David Mills (writer)
Encyclopedia
David Eugene Mills was an American
journalist
, writer and producer
of television program
s. He was an executive producer and writer of the HBO miniseries The Corner
, for which he won two Emmy Award
s, and the creator, executive producer, and writer of the NBC
miniseries Kingpin
.
, Maryland
after their home was destroyed by a fire. In 1979, Mills graduated from DuVal Senior High School in Lanham.
, where he was on the staff of The Diamondback
, the independent student newspaper
. He met frequent collaborator David Simon
while working on The Diamondback. While he was a student, Mills published This Magazine, a tabloid that failed after three editions. Later, he and a group of his friends published Uncut Funk, a zine that focused on the music of George Clinton
and Parliament-Funkadelic
.
After graduating, Mills became a features writer
. He worked for The Wall Street Journal
, The Washington Times
, and The Washington Post
. His coverage of race and popular culture at The Washington Post was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
in 1992. Among the many articles he wrote, Mills produced a number of controversial celebrity interviews.
, a member of the hip hop
group Public Enemy, for the Washington Times. During the interview, Griff made a number of antisemitic remarks, leading to criticism of the group.
and rapper
Sister Souljah
in 1992 for the Washington Post. During the interview, the two spoke about the race riots
that had taken place weeks earlier in Los Angeles
after a predominately-white jury acquitted four police officers who had been videotaped while beating a black motorist named Rodney King
following a high-speed car chase
.
The most controversial portion of the interview came when Mills asked Souljah whether violence was a rational response to outrage. Imagining the thoughts of a participant in the riots, Souljah said that it was:
Within weeks the interview achieved national fame — one sentence of it, that is. Democratic presidential candidate
Bill Clinton
criticized Jesse Jackson
and the Rainbow Coalition
for inviting Souljah to speak at its convention. Quoting Souljah as saying "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" Clinton said that "if you took the words 'white' and 'black' and reversed them, you might think David Duke
was giving that speech".
. The program was based on a book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
, by David Simon, a college friend of Mills. Simon was also a writer and producer of the show.
The program, called "Bop Gun
", which featured Robin Williams
as a guest star, aired in January 1994 as the second season premiere. Mills named the episode after a Parliament
song, "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)
"; one of the criminals featured in the episode claimed he shot someone in anger over the destruction of a rare record by Eddie Hazel
, a member of Funkadelic
. This was the first of many P-Funk
references that Mills would incorporate into his screenplays. Mills and Simon won the WGA Award
for Best Writing in a Drama for "Bop Gun". Mills said of the episode, "That script inspired me to quit journalism. It was a golden opportunity, even though I didn't know what I was doing. I developed bad habits as a newspaper feature writer. I would always stretch a project to fill the available time." Mills wrote two more episodes for Homicide, one each in 1995 and 1998.
, the co-creator of NYPD Blue
, tried to explain why there were so few African-American screenwriters. He said that "in the area of drama, it was difficult for black American writers to write successfully for a mass audience". In response to Milch's comments, which were made public by The Washington Post, Mills wrote a letter in which he challenged Milch's assumptions concerning Black writers. As a result, Milch hired Mills as a writer for NYPD Blue
.
Mills wrote nine episodes of NYPD Blue
between 1995 and 1997. In one of those episodes, "Closing Time", recovering alcoholic
Andy Sipowicz
begins drinking again and is beaten by a group of young men who steal his gun. Before the men confront Sipowicz, they are arguing about whether Bootsy Collins
or Larry Graham
is the better bass player. This is another one of Mills's P-Funk references in his work.
Looking back on his experience working on NYPD Blue, Mills would later write, "Milch didn't hire me just to get Jesse Jackson off ABC's back. He gave me a shot, I rose to the occasion, and he became a true mentor to me."
. He is credited with creating the character of "Rocket" Romano
.
into a miniseries for HBO. Simon invited Mills to co-write and co-produce the six-part miniseries, also called The Corner
. The critically acclaimed program, which ran during 2000, was awarded three Primetime Emmys
. Simon and Mills won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special, they shared the award for Outstanding Mini-Series with two co-producers, and director
Charles S. Dutton
won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.
In another P-Funk reference, Mills named his production company
Knee Deep Productions, a reference to Funkadelic's 1979 hit "(Not Just) Knee Deep
".
, a six-part series that aired during 2003, was a drama
about the head of a Mexican
drug cartel
and his business and family lives. It was expected to be network television
's answer to HBO's hit series The Sopranos
, but lackluster ratings forced NBC to cancel plans to extend the miniseries into a full-length series.
