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Corey Miller

One of the Core Tattoo Artists on the Reality Television Show "LA Ink"

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Corey Miller Biography

Ask premier tattoo artist Corey Miller how he got into the tattoo business, and he will probably tell you it was "by hanging around the wrong people." And if you have a sense of humor and you get it, he may tell you the real story.

In 1982, a fifteen-year-old Corey Miller was playing drums in a punk rock band and he decided he needed a tattoo. So he carved out his first tattoo on himself using a needle with thread wrapped around it. This inspired Corey to build his own tattooing machine, which consisted of a fish tank pump motor, a bent toothbrush, the tip of a Bic pen, and some guitar string as a needle. He used to carry his homemade contraption around in a Vans shoe box with a bottle of Pelican ink.

By 1983, Corey ventured out to Hollywood and found himself at the first real tattoo parlor he had ever set foot in, Spotlight Tattoo, run by the venerable Bob Roberts. Spotlight Tattoo was the hardest punk rock tattoo shop in Hollywood, and Corey was intrigued by the hand-drawn skulls and other aggressive designs on the walls. And the technology they used impressed him. He knew his days of slinging tattoos out of a shoe box were numbered and that he would soon be hammering out ink with one of the strong machines they were using at Spotlight.

A year later, Corey went to Franco's, the local tattoo parlor in Ontario, California. Franco was a 360-pound Sicilian with gold teeth, a Mohawk, and a .357 magnum slung in a shoulder harness. Corey and his buddies would go to Franco's after school to drink beers and do whatever else they wanted to do. By summertime, Corey was drawing designs and taking out the trash at the shop, and Franco and the boys started calling him the shop hand. Franco's soon closed after what Corey describes as some "pretty insane nights of fights, drunkenness, gunfire, arrests, and tattooing," but not before Franco sold Corey what he thought was a broken tattoo machine that turned out to work just fine.

Things changed for Corey in 1987 — on the night he met tattoo artist Mark Mahoney at a house party. Mahoney was performing his handiwork on some partygoers, and after watching him work, Corey realized there was a whole other level to the tattoo game. He started hanging out at the shop where Mahoney worked. The shop was called Fat George's Tattoo Gallery, and it was located in a tough neighborhood in La Puente, California. Over time, Corey started hitting Fat George up for a job as a tattoo artist. At long last, Fat George gave Corey his big break. Mahoney was making plans to open a new shop out in Los Angeles, and that meant that a chair was opening up. All of a sudden, Corey Miller had his first real job inking tattoos.

Corey turned twenty-one at Fat George's in 1987, and as a young man in a gang-related neighborhood, the busy tattoo parlor just may have saved his life. While his friends were getting busted for anything from drunk driving to serious felonies, Corey was busy in the safe haven of the shop inking up to ten tattoos a day. Then another turning point came for Corey Miller in 1989 on the day Dick Warsocki walked into the shop.

Warsocki was known for his beautiful Native American fine-line tattoos. When Warsocki walked into Fat George's that day he saw Corey, who just happened to be hammering out an amazing Indian Head tattoo on a customer's back. Warsocki complimented him on the design, told Corey he was headed to New Orleans for a tattoo convention, and asked if Corey wanted to go along and crash on his hotel floor. Corey took him up on the offer, and at the convention in New Orleans, Corey found a whole new realm of tattoo artistry.

He met famed artists such as Guy Atchison and Eddie Deutsche. They tattooed with a style that Corey says had "absolutely no boundaries" and that was "limited only to imagination." Corey also met one of his closest friends at the convention, Suzanne Fauser. The trip was the beginning of his annual voyages to Ann Arbor, Michigan, over the next twelve years. In fact, his career would take Corey Miller all over the United States, from Los Angeles to New York to Hawaii, and to a host of worldwide destinations such as Canada, France, Amsterdam, and Japan. He would eventually become one of the most sought-after purveyors of ink in modern times.

But let's get back to our story. It was 1989, and upon his return from that first tattoo convention in New Orleans, Corey got a break from the one and only Jack Rudy, who gave him a job at Good Time Charlie's Tattooland in Anaheim, California. Good Time Charlie's was an institution in the tattoo world. Artists such as Mark Mahoney, Freddy Negrete, and Dick Warsocki had previously worked at Good Time Charlie's, and it was there that Corey got the chance to work with Jack Rudy and Mike Brown—artists whom Corey collectively refers to as "the Kings of Black and Grey." Corey considers himself fortunate to have learned some important technical skills from Brown and to have seen masterpieces created by the hand of Jack Rudy, his friend and mentor.

In 1991, Corey Miller and two business partners opened Optic Overdrive, the first tattoo shop in Upland, California. The shop lasted about two years and, in addition to drilling some amazing tattoos, also hosted an unforgettable shootout on the front porch. Unfortunately, Corey soon had to throw one of his partners out, and the other took an extended vacation as a guest of the State. Soon, Corey was back to traveling and, when at home, tattooing in his basement. It was in that dank, underground dungeon that the name "Six Feet Under" was born. Within three years, and after tattooing out of the back of a barbershop, Corey opened his own tattoo parlor, complete with a staff of two artists—himself and Henry Powell. Then on April Fools Day in 1997, Corey Miller opened up shop in his own building in downtown Upland, and that is where the Six Feet Under Tattoo Parlor is today.

Looking back on his formative years, Corey feels lucky to have experienced the best and the worst of the tattoo business. He never had a formal apprenticeship, as many tattoo artists do, but instead got his education by "going on my own and falling on my face and doing it all again on my own terms."

His career has run the gamut from the street shop of Fat George's to the "Kustom Klass" of Good Time Charlie's Tattooland, and everywhere in between.

For Corey, a couple of the highlights of his career include being sought out by two incredible artists. The first was when he tattooed James Hetfield of Metallica and designed a dragon for Hetfield's Gibson Les Paul guitar. The second highlight was when custom motorcycle artist Jesse James asked him to tattoo the $100 bill on James's back.

But every tattoo Corey Miller designs, whether for customers famous or unknown, is itself a unique and timeless work of art. In addition, he continues to break new ground by engineering cutting-edge tattooing tools. He has seen a lot of changes during his more than twenty years' experience in the business, and looking into the next millennium, the sky is the limit for Corey Miller and his house of original tattoo design, the Six Feet Under Tattoo Parlor.

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FAQs
  • How do I book Corey Miller to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Corey Miller for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Corey Miller, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Corey Miller or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Corey Miller

    Speaking fees for Corey Miller, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Corey Miller are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Corey Miller, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Corey Miller speak about?

    Corey Miller is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Television Personalities.
  • Where does Corey Miller travel from?

    Corey Miller generally travels from an undisclosed location, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Corey Miller’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Corey Miller for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Corey Miller for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Corey Miller or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

One of the Core Tattoo Artists on the Reality Television Show "LA Ink"

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Corey Miller Biography

Ask premier tattoo artist Corey Miller how he got into the tattoo business, and he will probably tell you it was "by hanging around the wrong people." And if you have a sense of humor and you get it, he may tell you the real story.

In 1982, a fifteen-year-old Corey Miller was playing drums in a punk rock band and he decided he needed a tattoo. So he carved out his first tattoo on himself using a needle with thread wrapped around it. This inspired Corey to build his own tattooing machine, which consisted of a fish tank pump motor, a bent toothbrush, the tip of a Bic pen, and some guitar string as a needle. He used to carry his homemade contraption around in a Vans shoe box with a bottle of Pelican ink.

By 1983, Corey ventured out to Hollywood and found himself at the first real tattoo parlor he had ever set foot in, Spotlight Tattoo, run by the venerable Bob Roberts. Spotlight Tattoo was the hardest punk rock tattoo shop in Hollywood, and Corey was intrigued by the hand-drawn skulls and other aggressive designs on the walls. And the technology they used impressed him. He knew his days of slinging tattoos out of a shoe box were numbered and that he would soon be hammering out ink with one of the strong machines they were using at Spotlight.

A year later, Corey went to Franco's, the local tattoo parlor in Ontario, California. Franco was a 360-pound Sicilian with gold teeth, a Mohawk, and a .357 magnum slung in a shoulder harness. Corey and his buddies would go to Franco's after school to drink beers and do whatever else they wanted to do. By summertime, Corey was drawing designs and taking out the trash at the shop, and Franco and the boys started calling him the shop hand. Franco's soon closed after what Corey describes as some "pretty insane nights of fights, drunkenness, gunfire, arrests, and tattooing," but not before Franco sold Corey what he thought was a broken tattoo machine that turned out to work just fine.

Things changed for Corey in 1987 — on the night he met tattoo artist Mark Mahoney at a house party. Mahoney was performing his handiwork on some partygoers, and after watching him work, Corey realized there was a whole other level to the tattoo game. He started hanging out at the shop where Mahoney worked. The shop was called Fat George's Tattoo Gallery, and it was located in a tough neighborhood in La Puente, California. Over time, Corey started hitting Fat George up for a job as a tattoo artist. At long last, Fat George gave Corey his big break. Mahoney was making plans to open a new shop out in Los Angeles, and that meant that a chair was opening up. All of a sudden, Corey Miller had his first real job inking tattoos.

Corey turned twenty-one at Fat George's in 1987, and as a young man in a gang-related neighborhood, the busy tattoo parlor just may have saved his life. While his friends were getting busted for anything from drunk driving to serious felonies, Corey was busy in the safe haven of the shop inking up to ten tattoos a day. Then another turning point came for Corey Miller in 1989 on the day Dick Warsocki walked into the shop.

Warsocki was known for his beautiful Native American fine-line tattoos. When Warsocki walked into Fat George's that day he saw Corey, who just happened to be hammering out an amazing Indian Head tattoo on a customer's back. Warsocki complimented him on the design, told Corey he was headed to New Orleans for a tattoo convention, and asked if Corey wanted to go along and crash on his hotel floor. Corey took him up on the offer, and at the convention in New Orleans, Corey found a whole new realm of tattoo artistry.

He met famed artists such as Guy Atchison and Eddie Deutsche. They tattooed with a style that Corey says had "absolutely no boundaries" and that was "limited only to imagination." Corey also met one of his closest friends at the convention, Suzanne Fauser. The trip was the beginning of his annual voyages to Ann Arbor, Michigan, over the next twelve years. In fact, his career would take Corey Miller all over the United States, from Los Angeles to New York to Hawaii, and to a host of worldwide destinations such as Canada, France, Amsterdam, and Japan. He would eventually become one of the most sought-after purveyors of ink in modern times.

But let's get back to our story. It was 1989, and upon his return from that first tattoo convention in New Orleans, Corey got a break from the one and only Jack Rudy, who gave him a job at Good Time Charlie's Tattooland in Anaheim, California. Good Time Charlie's was an institution in the tattoo world. Artists such as Mark Mahoney, Freddy Negrete, and Dick Warsocki had previously worked at Good Time Charlie's, and it was there that Corey got the chance to work with Jack Rudy and Mike Brown—artists whom Corey collectively refers to as "the Kings of Black and Grey." Corey considers himself fortunate to have learned some important technical skills from Brown and to have seen masterpieces created by the hand of Jack Rudy, his friend and mentor.

In 1991, Corey Miller and two business partners opened Optic Overdrive, the first tattoo shop in Upland, California. The shop lasted about two years and, in addition to drilling some amazing tattoos, also hosted an unforgettable shootout on the front porch. Unfortunately, Corey soon had to throw one of his partners out, and the other took an extended vacation as a guest of the State. Soon, Corey was back to traveling and, when at home, tattooing in his basement. It was in that dank, underground dungeon that the name "Six Feet Under" was born. Within three years, and after tattooing out of the back of a barbershop, Corey opened his own tattoo parlor, complete with a staff of two artists—himself and Henry Powell. Then on April Fools Day in 1997, Corey Miller opened up shop in his own building in downtown Upland, and that is where the Six Feet Under Tattoo Parlor is today.

Looking back on his formative years, Corey feels lucky to have experienced the best and the worst of the tattoo business. He never had a formal apprenticeship, as many tattoo artists do, but instead got his education by "going on my own and falling on my face and doing it all again on my own terms."

His career has run the gamut from the street shop of Fat George's to the "Kustom Klass" of Good Time Charlie's Tattooland, and everywhere in between.

For Corey, a couple of the highlights of his career include being sought out by two incredible artists. The first was when he tattooed James Hetfield of Metallica and designed a dragon for Hetfield's Gibson Les Paul guitar. The second highlight was when custom motorcycle artist Jesse James asked him to tattoo the $100 bill on James's back.

But every tattoo Corey Miller designs, whether for customers famous or unknown, is itself a unique and timeless work of art. In addition, he continues to break new ground by engineering cutting-edge tattooing tools. He has seen a lot of changes during his more than twenty years' experience in the business, and looking into the next millennium, the sky is the limit for Corey Miller and his house of original tattoo design, the Six Feet Under Tattoo Parlor.

Corey Miller Videos

  • Corey Miller Does a Dragon and Tiger Tattoo - YouTube
  • NY Ink- Corey Miller does tattoo for Ami James - YouTube

FAQs on booking Corey Miller

  • How do I book Corey Miller to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Corey Miller for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Corey Miller, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Corey Miller or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Corey Miller

    Speaking fees for Corey Miller, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Corey Miller are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Corey Miller, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Corey Miller speak about?

    Corey Miller is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Television Personalities.
  • Where does Corey Miller travel from?

    Corey Miller generally travels from an undisclosed location, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Corey Miller’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Corey Miller for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Corey Miller for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Corey Miller or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Corey Miller is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Corey Miller for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Corey Miller generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Mark S. Luckie, Amy M. Wilkinson, Kat Von D, Chris Nunez and Chardelle Moore. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Corey Miller for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Corey Miller Speaker Videos

  • Corey Miller Does a Dragon and Tiger Tattoo - YouTube
    NY Ink- Corey Miller does tattoo for Ami James - YouTube

Tell us about your event!

During normal business hours, we respond to most inquiries within 4 hours.

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Speakers Similar to Corey Miller

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

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