CCM Alumnus Darrell D. Miller Named 2016 Entertainment Lawyer of the Year

CCM’s Department of Musical Theatre has produced scores of successful graduates over the years. Alumni of the program have been seen on Broadway, on television, in movies and in theaters around the country. They work as actors, dancers, writers, directors, producers, musicians and lawyers.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly: lawyers!

CCM alumnus Darrell D. Miller.

Case in point: alumnus Darrell D. Miller (BM Musical Theatre, 1985) has recently been named Entertainment Lawyer of the Year by the Beverly Hills Bar Association! The Beverly Hills Bar Association boasts the largest entertainment law section in the country and awards this particular honor to an attorney whose accomplishments contribute greatly to the profession. Throughout his career, Miller has certainly embodied that description.

This is just the latest in a long line of honors for Miller. The CCM graduate has also been recognized in Variety‘s prestigious “Dealmakers Impact Report” for three consecutive years, made Hollywood Reporter’s list of the Top 100 Power Lawyers and was named the National Bar Association Entertainment Attorney of the Year in 2012.

After graduating from CCM, Miller began his professional life as an actor touring with several national production companies. He also landed a lead role in the jazz opera Leo and traveled with an international tour of the musical The Princess and the Pea. Miller then took his career in a slightly different direction.

In 1990, Miller received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, and has gone on to become one of the world’s leading entertainment attorneys, working in film, television, theatre and digital media. Now the managing partner of Fox Rothschild LLP’s Los Angeles offices and the chair of the firm’s Entertainment Law Department, Miller’s client list includes Academy Award-nominated actress Angela Bassett, star of the hit CBS program NCIS (and fellow Cincinnati-native and SCPA alumnus) Roscoe “Rocky“ Carroll, music mogul and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, reality television star NeNe Leakes and more.

In addition to his decorated law career, Miller recently released his first book, The 16th Minute of Fame, which details the serious perils that come with blindly embracing and enjoying the fleeting fun of celebrity fame and fast money.

Miller explains some of his motivation to write the book, “In reflection, I would say that getting into CCM and performing with the CLO was my first 15 minutes of fame, but at the time, I was just enjoying the experience and praying that it would last.”

Miller’s experience as a performer gives him great insight and has helped him build a career guiding those in the entertainment industry through their first “15 minutes” and maintain their success. Part professional memoir, part insider’s guide to the entertainment industry and part manual for strategic career planning, The 16th Minute of Fame ultimately focuses on the pathways to a more successful life.

Miller will be honored by the Beverly Hills Bar Association during an awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. The entire University of Cincinnati community congratulates him on this latest award and wishes him continued success in the future!

To learn more about Darrell D. Miller and his work in the entertainment industry, visit www.foxrothschild.com/darrell-d-miller.