by Len Lear

Stuart Miller, 43, who grew up in Lafayette Hill and graduated from Germantown Academy (GA) in 1990, may not be a household name himself, but he definitely has worked closely with several TV stars who are. Miller is a two-time Emmy winner (2012 and 2015) as a producer of “The Daily Show,” which has aired nightly on the Comedy Central network since 1996. The show has won a bucket full of awards and made big news earlier this year when Jon Stewart, its host since 1999, left and was replaced by Trevor Noah, a standup comedian from South Africa.

Miller, who has been with The Daily Show for 11 years and is currently co-executive producer of the show, also worked closely with two former writers for The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert, who recently replaced David Letterman as host of the Late Night show on CBS-TV, and John Oliver, who now hosts Last Week Tonight, a bitterly satirical look at the news, on Sundays, 11 p.m., on HBO.

Accused by some of misinforming its core audience of young adults about major news events, The Daily Show doesn't hide the fact that it's not a news program and only uses newsworthy stories as a jumping-off point to satire. It also includes interviews with celebrities and politicians.

“Jon has been an amazing influence on me,” Miller told us last week. “The past 11 years at the show have been nothing short of incredible, and that’s owed in large measure to him. I’ve learned so much about comedy and television from Jon. I credit him with helping me develop a skill set which will carry me through the rest of my career. On top of all that, Jon built this incredible machine that is The Daily Show. He’s also a great boss and a true humanitarian. Oh, and he’s funny.”

What about John Oliver and Stephen Colbert? What were they like? “They’re both great, incredibly smart and funny, and few people I know work harder than either of them.”

Miller, who went to college at New York University, graduating in 1994, also has nothing but praise for his high school years. “GA prepared me incredibly well,” he said. “I feel I really learned how to write at GA, and I also developed a strong work ethic. Oh, and probably most importantly, GA taught me how to be organized!”

After college, Miller had a variety of jobs in his 20s, mostly in television and film. He worked for a time at Dateline, for movie producer Edward R. Pressman and for CBS News, but a friend suggested that he could shoehorn perfectly into The Daily Show. “I was a fan but was reluctant to apply because I thought I wanted a career in TV news and thought that The Daily Show would actually hurt my credibility. My, how things have changed. I applied to TDS and had to submit a series of pitches, which the producers at the show thought were good enough, I guess.”

What does an Emmy-winning TV producer do? Miller works in the field department of the show, which is where they film six-to-seven minute remote field pieces. “I’m a producer, yes,” he said, “but more accurately, I work as a writer/director of the segments. That entails finding the idea, shaping it, writing questions, directing the shoot and then working with the editor to shape the finished product.

“Each of those elements requires great collaboration with the rest of the staff. Myself — and producers like me — don’t work in a vacuum. We’re constantly coming up with ideas with fellow producers, writers, editors and, of course, Trevor Noah … The best way to describe (the day-to-day work) it is exhausting at times and exhilarating. There’s nothing more fun than working on a segment that’s funny and smart.”

According to Miller, Jon Stewart’s replacement, Trevor Noah, is “super funny, has a really unique view of the world and this country and is so excited about the job and its possibilities. He makes it a lot of fun to come to work every day. Over the years the show has turned into a really well oiled machine. What’s changed mostly are the many new faces here. Many are from across the globe. It’s great to hear those different perspectives.”

Miller, who often puts in a 10-12-hour day, says the main challenge with The Daily Show is “to keep it funny and smart, so that’s my goal when I leave home each day.” The GA grad admits he “needs a hobby.”

What were the pros and cons, if any, of growing up in this area?  “The pros,” said Miller, “are being a Philly sports fan through and through, and the cons are being a Philly sports fan through and through.”

More information about Stuart Miller at www.emmys.com/bios/stuart-miller or www.imdb.com/name/nm2224797/.