David Mills (TV writer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Mills
Born	David Eugene Mills (1961-11-20)November 20, 1961 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	March 30, 2010(2010-03-30) (aged 48) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Journalist, television writer
Alma mater	University of Maryland, College Park
Period	1993–2010
Notable works	The Corner, Kingpin

David Eugene Mills (born November 20, 1961 – died March 30, 2010) was an American journalist, writer, and producer for television shows. He was a main producer and writer for the HBO miniseries The Corner. For this show, he won two Emmy Awards, which are big awards for TV. He also created, produced, and wrote the NBC miniseries Kingpin.

Growing Up and School

David Mills was born in Washington, D.C. His family later moved to Lanham, Maryland, after their home was damaged by a fire. He finished high school at DuVal Senior High School in Lanham in 1979.

He went to the University of Maryland. While there, he worked for The Diamondback, the school's student newspaper. This is where he met David Simon, who he would work with a lot later on. As a student, Mills also started a small newspaper called This Magazine, but it only lasted for three issues. Later, he and his friends created Uncut Funk, a fan magazine about the music of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.

His Work as a Journalist

After college, David Mills became a writer who focused on interesting stories. He wrote for famous newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, and The Washington Post. He wrote many articles, including some interviews with celebrities that caused a lot of discussion.

Interviews That Caused a Stir

In 1989, Mills interviewed Professor Griff, a member of the hip hop group Public Enemy. The interview led to some public discussion about the group.

In 1992, Mills talked with activist and rapper Sister Souljah for The Washington Post. They discussed the events that had happened in Los Angeles a few weeks earlier. These events followed a jury's decision about police officers and a motorist named Rodney King. The interview caused a big public debate. Soon after, Bill Clinton, who was running for president, talked about the interview and the discussions it created.

Working in Television

David Mills moved from journalism to writing for television, where he became very successful.

Homicide: Life on the Street

In 1993, David Mills wrote a script for an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. This TV show was based on a book by his college friend, David Simon. Simon was also a writer and producer for the show.

The episode, called "Bop Gun", aired in January 1994. It even had famous actor Robin Williams as a guest star. Mills named the episode after a song by the band Parliament. Mills and Simon won an award for their writing on "Bop Gun". Mills later said that writing this episode made him want to quit journalism and focus on TV writing. He wrote two more episodes for Homicide in 1995 and 1998.

NYPD Blue

In 1994, David Mills was hired to write for the popular show NYPD Blue. This happened after he wrote a letter challenging some comments made by the show's co-creator, David Milch, about Black writers.

Mills wrote nine episodes of NYPD Blue between 1995 and 1997. In one episode, he included a fun reference to the band Parliament-Funkadelic, which he loved. Mills later said that Milch really helped him grow as a writer.

ER

From 1997 to 1999, Mills wrote four episodes for the medical drama ER. He is also known for creating the character "Rocket" Romano on the show.

The Corner

In 1999, David Simon was asked to turn his book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood into a miniseries for HBO. Simon asked Mills to help write and produce the six-part series, also called The Corner. This show was highly praised and won three Primetime Emmys in 2000. Simon and Mills won an Emmy for their writing and shared another for Outstanding Mini-Series.

Mills even named his own production company "Knee Deep Productions," which was another nod to a Funkadelic song called "(Not Just) Knee Deep."

Kingpin

Mills's next big project was creating a new miniseries for NBC called Kingpin. This six-part series aired in 2003. It was hoped to be a big hit, but it didn't get enough viewers, so NBC decided not to make it into a full TV show.

The Wire

In 2006, Mills worked with David Simon again on the writing team for The Wire. He joined the show for its fourth season and wrote an episode called "Soft Eyes". Mills and the writing team won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series and an Edgar Award for their work on the fourth season.

He also returned for the fifth season in 2008 and wrote the episode "React Quotes". The writing team was nominated for another Writers Guild of America Award for their work on this season.

Conviction

In 2006, Mills wrote one script for a short-lived TV show called Conviction.

Treme

Mills worked with Simon again on Treme, a series that started on HBO in April 2010. The very last episode of the show's first season was dedicated to him.

His Book

In 1998, David Mills and some of his friends from Uncut Funk put together interviews they had done with members of the P-Funk band over the years. This became a book called George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History.

His Passing

David Mills passed away on March 30, 2010, due to a brain aneurysm. This happened in New Orleans, Louisiana, just twelve days before his show Treme was set to premiere. Two weeks after he passed, about 80 people from the cast and crew of Treme dedicated a tree in New Orleans' City Park to remember him.

Awards and Recognitions