He also took film electives and completed several short films.
Career
After graduating, Millican went to work in broadcasting and video/film production, in both small and large venue. Later Millican would be the General Manager for a production facility, directing and producing. Millican has won over 30 international awards for his writing, directing, editing and producing of films, television, music videos, commercials and corporate films.Daniel Millican made the leap from Commercials and Music Videos to features in 2000. With his first film The Keyman: Finding Redemption http://www.the-keyman.com, Millican explored the issues of regret and abandonment on the streets and the destructive power of unforgiveness. That movie starred Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin is an American actor, known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Ricky Linderman in My Bodyguard, Knowle Rohrer in The X-Files, and Marcus Hamilton in Joss Whedon's Angel...
and is being released worldwide by Artistview Entertainment out of LA. The movie was inspired by a near miss when Millican was a new parent. When the film was being cast, Millican chose veteran Los Angeles actor Tom Wright to play the role of a homeless man. Wright has gone on to have a role in every one of Millican's films.
Millican's sophomore project was the film A Promise Kept starring Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery is an American actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone and for portraying Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as Bobby Dagen in Saw 3D.He is currently known for his role as Sam Gibson on The...
, Joey Lauren Adams
Joey Lauren Adams
Joey Lauren Adams is an American actress who has appeared in more than thirty films. She is known for her distinctive, raspy voice and for her roles in View Askewniverse films, particularly Mallrats and Chasing Amy, with the latter giving her a Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination.-Career:She...
, Jeff Speakman
Jeff Speakman
Jeff Speakman is an American actor and a martial artist in the art of American kenpo karate and Japanese Goju-Ryu, earning blackbelts in each.-Early life:...
and Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers is an American movie actress and competitive poker player.-Early life:Rogers was born Miriam Spickler in Coral Gables, Florida, the daughter of Philip C...
(The Gunman for US video). This movie asks the question, "Do we take justice into our own hands, even for the most noble causes"? Worldwide sales were strong and the movie was released on video in the summer of 2004. Lifetime Movie Network premiered the film on television in January 2005. The film was shot in and around Millican's birth city of Austin (even though he lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area) in the winter of 2002 and 2003.
Striking Range is drawn from Millican's experiences working in the corporate environment. In addition to Lou Diamond Phillips, the movie also stars Yancy Butler, Glenn Moreshower and Jeff Speakman. The working title of the movie was Bloodlines as Millican had weaved the central plot around a hereditary blood disease, porpheria. Later, as that plot point was moved back a little, the title was changed to Striking Range. The movie's central message is one of the devastating effects of narcissism
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
. The movie opens with a quote from 19th century theologian Charles Finney "the natural state of man is selfishness." This was from Finney's sermon entitled True and False Conversion.
The Imposter is Millican's fourth film and his first to be targeted for the Christian audience (although Christian themes are woven through all his movies). The movie's main character, Johnny C, played by Max, is a Christian rock star for a popular band called Grand_design. The plot mirrors the prodigal son story from the Bible with a few significant twists. "The Imposter" was released by PureFlix Entertainment in February 2010.
"Rising Stars" is the fifth film by Millican and stars Barry Corbin, Catherine Mary Stewart, Christian recording star Rebecca St. James and Fisher Stevens. The story centers on a group of older teens who are trying to make it big in film and music.
Millican has been compared to fellow Austin-native Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
-as far as the technical areas. Like Rodriguez, Millican writes, directs, produces and edits his own features and even occasionally composes and performs the musical score.
Millican lives with wife Jill, his two children,and the large Newfoundland dog.