In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

Education is more than a luxury; it is a responsibility that society owes to itself.--Robin Cook Last week, I shared news with my social networks via twitter, facebook, and now Google+ that I was accepted to Gonzaga University's masters program in Communication and Leadership. It's time for me to blog about it. Looks like I'm going to be a bulldog yet again in my life. I was thrilled when I received the call from Jeff Wadley, program manager at Gonzaga University's , School of Professional Studies. Jeff has assisted me throughout my application process and he and his team are awesome. After he told me the good news and I told him how thrilled I was, I took a pause because the real work to prepare to go back to school now begins. I've been down this road before and I know what it entails. I can't believe it has been two years since I graduated from Western Connecticut State University's Master of Fine Arts Creative and Professional Writing program . Li...

Official Poster This month I'm pleased to highlight Velvet Rhodes, a very talented screenwriter, producer, and actor. She's a triple threat who has a passion for screenwriting and filmmaking.  Next week, her webisode series Room for Rent will be screened at the 2011 Action on Film International Film Festival in Pasadena, California. Room for Rent also won 'Best Dialogue' for a short screenplay at the 2010 Action on Film Screenwriting Competition. Bio: Velvet Rhodes is an actress who hails from London, England. Beginning her career in music playing and singing alternative rock music in several bands and then going onto theatre in London, England. As well as music, film and writing, she is an avid painter of fine oil paintings. Acting since the age of 3, acting is her passion and film making is her joy. She recently starred in and produced The Purple Zone , wrote, directed, produced and starred in The Cell Phone and now is in pre-production for Ticke...

I've been in Baltimore all week. It's been a long week for me. Finally heading home tomorrow. YEAH! I'm looking forward to being home this weekend. I miss my husband and the activities that usually make up my at at home routine. I'm also ready to see J.K. Rowlings' final Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two . It's still hard for me to digest that this is the last one. I've really enjoyed the series. The last film has probably been on my mind for about a month. Last week, the hubby and I talked about going to the screening at midnight. I was ready to be a part of Harry Potter mania until I remembered I wasn't going to be home. I will still be part of the mania in my own way. Karim and I will see it on Friday night when I get back in town. I'm counting the hours. We decided not to see it in 3-D. Karim is not a fan of Hollywood's gimmick to get people back into the theaters and neither am I. I'm sure you noticed that pr...

Happy spring everyone. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but here in Connecticut spring has only somewhat sprung. While it isn't as hot as I would like it to be. I'm proud to profile Sarah E. who is heating up the film season here in Connecticut with her documentary Swan Day CT. Thanks for your interview Sarah. Bio: Sarah E. took her first formal screenwriting course when she was 18 years old and a student at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2006, she received a B.A. in Fine Arts from Eastern Connecticut State University; and then spent a month at the New York Film Academy to pursue filmmaking.  In April 2008, at the age of 23, she founded her own production company, Hells Bells Productions, LLC.   Miller: Please tell our audience about your documentary Swan Day? How did you get involved? Why did you decide to produce this film? Sarah: I first got the idea to make "SWAN Day CT" when I was looking at Jennifer Hill’s MySpace pag...

It's hard to believe that it was just two years ago that I received my MFA in Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University . Time flies. Since graduating from the program I've been slowly but surely working on screenplays and enjoying the free time I've gained back. However, the free time I've come to enjoy is going to get ready for another hiatus. Why? Because I've decided to go back to school. Even though continuing one's education can be tough at times, I believe the benefits I will receive will make the overall experience worth while. And though I still dream of the day when I option (sell) one of my screenplays or have the money and the connections to self-finance a film (I'm not giving up on that dream either) I have to live in the here and now. Lately, I've been thinking about specific things I can do today that will impact my life tomorrow. I'm blessed to work in the field of communications. It'...

 Official poster of Little Black Dress The next profile in my Emerging Women in Film Series features Deborah Correa. She secured a deal where she sold her short film, Little Black Dress to IndieFlix , a website that showcases independent features. Viewers are able to buy DVDs or rent streaming films to support the work of indie filmmakers. Today is Deborah's official launch date with IndieFlix and I'm excited to share my interview of her with you all. Kudos to Deborah.           Bio: Deborah Correa graduated from Emerson College with a B.F.A. in Writing and Film, where she produced a short documentary about Colombia.  This Little Old Town was sold and premiered on PBS’ FRONTLINE/ World.  Since graduating, she’s worked on PBS documentaries. Deborah was also accepted, out of hundreds, to participate in the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, where she directed Little Black Dress , which premiered at the LA Shorts F...

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. --Jim Rohn Last night, I did something that was long over due. I read a script. You are probably thinking I probably read scripts all the time, after all I am a screenwriter. And while my goal was to read a minimum of a script a week since we rang in 2011, I wasn't following through with the task. I was reading a script about every 6 weeks, if that. I'm happy to report I'm ready to change this pattern. I had the pleasure of reading Auntie by Deirdre Patterson. Deirdre is a fellow screenwriter in the Connecticut Screenwriters group that meets on the last Wednesday of each month at the West Hartford Public Library.  Auntie , her feature length script was a top 10 finalist in the 2010 Emerging Screenwriters Competition . Before I got to the script I was busy doing my usual tasks like cooking lunch for the next day and then getting myself ready for work. These tasks tend to derail me and by the ...