‘We’re not in Camilla anymore’: Country lawyer to Hollywood… | www.ajc.com

It has all the makings of a Hollywood comedy: Country lawyer from Georgia finds himself in Tinsel Town, becomes starlet’s manager and rubs elbows with entertainment honchos all while imparting small-town wisdom.

In this case, however, it is a true story.

Patrick Millsaps, a lawyer from Camilla, has become something of a Hollywood broker. He has become the manager for actress Stacey Dash, best known for the role of Dionne in the movie “Clueless,” and now pitches shows to studios, reads scripts and hangs out with A-list celebrities.

“I’m still a bumpkin,” Millsaps said.

But this is no “bumpkin gets discovered, becomes star” story. And Millsaps is not really a bumpkin, either.

A lawyer at Hall Booth Smith & Slover, Millsaps is the former chairman of the state ethics commission and served as chief of staff to Newt Gingrich’s 2012 bid for president. In fact, it was politics that brought Millsaps and Dash together.

Dash, a rare conservative in liberal Hollywood, publicly endorsed Mitt Romney for president in the 2012 general election. Dash was bashed by Democrats and fellow African-Americans and promptly ignored by Romney’s team.

Millsaps watched it happen.

“I realized that it was a very bold thing for her to do,” Millsaps said. “And I was looking for the (Romney) campaign to pick up on her. Here you have this beautiful actress who’s come out of nowhere in support of your candidate.”

via ‘We’re not in Camilla anymore’: Country lawyer to Hollywood… | www.ajc.com.