Gerard Millman
Filmmaker | Editor | Storyteller 

Gerard David Millman is a documentary filmmaker and action sports videographer. While enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, his documentary work has been recognized by the Hearst Awards and has received the College Photographer of the Year Award of Excellence. His work captures the integrity, dignity, and durability of the human spirit, giving the viewer an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who are called to rebuild it. 

As a kid born in Bellingham Washington, Gerard had two major passions: music and paintball. When he wasn’t performing in drumlines or rock bands, he was in the muddy battlefields of GoBig Paintball park with either a paintball marker or a camera. Gerard pursued a career in music production and audio engineering with the dream of being a rockstar. For seven years, he interned at recording studios and rocked the grimy and glamorous stages of Seattle. 

Then everything changed in 2020. The music industry crumbled, as did every life support system keeping Gerard in the city to pursue his dream. He returned home and committed to rebuilding himself and his career into something old and new: paintball videography.

UNC Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media recognized Gerard’s work and invited him to enroll. In 2022, he sold his belongings and moved across the country to study documentary journalism. Within a year of his enrollment, he produced his first short documentary titled Heart and Sol, a gripping piece that follows the solar revolution of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. The film went on to receive the 78th College Photographer Award of Excellence. Less than a year later, Gerard created a short documentary and complimentary multimedia website called “The Trumpet Monk”, which won 4th place in the Hearst Awards for Innovative Storytelling. 

Gerard’s artistic goal is to blend the powerfully intimate with the powerfully delivered. He seeks out stories that twist the viewer's heart and mind to rethink what is possible to overcome. His work reflects the same energy that drew him to action sports and punk rock, and he is currently working on his Hussman School capstone documentary project about a 16-year-old racecar driver pursuing a career as NASCAR driver.