Victor Milt Biography
Born in New York, April 26, 1942, Victor Milt grew up in a small Long Island suburb called the “Five Towns”
His passion for photography began at the age of 10 after he received a darkroom kit as a birthday gift. By the time
he was 15, he was covering stories for the local newspapers. On graduation, Milt attended the University of
Michigan, transferring after one year to Cooper Union, NY, one of the top art and architectural schools in the country.
His rise in fashion photography was rapid, and by the early 60’s he was shooting regular features for Glamour,
Ingénue, McCall’s and Vogue, as well as industrial work for Levittown, Grand Union and others. His fashion ad work also
appeared regularly in the NY Times Magazine.
In 1969 Milt, abandoned his successful business, dropped out, moved to England, where he bought a 32-foot sloop. He spent
the next two years sailing the Mediterranean, traveling throughout Europe and North Africa.
Upon his return to the US in 1971, he produced his first film, a 45-minute art film. Utilizing that as a sample,
he commenced his new career as a director/cameraman for TV commercials.
Milt can truly be called a child of the Madison Avenue Farm Team system. Over the next 30 years he honed his advertising
skills in the halls of the greatest ad agencies in the world, producing still and television advertising for the Fortune 500.
His agency clientele lists Doyle/ Dane, Ogilvy, J. Walter Thompson, Wm Esty, Wunderman, Young & Rubicam, Wells/Rich and
Greene among many others. His corporate accounts include AT&T, US Air Force, Colgate, Reader’s Digest, TV Guide,
Cadbury, Schweppes, McDonalds, Burger King, Black Flag and dozens of others.
Who can forget the squeaky-clean, whistling couple skipping across the screen and then slicing up a bar of Irish Spring
deodorant soap?
Milt’s rendering of Juan Valdez leading his saddle-bagged donkey through the Columbian coffee fields is a national
icon.
Aim High - Air Force; Bugs Check In but they Don't Check Out; Schweppervescence; the Double Deodorant Soap; these are
but a few of the words that Milt has implanted in the national subconscious.
Along the way, Milt has won numerous awards, including a Clio, Cindy’s, Telly's, Cine Golden Eagles and dozens
of national and international film festival awards. He was featured in an eight-page article in AV Video Magazine, appearing
on that month's cover. (see press).
He has created over 500 commercials and sales films, many of which are classics in the industry. His work for
Time Magazine includes “Kennedy”, the most successful direct response spot in the history of Time Warner. His
“Led Zeppelin” commercial grossed over $70 million dollars, making it one of the most successful music commercials
ever.
He writes, he produces, he shoots, he edits, but most of all, he listens. He listens to his clients, his crew, his staff
and his acting talent. Mainly, though, he listens to the pulse of the American public. When Victor speaks, people laugh, people
cry, people talk, and best of all.... people spend.
For a number of years, Milt also authored the popular column “Director’s Notebook” for Backstage
Magazine. These columns were later compiled into a successful book, which is currently in revision for a Fall 2005 national release.
His Milt Video Library of Radio Controlled hobby construction and flight courses remains a constant in the RC field,
with over 100,000 sold to date.
His latest book "Quit Whining" is a popular self-help examination of the national epidemic of complaint. Humorous and
filled with good advice, it is available at Amazon.com.
In 2005, Victor created "Light It Right"; a "how-to" for professionals. It covers basic and advanced lighting
techniques and targets industrial cinematograppers. It was the single best selling DVD at both the 2005 and 2006 NAB stores.
Light
It Right has inspired hundreds of professional cinematographers around the world. It is available at
www.Vasst.com .
In Arpil 2007 Milt created and premiered a "sister" film to Light It Right. Entitled "Director/Cameraman" it is nearly
two hours of lessons in shooting and directing award winning video. Targeted to professionals and advanced college film students,
the video beat Light It Right in NAB sales, rising to the "Best selling DVD of 2007" at the 2007 NAB store.
His recent film, "Cowboys of Florida" won three national awards.. Premiering at the Palm Beach International Film Festival
in April 2006, it was selected as a finalist in competition over 350 other documentaries. It has now been privately funded
for expansion to feature length. The original award-winner is for sale at the store on this site.
