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Draft:Travis Mills (director)

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  • Comment: The article does not need more sources. What it needs are sources that meet that all four of the following criteria: in-depth, reliable, secondary and independent. The NYT obituary about Jay Pickett is useless because is it not independent (only contain what Mills said, the same is applies to interviews). Running Wild Films is also not independent so none of those are useful. Again, what is needed are sources about Mills that meet the above criteria. S0091 (talk) 21:40, 17 October 2022 (UTC)
  • Comment: Please see the the notability guidelines for directors. It does not appear any of his films are notable and generally multiple notable works are required along with in-depth coverage about person by reliable sources. Also, none of the awards are from notable/major national or international film festivals or other notable bodies so are not useful for establishing notability. See also the notability guidelines for films. S0091 (talk) 18:02, 15 October 2022 (UTC)
  • Comment: Hi. Please replace all primary sources with reliable secondary sources or remove the statements that can't be cited. For example, we cannot use Amazon as a citation. Thank you! If you have any questions please ask them at WP:TEAHOUSE. Missvain (talk) 22:11, 11 July 2022 (UTC)
Travis Mills
Mills in 2021
Born
Quito, Ecuador
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, writer, actor
Years active2010 - present

Travis Mills (born December 26, 1985) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. Mills has directed and produced over twenty-five feature films, including 12 feature-length Westerns filmed during 2020.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Travis Mills was born in Quito, Ecuador to Christian missionary parents and spent most of his childhood overseas in the Comoro Islands.[2] Mills attended film school at Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts during its first years of existence, where he met professor and playwright Gus Edwards.[3][4] Mills and Edwards founded Running Wild Films together in 2010 with a goal to make independent movies in Arizona.[5][6][7]

Film career[edit]

Arizona period[edit]

Between 2010 and 2016, Mills produced and directed six feature films and over one hundred short films in Arizona under the mentorship of Gus Edwards.[6] During 2013, Mills made 52 short films in 52 weeks.[8][7][9] These short films were contemporary adaptations of short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe, James Joyce, and other authors with works in the public domain.[7]

In 2015, Mills directed Tom Sizemore in Durant's Never Closes, a feature film based on the true story of a Phoenix restaurateur with rumored connections to the mafia.[10][11][12][13] The film mentions the murder of Arizona Republic journalist Don Bolles.[10] Mills wrote a screenplay about the Bolles murder titled Valley of Shadows that is un-produced.[14][3] Durant's Never Closes also stared Peter Bogdanovich, Michelle Stafford, and Jon Gries.[3]

Silver Slipper was an improvised feature-length movie filmed without a script that follows a young woman selling her virginity online.[2]

Mississippi period[edit]

From 2016 to 2019, Mills produced several films in Mississippi.[15] Porches and Private Eyes and subsequent If These Porches Could Talk were small town comedies and murder mysteries.[16][17] Blood Country was the first Western directed by Mills and is based on a true events in the post-Civil War 1880's.[18][19][20] Cornbread Cosa Nostra was a 1980's action film concerning the Dixie Mafia.[15][21] Son of a Gun was a Civil War comedy/drama about Legrand G. Capers and the bullet pregnancy myth.[22] The character of Legrand in Son of a Gun was played by three different actors including Miles Doleac.[6]

"12 Westerns in 12 Months" Project[edit]

During 2020, Mills completed 12 feature-length Western films in a 12 month period.[1][23] The "12 Westerns in 12 Months" project began in January of 2020 with Bastard's Crossing starring Mississippi film commissioner Ward Emling.[24] This was followed by Texas Red, a true story of an African-American outlaw played by Grammy-nominated blues musician Cedric Burnside.[25][26][27]

The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach, one of the films in the 12 Westerns series, was the first feature length Western film ever to be shot on a mobile phone.[1] The film tells the story of female outlaw Pearl Hart, played by Lorraine Etchell. The cast also included Mills as her partner-in-crime Joe Boot and Cat Roberts as one of the passengers on the stagecoach.[28]

Other historical subjects explored in the "12 Westerns in 12 Months" set of films include The Pleasant Valley War, the stories of Samuel Mason and the murderous Harpe Brothers in The Wilderness Road, and folk tales about Mike Fink and Andrew Jackson in Tales of the Natchez Trace.[29][30] The project culminated with a dark Western titled Heart of the Gun featuring actor Jay Pickett with Cat Roberts in a supporting role.[31][32][33]

