Carolyn Handler Miller is one of the pioneering writers in the field of emergent media, first entering the field in the early 1990s. Since then, she has contributed to more than fifty interactive titles as a writer and content designer – a new profession she calls “digital storytelling.” Her projects as a digital storyteller include video games, projects for the Internet, intelligent toy systems, transmedia entertainment and immersive experiences. Among her better-known video game titles for children is the hit series Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
In addition, she was the writer of the interactive version of Toy Story for Pixar and Disney, which was one of the most successful children’s titles ever released. On the other extreme, she served as story consultant to Dark Sector (Digital Extremes), a gritty and bloody third-person action/shooter/horror game about a warrior with a weaponized arm, made for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 30 and Nintendo DS.
More recently, she served on the narrative team of Meow Wolf’s international sensation, THE HOUSE OF ETERNAL RETURN.
Her interactive projects span works for virtually every age group, from preschoolers to adults. In addition, Carolyn is the author of the groundbreaking book, Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment (Focal Press), now in its fourth edition, published on November 22, 2019.
Her research for the book included visiting many VR and AR installations, including The Void in Orlando, where her husband Terry joined her on the Ralph Breaks VR experience. The new edition extensively covers the field of immersive experiences, including VR, AR, XR; screen-based immersion; and immersion in physical space.
Initially beginning her career as a newspaper reporter for Fairchild Publications, Carolyn's work spans writing for TV (where one of her scripts earned her an Emmy nomination), features and books, as well as her special focus on emergent media. Her TV writing specialized in stories for children and families and included such classics as Captain Kangaroo and Vegetable Soup.
Her TV credits include prime time TV and numerous Afterschool Specials (one-hour dramas for teens). In feature films, Pilgrim Production Company and Finnegan-Pinchuk/Morningstar Films commissioned her to write two films based on historic themes.
Carolyn has spoken at numerous international and national conferences about screenwriting and writing for the new technologies, including the Kreative Asia conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the ‘What’s Your Story?” conference in Perth, Australia; the African Broadcasting Network's Screenwriting Lab in Johannesburg; the "realtimefilmfestival" in Rome; the Internet/Digital Television Summit in Paris; and the Maui Writers’ Conference in Hawaii.
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Carolyn has also taught courses in screen writing, interactive narrative and video game development for universities in Southern California. In addition, during the years she lived in New Mexico, she taught for the University of New Mexico and two other universities in the state. While there, Governor Bill Richardson appointed her to his Governor’s Council on Film and Media Industries. She now lives on California's Central Coast.
She is also a frequent interviewee on radio shows, podcasts and TV.
In her personal life, she adopted two donkeys, Minnie and Pearl, and trained Pearl to pull her in a buggy, which she drove on the dirt road by her house in Santa Fe. She has also teamed with Pearl on special events, like the Meet a Mule obstacle course and the Cerrillos Fiesta.
She is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Rio Grande Mule and Donkey Association. While in Santa Fe, she was an active member of Santa Fe’s Congregation Beit Tikva and produced and wrote two videos for the synagogue: The Torah Restoration Project and Building Our Future.