. He joined the crew of the fourth season
as a writer. He wrote the teleplay for "Soft Eyes" from a story he co-wrote with producer Ed Burns
. Mills and the writing staff won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2008 ceremony
and the 2007 Edgar Award
for Best Television Feature/Mini-Series Teleplay, both for their work on the fourth season.
He returned as a writer for the fifth season
in 2008. Mills wrote the episode "React Quotes
". Mills and the writing staff were nominated for the WGA Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2009 ceremony
for their work on the fifth season but Mad Men
won the award.
, a series that premiered on HBO in April 2010. The final episode of the show's first season was dedicated to him.
.
in New Orleans, Louisiana
, twelve days before the premiere of Treme.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer and producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s. He was an executive producer and writer of the HBO miniseries The Corner
The Corner
The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
, for which he won two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, and the creator, executive producer, and writer of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
miniseries Kingpin
Kingpin (TV series)
Kingpin is an American crime drama television series which debuted on the NBC network in the U.S. and CTV in Canada on February 2, 2003 and lasted 6 episodes. NBC's answer to The Sopranos and also influenced by The Godfather, Macbeth and Traffik, the story was about a Mexican drug trafficker named...
.
Early life
Mills was born in Washington, D.C. His family moved to LanhamLanham, Maryland
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
after their home was destroyed by a fire. In 1979, Mills graduated from DuVal Senior High School in Lanham.
Journalism
Mills attended the University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, where he was on the staff of The Diamondback
The Diamondback
The Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...
, the independent student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
. He met frequent collaborator David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
while working on The Diamondback. While he was a student, Mills published This Magazine, a tabloid that failed after three editions. Later, he and a group of his friends published Uncut Funk, a zine that focused on the music of George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
and Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums...
.
After graduating, Mills became a features writer
Feature story
- Published Features & news :While the distinction between published features and news is often clear, when approached conceptually there are few hard boundaries between the two. It is quite possible to write a feature in the style of a news story, for instance...
. He worked for The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. His coverage of race and popular culture at The Washington Post was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1992. Among the many articles he wrote, Mills produced a number of controversial celebrity interviews.
Professor Griff
In 1989, Mills interviewed Professor GriffProfessor Griff
Professor Griff is an American rapper and spoken word artist. He is a member of the hip hop group Public Enemy and head of the Security of the First World.-Early years in Public Enemy:...
, a member of the hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Public Enemy, for the Washington Times. During the interview, Griff made a number of antisemitic remarks, leading to criticism of the group.
Sister Souljah
Mills spoke with activistActivism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Sister Souljah
Sister Souljah
Sister Souljah is an American hip hop-generation author, activist, recording artist, and film producer. She gained prominence for Bill Clinton's criticism of her remarks about race in the United States during the 1992 presidential campaign...
in 1992 for the Washington Post. During the interview, the two spoke about the race riots
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
that had taken place weeks earlier in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
after a predominately-white jury acquitted four police officers who had been videotaped while beating a black motorist named Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
following a high-speed car chase
Car chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
.
The most controversial portion of the interview came when Mills asked Souljah whether violence was a rational response to outrage. Imagining the thoughts of a participant in the riots, Souljah said that it was:
Mills: But even the people themselves who were perpetrating that violence, did they think it was wise? Was that wise, reasoned action?
Souljah: Yeah, it was wise. I mean, if black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people? You understand what I'm saying? In other words, white people, this government, and that mayor were well aware of the fact that black people were dying every day in Los Angeles under gang violence. So if you're a gang member and you would normally be killing somebody, why not kill a white person? Do you think that somebody thinks that white people are better, or above and beyond dying, when they would kill their own kind?
Within weeks the interview achieved national fame — one sentence of it, that is. Democratic presidential candidate
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1992
The 1992 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1992 U.S. presidential election...
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
criticized Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
and the Rainbow Coalition
Rainbow/PUSH
Rainbow/PUSH is a non-profit organization formed as a merger of two non-profit organizations — Operation PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition — founded by Jesse Jackson. The organizations pursue social justice, civil rights and political activism.In December 1971, Jackson resigned from...
for inviting Souljah to speak at its convention. Quoting Souljah as saying "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" Clinton said that "if you took the words 'white' and 'black' and reversed them, you might think David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
was giving that speech".
Homicide: Life on the Street
In 1993 Mills wrote the script for an episode of Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
. The program was based on a book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad...