Though the COVID-19 pandemic changed production plans, Mills and his team continued to film the twelve Westerns during 2020 and completed the project by the end of the calendar year.[29][34] All twelve of the films were released during 2021.[35] Mills published a book about his 2020 movie-making experience titled The Making of 12 Westerns: Or How I Made a Dozen Movies During a Global Pandemic and Survived in December 2021.[29]

Subsequent Work[edit]

In July of 2021, Mills re-teamed with Jay Pickett while directing Treasure Valley, a modern Western set in Idaho.[36] During production, Pickett died of a heart attack and the film remains incomplete.[37][38][39][40]

Mills served as an associate producer and actor on Terror on the Prairie, produced by Dallas Sonnier and starring Gina Carano.[41] Terror on the Prairie premiered on June 14, 2022.[42][43][44][45][46]

In 2023, Mills produced the first on-screen adaptation of Stephen R. Lawhead's award-winning Pendragon Cycle fantasy series.[47]

Mills' original script Thieves Highway is slated to be made into a movie starring Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Thank You For Smoking) and Devon Sawa (Final Destination). The film will be directed by Jesse V. Johnson who Mills met while producing The Pendragon Cycle series with Bonfire Legend and The Daily Wire.[48]

Accolades[edit]

  • Won "Best Southern States Feature" for Bastard's Crossing (2020) - Southern States Indie FanFilmFest.[49]
  • Won "Best Mississippi Feature Film" for Bastard's Crossing (2021) - Oxford Film Festival.[50]
  • Won "Best Script Fiction Feature" for She was the Deputy's Wife (2021) - Spring Grove Caledonia Film Festival.[51]
  • Won "Best Silent Film" for The Adventures of Bandit and Wild Wes (2021) - The Wild Bunch Film Festival.[52]
  • Won "Best True Story Film" for The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach (2021) - The Wild Bunch Film Festival.[52]
  • Won "Director's Choice - Best Actor (Feature Film)" for The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach (2021) - The Wild Bunch Film Festival.[52]
  • Won "Best Director (Western Feature)" and "Best Western Feature" for She was the Deputy's Wife (2021) - Cowpokes International Film Festival.[53]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Position
2011 The Big Something[54] Director, Producer, Writer
2012 The Detective's Lover[55] Director, Producer, Writer, Lead Actor
2013 The Men Who Robbed the Bank[56] Director, Producer, Writer
2014 Duel at the Mound[57] Director, Producer, Writer
2016 Durant's Never Closes[58] Director, Producer, Writer
2016 Porches and Private Eyes[59] Director, Producer, Writer
2017 Blood Country[60] Director, Producer, Writer
2018 Cornbread Cosa Nostra[61] Director, Producer, Writer
2018 Bride of Violence[62] Director, Producer, Writer
2019 Son of a Gun[63] Director, Producer, Writer
2019 Silver Slipper[64] Director, Producer, Writer
2019 If These Porches Could Talk[65] Director, Producer, Writer
2019 The Deadbeats[66] Director, Producer
2021 Bastard's Crossing[67] Director, Producer
2021 Texas Red[68][69] Director, Producer, Co-Writer
2021 She was the Deputy's Wife[70] Director, Producer, Writer
2021 Counting Bullets[71] Director, Producer, Co-Writer, Supporting Actor
2021 A Guide to Gunfighters of the Wild West[72] Director, Producer
2021 The New Frontier[73] Director, Producer, Writer
2021 The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach[74][75] Director, Producer, Writer, Lead Actor
2021 The Pleasant Valley War[76][77] Director, Producer, Co-Writer
2021 The Wilderness Road[78] Director, Producer, Co-Writer, Lead Actor
2021 Tales of the Natchez Trace[79] Director, Producer, Co-Writer, Supporting Actor
2021 Heart of the Gun[80] Director, Producer, Writer, Supporting Actor
2022 Terror on the Prairie[41] Associate Producer, Supporting Actor
2023 The Five[81][82][83] Director, Writer

