Simon David Miller
Simon David Miller | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, investor |
| Known for | Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle |
| Notable work | Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle |
Simon David Miller is a British filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and investor, as well as a co-founder of multiple technology and media enterprises. His first feature-length film, the Scottish Gaelic production Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle, received three BAFTA nominations. Additionally, he is the founder of the New Forest Film Festival.
Miller has been involved in several tech startups, including PeopleSound, recognized as the pioneer music streaming service; SWOPEX, an online marketplace for films, music, and games; and Beamly, a trailblazer in second-screen technology.
Feature films
The 2007 film Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle marked Miller’s feature debut and garnered three BAFTA nominations along with a Michael Powell Award nomination. Praised for its storytelling, it drew favorable parallels to Big Fish and The Princess Bride, standing out as the first Scottish Gaelic feature to achieve theatrical distribution.
The screenplay was co-written by Miller with Jo Cockwell and notable Scottish Gaelic authors such as Angus Peter Campbell, Aonghas MacNeacail, and Iain Finlay Macleod. Beyond its artistic impact, the film attracted media attention in 2007 when BAFTA chose not to submit it for consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2008 Academy Awards. This decision sparked controversy and led to producer Christopher Young resigning from BAFTA.
Short films
Miller’s short film Foighidinn – The Crimson Snowdrop debuted at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2005 and was showcased internationally. It served as inspiration for Seachd, incorporating several scenes from the short.
His initial short film premiered at Edinburgh in 2004. A year later, it became subject to controversy due to an incorrect link made between the film and a child’s death at a school attended by some of its cast members.
New Forest Film Festival
Alongside film critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode, professor Linda Ruth Williams, writer and illustrator Jo Cockwell, and historian Mike Hammond, Miller co-established the New Forest Film Festival.
Other roles
Miller has played a foundational role in various media technology ventures such as PeopleSound, an early online music store and streaming platform; SWOPEX, an exchange for films, music, and games; and Beamly (initially known as Zeebox), which transformed into a social digital marketing platform and agency.
His executive experience extends into the music industry with positions at Universal Music and EMI. In 2010, Miller appeared on the television quiz show Eggheads as part of The Black & White Stripes team representing Abbey Road Studios, ultimately winning the competition.
In 2018, he joined the founding team of the brand start-up The Craftory.
Early life and education
Raised in Scotland, Miller attended Meldrum Primary School. His secondary education included time at Nottingham High School (1982–1989) followed by Salisbury School in the United States (1990). He completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Economics at the London School of Economics before beginning his career at US investment bank JPMorgan Chase. Subsequently, he pursued filmmaking studies at both the London Film School and the National Film & Television School.
- http://www.simondavidmiller.com – official personal website
- http://www.seachd.com – official site for Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle