Miller-McKeever (far right) at the 2024 Emmys
By Nichola Monroe ’27
Meagan Miller-McKeever ’06 knows that a liberal arts education is not just for those with a penchant for poetry analysis. Originally from Seattle, Miller-McKeever made her way from Scripps to graduate school in London to the New York theater scene before finally settling in the film industry as a set decorator. This year, as assistant set decorator, she supported the design team that won an Emmy for outstanding production design on the popular Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building.
While her career journey has been eclectic, her vision was clear from the jump.
“I always knew I wanted to do theater. I basically told my parents I was running off to the circus when I was younger,” she says.
After painting sets and managing props in high school, Miller-McKeever was convinced she would move to Paris and work backstage. However, with some significant nudging, she and her parents compromised on her enrollment at Scripps, where she could pursue a degree in theatre through the College’s consortial partnership with Pomona College.
“In terms of thinking about why to choose Scripps and liberal arts education, you do it because you become such a good writer that you can go into a variety of fields from journalism to script writing,” says Miller-McKeever. “In the arts, writing is fundamental to the processing you do for script and literary analysis.”
The importance of early career development
Miller-McKeever found ways to gain career exposure early on as a student at Scripps. During her first year, she built her résumé by working in Pomona College’s prop shop. In the summers, she gained fundamental technical skills through paid internships.
“I can say that I have been building shows since I was 18,” she notes, underscoring the value of hands-on work experience for students interested in film and TV. “Learning about each department working as a PA (production assistant) will help you understand the system and find out what you want to do. Expanding your technical skillset is also highly valuable. Particularly as a woman in a male-dominated industry, being able to do things like wiring can be what sets you apart.”
Part of putting your name out there is taking people out to coffee. Even if they don’t have a job for you, maybe they can connect you with someone who does. It’s really important to create a strong network of peers.
Miller-McKeever’s professional experiences at The Claremont Colleges also set the stage for her studies in scenography at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England, where developed her distinct style and artistry.
“Often grad schools are trying to churn out a particular style, but this program was like, ‘no we don’t want to you compete with one another—we want you to refer one another.’ We were all different designers by the time we graduated,” she explains.
Finding her stride as a set decorator in New York
Just as internships and campus jobs prepped Miller-McKeever for her entertainment career, networking during her master’s opened doors for her jump to New York. In the city, she worked at Julliard as a stagehand and props master before joining a union, hopping from one film or TV set to another nearly every week. The key to more consistent projects? Tapping into her critical network.
“The 5Cs have a really strong network in Hollywood and the theater world. Graduates tend to be more writers and directors, but it is a nice legacy for me to be a part of,” she says.
Continuously forming connections through school and work is essential, she notes, especially following tough times like the recent strikes by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA).
“Once you know enough people, you don’t have to call the union anymore. If there is a lull, I can call a friend to get a job,” she adds.
I love the creativity [of set decoration] and getting really involved with who a character is. I’m always looking for scripts with meaningful characters and story arcs.
After twelve years in the industry, Miller-McKeever still loves her work and its variety. Besides helping design Meryl Streep’s apartment on the last two seasons of Only Murders in the Building—pinpointing everything from the books on the actress’s shelves to the food in her fridge—alongside the set decorating team, she’s helped take on wildly different projects, like The Diplomat and The Penguin.
“I love the creativity [of set decoration] and getting really involved with who a character is. I’m always looking for scripts with meaningful characters and story arcs, and I particularly like working with strong female leadership,” she says. “The work is hard: long hours, tight budgets, and pressure from above, but if you like working with your team, it makes the hard stuff easier.”
For current or prospective Scripps students, networking is the hard stuff that can be tricky to overcome. Miller-McKeever’s wisdom? Get out there, learn as much as you can, and involve caffeine.
“Part of putting your name out there is taking people out to coffee. Even if they don’t have a job for you, maybe they can connect you with someone who does. It’s really important to create a strong network of peers,” she says. “They talk about film being cutthroat, but I find it’s about friendships—people that you end up coming back to.”