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Suid, Murray (26 July 2021). "Shooting 12 Westerns in 12 Months". mobilemoviemaking.com. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  2. ^ a b Latzko, Laura. "Arizona Filmmaker Explores Why Girls Sell Their Virginity Online". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  3. ^ a b c Saria, Lauren. "Durant's Never Closes, a Feature Film About Phoenix Steakhouse Owner Jack Durant, to Debut Next Month". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  4. ^ Simpson, Jon (2013-08-22), Gus Edwards - African American Playwright, retrieved 2022-01-09
  5. ^ Blufish (2014-07-02). "Running Wild Films promotes prolific filmmaking in Phoenix". AZ Big Media. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  6. ^ a b c Threadgill, Jacob. "Arizona filmmaker sets up shop in Brookhaven". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  7. ^ a b c Nguyen, Tanya. "Running Wild Films to Present 52 Films Made in 52 Weeks in Phoenix This Weekend". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  8. ^ Bartkowski, Becky. "Phoenix Filmmaker Travis Mills: 100 Creatives". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  9. ^ "The Red Book Magazine • September 2017 by The Red Book - Issuu". issuu.com. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  10. ^ a b Goodykoontz, Bill (2016-01-21). "Review: 'Durant's Never Closes' a stylized misfire". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  11. ^ "Durant's Movie". Arizona PBS. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  12. ^ Altavena, Lily. "Here's the Trailer for Durant's Never Closes, a Film About Legendary Phoenix Steakhouse Owner Jack Durant". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  13. ^ "Actor Tom Sizemore talks 'Durant's Never Closes' in Phoenix". KTAR.com. 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  14. ^ "Film to tackle Phoenix icon's legendary history". 12news.com. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  15. ^ a b Brannan, Jonathan (17 July 2017). "Casting underway for South Mississippi film". wlox.com. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  16. ^ Paden, Aaron (2015-10-11). "Film set in city to start shooting in March: 'Porches and Private Eyes' will feature local actors". Daily Leader. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  17. ^ Campbell, Donna (2018-05-30). "Casting call opens for 'Porches' sequel — Cupit returns for 'If These Porches Could Talk,' filming here in October". Daily Leader. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  18. ^ "OFF Screens "Blood Country," a Western Film Set in Mississippi". HottyToddy.com. 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  19. ^ Campbell, Donna (2017-09-09). "Area history comes alive in 'Blood Country'". Daily Leader. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  20. ^ Kennell, Tiana. "The South shines on movies screens in Shreveport". The Times. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  21. ^ Clark, Jeff (2017-08-25). "Why make a film about the Sherry murders? Filmmaker says 'it's too fascinating not to'". SunHearld. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  22. ^ Ciurczak, Ellen. "Did a bullet impregnate a woman in the Civil War? New film tells the tale". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  23. ^ Marlow, Elle (2021-03-03). "‎Elle Marlow's Way Out West: Let's talk with Producer Director Travis Mills and John Marrs about the 12 Westerns Projects". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  24. ^ PBS Conversations, Travis Mills & Ward Emling, Season 20, Episode 2001, 2020-01-05, retrieved 2022-06-05
  25. ^ Warren, Anthony (28 January 2021). "Filmmaker turns fascination with Mississippi culture into feature films". WLBT. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  26. ^ Mississippi Film Office. "The magic that Mississippi offers to international film productions". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  27. ^ "New Mississippi Film "Texas Red" Comes to Oxford". The Local Voice. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  28. ^ Gross, Linda (2020-09-15). "Filming A Pearl: 12 Westerns in 12 Months with Travis Mills". Globe Miami Times. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  29. ^ a b c Mills, Travis (8 December 2021). The Making of 12 Westerns: Or How I Made a Dozen Movies During a Global Pandemic and Survived. 8 December 2021: Independently published. ISBN 979-8781061037.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  30. ^ Garcia, Mario (17 September 2021). "Western Movie 'The Wilderness Road' Features Local Man". Kicker 102.5. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  31. ^ Knapp, Becky (4 March 2022). "Local firefighter featured in new movie". White Mountain Independent. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  32. ^ "Oxford Film Festival Announces 2022 Lineup". HottyToddy. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  33. ^ McKinney, Andy (28 January 2022). "'Heart of the Gun'". White Mountain Independent. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  34. ^ Hoff, Sawyer (April 2022). "12 Movies in 12 Months: E.C. Residents Participate in Western Movie Mission". volumeone.org. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  35. ^ "Filmmaker Travis Mills, 11/20/21 – Voices of the West". 20 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  36. ^ 12 Westerns Video Podcast - Travis Mills and Jay Pickett - June 13th, 2021, 9 August 2021, retrieved 2022-01-10