, by David Simon, a college friend of Mills. Simon was also a writer and producer of the show.
The program, called "Bop Gun
Bop Gun (Homicide: Life on the Street)
"Bop Gun" is the second season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 6, 1994...
", which featured Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
as a guest star, aired in January 1994 as the second season premiere. Mills named the episode after a Parliament
Parliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
song, "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)
Bop Gun (Endangered Species)
"Bop Gun " is a song by the funk band Parliament, the lead track on their 1977 album Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome. It was released as the album's first single. The song's lead vocal is performed by Glen Goins, his last performance on a P-Funk record.The Bop Gun is an imaginary weapon that...
"; one of the criminals featured in the episode claimed he shot someone in anger over the destruction of a rare record by Eddie Hazel
Eddie Hazel
Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic...
, a member of Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
. This was the first of many P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
references that Mills would incorporate into his screenplays. Mills and Simon won the WGA Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best Writing in a Drama for "Bop Gun". Mills said of the episode, "That script inspired me to quit journalism. It was a golden opportunity, even though I didn't know what I was doing. I developed bad habits as a newspaper feature writer. I would always stretch a project to fill the available time." Mills wrote two more episodes for Homicide, one each in 1995 and 1998.
NYPD Blue
At a professional writer’s seminar during 1994, David MilchDavid Milch
David S. Milch is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including NYPD Blue and Deadwood.-Biography:...
, the co-creator of NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, tried to explain why there were so few African-American screenwriters. He said that "in the area of drama, it was difficult for black American writers to write successfully for a mass audience". In response to Milch's comments, which were made public by The Washington Post, Mills wrote a letter in which he challenged Milch's assumptions concerning Black writers. As a result, Milch hired Mills as a writer for NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
.
Mills wrote nine episodes of NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
between 1995 and 1997. In one of those episodes, "Closing Time", recovering alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
Andy Sipowicz
Andy Sipowicz
Andy Sipowicz is a fictional character and protagonist on the popular ABC television series NYPD Blue. Dennis Franz portrayed the character for its entire run....
begins drinking again and is beaten by a group of young men who steal his gun. Before the men confront Sipowicz, they are arguing about whether Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
or Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
is the better bass player. This is another one of Mills's P-Funk references in his work.
Looking back on his experience working on NYPD Blue, Mills would later write, "Milch didn't hire me just to get Jesse Jackson off ABC's back. He gave me a shot, I rose to the occasion, and he became a true mentor to me."
ER
Between 1997 and 1999, Mills wrote four episodes of ERER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. He is credited with creating the character of "Rocket" Romano
Robert Romano
Dr. Robert 'Rocket' Romano is a fictional character on the TV series ER. He was portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Paul McCrane. Paul McCrane's removal from the main cast opening credits was in the 9th episode of season 10....
.
The Corner
During 1999, David Simon was asked to adapt his book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City NeighborhoodThe Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood
The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood is a book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon and former Baltimore homicide detective Ed Burns. It was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times.-Origins:...
into a miniseries for HBO. Simon invited Mills to co-write and co-produce the six-part miniseries, also called The Corner
The Corner
The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
. The critically acclaimed program, which ran during 2000, was awarded three Primetime Emmys
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
. Simon and Mills won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special, they shared the award for Outstanding Mini-Series with two co-producers, and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Charles S. Dutton
Charles S. Dutton
Charles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.
In another P-Funk reference, Mills named his production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
Knee Deep Productions, a reference to Funkadelic's 1979 hit "(Not Just) Knee Deep
(Not Just) Knee Deep
" Knee Deep" is a funk song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.-Song information:...
".
Kingpin
Mills's next project was the development of an original miniseries for NBC. KingpinKingpin (TV series)
Kingpin is an American crime drama television series which debuted on the NBC network in the U.S. and CTV in Canada on February 2, 2003 and lasted 6 episodes. NBC's answer to The Sopranos and also influenced by The Godfather, Macbeth and Traffik, the story was about a Mexican drug trafficker named...
, a six-part series that aired during 2003, was a drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
about the head of a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
drug cartel
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
and his business and family lives. It was expected to be network television
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
's answer to HBO's hit series The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, but lackluster ratings forced NBC to cancel plans to extend the miniseries into a full-length series.
The Wire
In 2006 Mills was reunited with Simon as part of the writing staff for The WireThe WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. He joined the crew of the fourth season
The Wire (season 4)
The fourth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on September 10, 2006, concluded on December 10, 2006, and contained 13 episodes...
as a writer. He wrote the teleplay for "Soft Eyes" from a story he co-wrote with producer Ed Burns
Ed Burns
Ed Burns is a producer, screenwriter, and novelist. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. They have collaborated on The Corner and The Wire . Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the Homicide and Narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher...
