Movie mogul Tyler Perry has officially opened his massive new film studio in Atlanta.
Unveiling the new Tyler Perry Studios at a black-tie gala on Saturday, Tyler said he will not only celebrate his studio but the Hollywood figures like Cicely Tyson, Oprah Winfrey and Denzel Washington who inspired him.
The $250 million studio is the only major film studio in the nation owned by an African American. A 134-hectare (330-acre) studio, one of the largest in the US, on land that once served as a Confederate army base.
With a party that drew celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L Jackson and Halle Berry, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson and others also helped Perry launch his new facility.
“I think it’s pivotal in everything that we’ve done, everything that we’re doing still, that we continue to try to motivate and inspire people,” said Perry, who was once homeless.
Winfrey praised Perry and said the new studio head was a force to be reckoned with.
“He didn’t wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way, or that way. He said: ‘I’m going to create my own way,’ and as we can see here, become a force for himself,” Winfrey said.
Jackson pointed to Perry’s vision as the key to his ascent. “This is more about Tyler the entrepreneur, the visionary. A guy who understands that ownership means that you can do what you want,” Jackson said.
Quietly and quickly, since he bought 330 acres at Fort McPherson in 2015, Perry said he has built 12 massive sound stages for other Hollywood studios to rent, each named after a seminal black actor.
There’s also a replica of the White House for his upcoming presidential television series, “The Oval.”
Tyler Perry recently received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
By Kehinde Oderinde