  37. ^ Medina, Eduardo; Paybarah, Azi (2021-08-02). "Jay Pickett, Veteran Soap Opera Actor, Dies at 60". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  38. ^ Suppe, Ryan (2 August 2021). "Locally grown actor Jay Pickett dies at 60". Idaho Press. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  39. ^ Ziegler, Megan (2021-08-01). "Soap opera star Jay Pickett dies while filming movie in Idaho, director says". FOX TV Digital Team. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  40. ^ Robinson-Johnson, Evan (11 August 2021). "Commemorative Jackson Hole ride honors late actor Jay Pickett". Jackson Hole News&Guide. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  41. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas; Wiseman, Andreas (2021-10-12). "Gina Carano Underway On First Project Since 'The Mandalorian': Daily Wire Western 'Terror On The Prairie' Also Stars MMA Fighter Cowboy Cerrone, "Justified" Actor Nick Searcy, More". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  42. ^ Gardner, Chris (2022-06-02). "Daily Wire Releases Full Trailer for Gina Carano-Led Western 'Terror on the Prairie'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  43. ^ Dick, Jeremy (2022-06-01). "Gina Carano's New Western Terror on the Prairie Gets June Release Date". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  44. ^ Rotten Tomatoes, Terror on the Prairie, retrieved 2022-06-19
  45. ^ "Travis Mills – Gideon – Terror on the Prairie Movie Poster". The Daily Wire. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  46. ^ Buttons, Christina (2022-06-15). "The Daily Wire launches 'Terror on the Prairie' with red carpet premiere". The Post Millennial. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  47. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2023-07-28). "Daily Wire Co-CEO Jeremy Boreing To Take Leave Of Absence To Direct Fantasy Series 'The Pendragon Cycle', Filming Due To Begin In September". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  48. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2024-05-20). "Aaron Eckhart & Devon Sawa Traveling Down 'Thieves Highway' – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  49. ^ "Southern States". IndieFanFilmFest Int. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  50. ^ Thompson, Jake (2021-03-30). "Oxford Film Festival names 2021 winners". The Oxford Eagle. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  51. ^ "Star City Film Festival accepting submissions now on Film Freeway!". Sacred Noise Society, Inc. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  52. ^ a b c "2021-TWBFF-Finalist-Nominations-Winners". www.thewildbunchfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  53. ^ "Cowpokes Int'l Film Festival 2021 Winners". www.brenrockproductions.com. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  54. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Big Something". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  55. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Detective's Lover". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  56. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Men Who Robbed the Bank". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  57. ^ Mills, Travis. "Duel at the Mound". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  58. ^ Mills, Travis. "Durant's Never Closes". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  59. ^ 5jmedia. "Porches and Private Eyes". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  60. ^ Mills, Travis. "Blood Country". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  61. ^ Mills, Travis. "Cornbread Cosa Nostra". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  62. ^ Mills, Travis. "Bride of Violence". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  63. ^ Mills, Travis. "Son of a Gun". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  64. ^ Mills, Travis. "Silver Slipper". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  65. ^ Mills, Travis. "If These Porches Could Talk". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  66. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Deadbeats". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  67. ^ Mills, Travis. "Bastard's Crossing". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  68. ^ Mills, Travis. "Texas Red". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  69. ^ AMC Theaters (2021-02-04), Texas Red, retrieved 2022-06-05
  70. ^ Mills, Travis. "She was the Deputy's Wife". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  71. ^ Mills, Travis. "Counting Bullets". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  72. ^ Mills, Travis. "A Guide to Gunfighters of the Wild West". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  73. ^ Mills, Travis. "The New Frontier". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  74. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  75. ^ AMC Theaters (2021-08-27), The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach, retrieved 2022-06-05
  76. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Pleasant Valley War". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  77. ^ AMC Theaters (2021-08-26), The Pleasant Valley War, retrieved 2022-06-05
  78. ^ Mills, Travis. "The Wilderness Road". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  79. ^ Mills, Travis. "Tales of the Natchez Trace". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  80. ^ Mills, Travis. "Heart of the Gun". Running Wild Films. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  81. ^ Mills, Travis (2023-01-17). The Five. Green Apple Ent. Retrieved 2024-05-27 – via Amazon.
  82. ^ "The Five". GreenApple Entertainment. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  83. ^ "The Five (2023) - Once Upon a Time in a Western". Retrieved 2024-05-27.

External links[edit]

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