Communicator Spotlight: Deidrea Miller, formerly of Christie's Americas
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Deidrea Miller has spent the past two years as senior vice president, head of communications for Christie's Americas.
Why it matters: During her tenure at Christie's, Miller was tasked with broadening the auction houses' appeal by reaching out to new, younger audiences.
🗣What she's saying: "Christie's [has] a reputation of being extremely aspirational, so how do we demystify it and make it more approachable? That [was] one of the challenges of the job," Miller told Axios.
- Yes, but: "You have to be very creative in how you tell those stories, and kind of change the way you interact with the press. Art trade media has been very much at the center of who we've communicated with for a very long time. What I've done is essentially open that circle up to include lifestyle, women's fashion, entertainment, sports and political press."
- "My favorite outlet is Taxi TV or ABC7 NY. You wouldn't believe how many eyeballs see Taxi Teller content."
📍How she got here: Miller grew up in rural Alabama and upstate New York, but would frequently visit New York City, where she became hooked on the arts.
- "The first play I ever saw was 'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen in 1997 and I was just hooked. ... From there, it was just museums, live music and performing arts. I got bit by a bug essentially when I was about 14 years old."
- Before joining Christie's, she spent much of her career in the public sector — with stints at the NYC Department of Education, New York Power Authority and in the office of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio — and most recently served as a director at Brunswick Group.
📈 Trend spot: She sees a growing emphasis on content creation for various platforms and mediums.
🍽 Content plate: She reads The New York Times each morning, listens to podcasts like "The Town" and "Pivot" and binges series like "Borgen."
🧥 Favorite piece to pass through Christie's: The late André Leon Talley's red puffer coat.
- "I don't know if it's now just urban legend, but I was told that it inspired Rihanna, who wore a reproduction of the coat during her 2023 Super Bowl performance."
💡 Best advice comes from her stepmother:
- "Whenever I think I'm having a problem or going through a crisis, she'll say to me, 'OK, now tell me what's going on and don't use the words I, me or my' — and that has taught me how other people perceive an issue or a problem."
🔮 What's next: Miller plans to take some time off before starting a new role that speaks to a broader audience and emphasizes storytelling and reputation management.