. Mills and the writing staff won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2008 ceremony
Writers Guild of America Awards 2007
The 60th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film, television, and videogame writers of 2007. Winners were announced on February 9, 2008.-Best Adapted Screenplay:...
and the 2007 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Television Feature/Mini-Series Teleplay, both for their work on the fourth season.
He returned as a writer for the fifth season
The Wire (season 5)
The fifth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on January 6, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008; it contained 10 episodes...
in 2008. Mills wrote the episode "React Quotes
React Quotes
"React Quotes" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by David Mills from a story by David Simon & David Mills and was directed by Agnieszka Holland...
". Mills and the writing staff were nominated for the WGA Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2009 ceremony
Writers Guild of America Awards 2008
The 61st Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film, television, and videogame writers of 2008. Winners were announced on February 7, 2009.-Best Adapted Screenplay:...
for their work on the fifth season but Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
won the award.
Conviction
During 2006 Mills wrote one script for the short-lived Conviction.Treme
Mills collaborated with Simon on TremeTreme (TV series)
Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans...
, a series that premiered on HBO in April 2010. The final episode of the show's first season was dedicated to him.
Book
In 1998, Mills and some of his fellow Uncut Funk authors edited various interviews they had conducted with P-Funk members over the years. The resulting book, George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History, was published as part of the For the Record series, edited by music critic Dave MarshDave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
.
Death
David Mills died of a brain aneurysm on March 30, 2010, at the Tulane Medical CenterTulane Medical Center
The Tulane Medical Center is a hospital located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Tulane Medical Center has centers covering nearly all major specialties of medicine, and is the primary teaching hospital for the Tulane University School of Medicine...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, twelve days before the premiere of Treme.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949... |
Outstanding Dramatic Series | The Wire The WIRE the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma... season 5 The Wire (season 5) The fifth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on January 6, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008; it contained 10 episodes... |
Shared with Ed Burns Ed Burns Ed Burns is a producer, screenwriter, and novelist. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. They have collaborated on The Corner and The Wire . Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the Homicide and Narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher... , Chris Collins Chris Collins (writer) Chris Collins is an American television writer and producer. He has worked on the HBO dramas The Sopranos and The Wire. He was an executive story editor for the Starz drama series Crash. He is a producer and writer for the FX series Sons of Anarchy.-Biography:Collins joined the crew of The Wire in... , Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy... , David Mills David Mills (writer) David Eugene Mills was an American journalist, writer and producer of television programs. He was an executive producer and writer of the HBO miniseries The Corner, for which he won two Emmy Awards, and the creator, executive producer, and writer of the NBC miniseries Kingpin.-Early life:Mills was... , George Pelecanos George Pelecanos George P. Pelecanos is a Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer... , Richard Price Richard Price Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the... , David Simon David Simon David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns... and William F. Zorzi William F. Zorzi William F. Zorzi is an American journalist and screenwriter. He worked at The Baltimore Sun for almost twenty years and covered politics for the majority of his career. He has also written for the HBO television series The Wire.-Journalism:... |
|
| 2008 | The Wire season 4 The Wire (season 4) The fourth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on September 10, 2006, concluded on December 10, 2006, and contained 13 episodes... |
Shared with Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Kia Corthron Kia Corthron Kia Corthron is an American playwright, activist, and television writer. She wrote an episode of The Wire entitled, "Know Your Place", as well as an episode of The Jury called, "Lamentation on the Reservation".-Biography:... , Dennis Lehane, Eric Overmyer Eric Overmyer Eric Overmyer is a writer and producer. He has written and/or produced numerous TV shows, including St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire, New Amsterdam, and Treme.-Biography:... , George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon and William F. Zorzi |
|||
| 2007 | Edgar Award Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America... |
Best Television Feature/Mini-Series Teleplay | Shared with Ed Burns, Kia Corthron, Dennis Lehane, Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon and William F. Zorzi | ||
| 2000 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Miniseries | The Corner The Corner The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,... |
Shared with Robert F. Colesberry Robert F. Colesberry Robert F. "Bob" Colesberry, Jr. was an American film and television producer and first assistant director notable for his work as a producer on the Emmy Award winning miniseries The Corner, the Peabody Award winning television series The Wire for HBO, and the Oscar-nominated movie Mississippi... , Nina K. Noble and David Simon |
