Proven Results
He began his career as a photographer at the Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston, S.C. and then worked for United Press International in South Carolina and New York, contributing to the wire service as a newspaper and broadcast writer, radio network reporter and photographer.
Covering the Hong Kong handover in 1997, Mills served as a TV reporter for KMOV-TV, a radio network correspondent for CBS News and as a radio anchor and newspaper writer for UPI.
Mills was the first reporter in the nation to break the story that American Airlines flight attendants had decided to revote an acceptance of a cost-cutting agreement with the airline, a move that led to the resignation of American Airlines CEO Donald J. Carty. His reporting assisted Belo's WFAA-TV in Dallas-Forth Worth and the Dallas Morning News.
In May 2003, Mills provided extensive coverage of tornado damage in Pierce City and Stockton, Mo., winning an Edward R. Murrow award.
Born in St. Louis, Mills grew up in Charleston, S.C. Prior to his return to St. Louis, Mills worked at CBS affiliate WCSC-TV in Charleston as Weekend Evening Anchor. He covered Shannon Faulkner's successful attempt to become the first woman to attend the Citadel, the Oklahoma City bombing, the trial of Susan Smith and the U.S. government's shutdown of military bases.
Mills has also served as a freelance correspondent for CNN, Reuters, the NBC/Mutual Radio Network, the Jim Bohannon Show, WMAQ-AM in Chicago, the AP Radio Network, National Public Radio, WCBS-AM in New York, WBZ-AM in Boston and the BBC.
A graduate of Syracuse University, Mills holds a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Outside of work, Mills enjoys traveling, photography and exploring different cultures around the world. Mills has traveled to Bali, Indonesia. His video enabled KMOV-TV (News 4 St. Louis) to provide enhanced coverage of the Bali nightclub bombing in October 2002. Mills has also traveled to Israel, Jordan, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Somalia, China and many other fascinating countries.
Your Advantage Under Pressure
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Above At the New Orleans convention center after Hurricane Katrina on special assignment for WWL-TV. Team coverage received a Peabody award and was recognized by the Belo Corp. board of directors for “personal and professional conduct, sacrifice and courage.”
left Based in St. Louis, Mills provides strategic consulting and video production services for organizations with crisis communications needs.
BELOW Riots in Seoul, South Korea
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Above Mills has repeatedly uncovered exclusive stories for ABC News and Good Morning America about the murder of Elizabeth Olten, 9.
left With no help from police or other officials, Mills was able to locate and shoot exclusive video of a pond where three missing North Dakota college students had drowned.
below Working with 20/20 correspondent John Quinones, Mills produced and shot an exclusive interview and family reunion with wounded Fort Hood soldier Keara Bono. Mills also served as a co-producer with correspondent Bob Woodruff on Nightline.
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Above Mills joined KMOV-TV, the CBS affiliate in St. Louis, in 1996. He served as reporter and substitute anchor for 13 years. Mills is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
BELOW right and left Click the screen to watch recent videos Mills wrote, produced, shot and anchored from Taiwan and Los Angeles. Mills can produce and distribute these types of videos from anywhere in the world on very short notice.
John Mills began working as a national freelance field producer for ABC News and Good Morning America in March 2009. He also works as a producer for World News, 20/20, Nightline and This Week.
For GMA, Mills uncovered information about the murder of Elizabeth Olten, 9, which enabled ABC News to break three stories about the case.
Click to Watch: Report 1, Report 2, Report 3
Late at night while on assignment in rural North Dakota, Mills was the only media representative able to locate and shoot video of a pond where three missing college students had drowned.
Click here to watch the exclusive coverage.
The day after the massacre at Fort Hood, Mills produced and shot exclusive video of an emotional family reunion and interview with a wounded soldier for the lead story on 20/20. Mills also worked on this Nightline report the day of the memorial service.
Mills joined KMOV-TV, the CBS affiliate in St. Louis, in 1996 as a reporter for newscasts at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
Mills also filled in for Laurie Waters as the anchor of News 4’s weekend evening newscasts and for Robin Smith as the anchor of News 4 at Noon.
In 2008, editors of the Riverfront Times newspaper named Mills the “Best Reporter” in St. Louis broadcasting.
While on special assignment for WWL-TV in New Orleans, Mills provided extensive continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
WWL-TV was the only New Orleans television station to stay on the air without interruption before, during and after the storm.
For KMOV-TV in St. Louis, Mills was the lead reporter on a team winning two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Spot News and Best Newscast for coverage of the Praxair industrial gas plant explosion on the city's south side. That coverage also won a regional Emmy for best newscast.
Mills has covered many major news events, including the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, the crash of TWA Flight 800, the merger of American Airlines and TWA, and the investigation of the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster.
In April 2005, Mills covered the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome, filing multiple live reports each day and interviewing numerous St. Louis residents who stood in line to view the Pontiff's remains.
In 1991, Mills began working on the air, covering national and international news for CBS News Radio. He first reported for the network TV morning broadcast CBS This Morning in 1993 and has served as a contributor to CBS News Up to the Minute, the CBS Morning News and CBS Newspath.
For ABC News, Mills worked as a field producer for coverage of the murder of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, the search and recovery of Joshua Childers in southeastern Missouri and the murder of church pastor Fred Winters in Maryville, Illinois. He also covered the Maryville shooting as a correspondent for the ABC News affiliate service, NewsOne.
Based in St. Louis, Mills provides national and local strategic consulting, messaging and video production services for media companies, law firms, businesses and other organizations with immediate and long-term crisis communications needs.
Please contact him today for a free initial consultation:
Phone: (314) 960-4830
e-mail: JohnMills@JohnMills.com
Call 314-960-4830
Global marketing in more than 160 countries by WorldTVNews.com
Copyright 2012 By John Mills.
Phone: (314) 960-4830
e-mail: JohnMills@JohnMills.com
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