promised LAND
Hollywood could learn from filmmaker Tyler Perry’s huge output and his pursuit of the ‘black dollar’
Tyler Perry recalls shedding tears when he saw an Atlanta highway exit bearing the name of his television and film studio for the first time.
The actor-director-writer believes he might have the same emotions during the grand opening of his massive state-of-the-art Tyler Perry Studios. He’s planning a starstudded unveiling of his 134-hectare studio, where some big projects have already been filmed including his Madea films along with AMC’s Walking Dead and Marvel’s blockbuster Black
Panther.
“When I came here in 1992, I came with a dream,” Perry said in a recent interview. “I’m looking at everything I’ve dreamed and more to come to pass. It just reminds me. I just thought this was the Promised Land and that sign reminded me of that every time I pass it. The studio is a reminder as well.”
Perry says his sprawling studio rivals other major Hollywood studios including
Warner Bros and Paramount Pictures. It’s considered one of the largest production studios in the country with 12 sound stages, 40 buildings on site that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and more than 80ha of green space.
The filmmaker built the studio on a former army base called Fort McPherson, which is south of downtown Atlanta, after buying the land in 2015.
Perry went from being homeless to become a force as a filmmaker to now being honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His career has been built on the success of his Madea stage play tours and movies along with his Why Did I Get Married? films. He recently partnered with Viacom to launch the BET Plus streaming service, He’ll also have two new drama series, The Oval and Sistas, premiere on BET this month.
But with all his accomplishments, Perry said Hollywood still has a hard time understanding the value of his content, which has gotten what he calls “undying” support from African Americans. He said the industry also struggles to realise the “power of the black dollar” and the amount of work he’s put into each project.
“I have no writer’s room because nobody else is writing anything. I’m writing everything. There’s nobody else directing any of the shows. I’m on the set directing every show. That’s so rare for the town. They can’t even wrap their brains around it. On these TV shows, they shoot three, four or five pages a day. I’m shooting 90 pages a day.”
One place Perry believes he can continue to make a difference is through his studio. He wants the studio to become a beacon to inspire other filmmakers.
“But I think this brick-andmortar of the studio speaks volumes because it’s not about my dream.
“It’s about all the other people that are able to come in and build dreams and share dreams and tell their stories as well.”