Tyler Perry opened the world’s largest Black-owned studio, not just to build his own legacy but to empower others to create theirs.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he self-funded Tyler Perry Studios to launch in Atlanta, GA, in 2008. It’s now reportedly worth $280 million and serves as both a hub for his creative projects and a welcoming space for other filmmakers seeking to rent its stages and spaces.
His ambition to succeed and help others is driven by his great-grandfather, who was enslaved, NBC News reports.
“I’m on the wave that they set in motion,” he told the outlet. “So I feel like I’m supposed to live well. I feel like I’m supposed to have everything that I want. Not just for me, but for everyone who didn’t get it. …It’s not just about what I’m doing,” Perry told NBC News. “It’s also about all the people that’s affected.”
Perry’s vision has manifested in several ways. His workforce is 99% Black and also includes a population of those who were formerly incarcerated and who spent time in shelters, NBC News reports.
He also established TPS DREAMERS, a six-week internship program for college students to expose them to various career pathways in the industry that include information technology, art and graphic design, accounting, legal, production, studio operations, and social and digital media, among others, its website mentions. Students will be compensated $18 an hour and are expected to work at least 16 hours a week.
Participants will receive department assignments and be able to learn by shadowing an assistant for their designated department. They will also get status reports for weeks two to five, with the fifth week including a detailed report that outlines their strengths, areas for improvement, and recommendations on how the studio can assist their career growth.
“We aspire to brand the next generation of diverse filmmakers through extensive training that will allow them to create opportunities for themselves and others,” a statement on the company website reads.
Reflecting on the impact of the program, Julius Shanks, a Tyler Perry Studios post-production intern and Howard University student, commented on Instagram:
“I get to really do quality controls on some shows. I get to observe how shows go from SVOD, which is video on demand, to linear, which is network television, taking out certain things that can’t air on network television, that can air on demand. I get to really go through scripts. I’m learning how to do audio editing, color grading, so much amazing information that I wouldn’t have learned if I didn’t have this internship. So I’m so grateful for it. And my 4 weeks being here, I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned what I like inside of production.”
He added, “I’ve learned the ins and outs to really baking this cake and putting the icing on top of it, and that’s honestly post-production. The little things like continuity of a person in the scene, to specks on their forehead. Just how do we clear up all of these things and still make it look as great as it could be? Am I happy to be a TPS DREAMERS,? Not only am I happy, but I’m grateful. Without this experience, I don’t think I would’ve really been able to know the type of production and the roles and responsibilities that I wanna get into after graduating from Howard. So I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
