This was posted Tuesday, July 25, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
Atlanta's Tyler Perry gets all the media attention but another Atlanta media mogul who chooses to stay behind the scenes is making waves: Will Packer.
He just signed a deal with Discovery Communications and Universal Pictures to create a new company Will Packer Media. It will focus on TV and digital scripted and unscripted series, branded content as well as short-form entertainment targeting younger audiences.
More importantly, OWN will have the first option to take his scripted TV series. For OWN, this is a way to fill a pending gap once its exclusive deal with Perry is over in 2019.
"We are creating a new model for content production that sees TV and digital as equals, and combines the best of storytelling and brands for an under-served audience," Packer said to Deadline.com.
Offices will be based in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Packer has a long history in Atlanta but primarily in film. Among his hits include "The Gospel" (2005), "Stomp the Yard" (2007), "Takers" (2010), "Think Like a Man" (2012), "Ride Along" (2014), "About Last Night" (2014), "The Wedding Ringer" (2015), "Straight Outta Compton" (2015) and "Almost Christmas" (2016). This past weekend, his comedic film "Girls Trip" came in No. 2 for the week with more than $30 million in grosses.
Overall, his films have grossed more than $1 billion.
On the TV side, he has already done "Roots" for BET, "Uncle Buck" for ABC and "Being Mary Jane" and "The Quad" for BET.
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