|
| Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Shared with David Simon | ||||
| 1999 | WGA Award | Episodic Drama | Homicide: Life on the Street Homicide: Life on the Street Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale... episode "Finnegan's Wake" |
Shared with David Simon and James Yoshimura James Yoshimura James Yoshimura is a Japanese American writer and producer, best known for his screenwriting work on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street and the short-lived Fox series The Jury, for which he served as a co-creator. He also co-wrote Homicide: The Movie, a made-for-television film that came... |
|
| 1998 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Shared with Penny Adams, Neal Baer Neal Baer Neal Baer, MD is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Education:... , Christopher Chulack Christopher Chulack Christopher Chulack is an American television producer and director. He has worked extensively on ER and has won several awards.-ER:Chulack began working on the NBC medical drama ER as a director and producer with the first season. He was promoted to co-executive producer midway through the third... , Michael Crichton Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted... , Carol Flint Carol Flint Carol Flint is a American television producer and writer best known for her work on ER and The West Wing. Flint started her writing career with television series China Beach . After that series ended she started working on the television series L.A... , Lance Gentile Lance Gentile -Career:Gentile graduated with a BA degree in psychology from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He was a medical student at New York Medical College and completed his residency in the emergency room at Maine Medical Center in Portland... , Walon Green Walon Green Walon Green is an American documentary film director and screenwriter for both TV and films. He is currently the showrunner/executive producer for the USA Network television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Career:... , Jack Orman Jack Orman Jack Orman is an American television writer, producer and director. He worked extensively on ER, eventually becoming an executive producer.-Early life:... , Tom Park, Wendy Spence, John Wells John Wells (TV producer) John Marcum Wells is an American theater and television producer, writer and director. He is best known for his role as executive producer and show runner of the television series ER, Third Watch, and The West Wing. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in... and Lydia Woodward Lydia Woodward Lydia Woodward is an Emmy Award winning television writer and producer. She has worked as both a writer and producer on the primetime serial ER.-Positions held:*Pan Am *The Riches... |
|
| 1997 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan... |
Shared with Steven Bochco Steven Bochco Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock.... , Bill Clark Bill Clark Clark joined the New York City Police Department in 1969. He worked a special undercover assignment for two years before entering the Police Academy. In 1972 he earned his gold detective shield. On December 31, 1994, Clark retired from the Queens Homicide Detective Squad as a First Grade... , Steven DePaul Steven DePaul Steven DePaul is an Emmy Award winning American television director and producer. He is a regular director for Bones and The Unit. He was a longstanding producer and director on NYPD Blue. In his capacity as producer of NYPD Blue he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995... , Robert J. Doherty Robert J. Doherty Robert J. Doherty is an American photographer, scholar and museum professional. His photographic work was first shown at Watertown, Connecticut, then at The Arts Club of Louisville, Louisville Art Center Association School, and at the Allen R. Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville... , David Milch David Milch David S. Milch is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including NYPD Blue and Deadwood.-Biography:... , Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck is an American playwright, television writer and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award.-Biography:... , Michael M. Robin Michael M. Robin Michael M. Robin is an American television producer and director, most notable for his work as an executive producer on the FX series, Nip/Tuck where he is also a frequent director. Robin is also currently an executive producer/director on the TNT series, The Closer... , Mark Tinker Mark Tinker Mark Tinker is an American television producer and director. Tinker was an executive producer and regular director on the HBO original series, Deadwood. Prior to Deadwood, Tinker served as a director/producer on NYPD Blue which was co-created by Deadwood writer, David Milch. Tinker has also... and Michael W. Watkins Michael W. Watkins Michael W. Watkins is an American television and film director producer and cinematographer. He has worked on Smallville, The X-Files, and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Monk, Law & Order, Boomtown, No Ordinary Family and several other film and television series.Watkins has won two... |
|
| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | NYPD Blue episode "Taillight's Last Gleaming" | ||||
| Humanitas Prize Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious... |
60 minute category | NYPD Blue | |||
| 1996 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | NYPD Blue episode "The Backboard Jungle" | Shared with William L. Morris | |
| 1995 | WGA Award | Episodic Drama | Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Bop Gun" | Shared with David Simon | |
| 1992 | Pulitzer Prize Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City... |
articles for The Washington Post |
External links
- Undercover Black Man, David Mills's blog
- Archive: The Music Writing of David Mills, The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
- Uncut Funk archives
- The Undercover Black Man Interview, an interview with David Mills, July 31, 2007