Racquel Bailey’s first Tyler Perry role on ‘Sistas’ March 4, promoted herself via billboard last year
Originally posted Monday, March 2, 2020 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
New Jersey actress Racquel Bailey's $2,000 billboard investment seeking a job with Tyler Perry paid dividends last year: she will appear on an upcoming episode of BET's show "Tyler Perry's Sistas" Wednesday at 9 p.m.
She posted two billboards last year near Tyler Perry Studios seeking a job. A casting agent from Tyler Perry Studios ended up seeing it and gave her an audition.
Perry himself was a little annoyed and said he actually selected her without knowing about her billboard stunt. He publicly stated to the rest of the acting world after the fact: do not waste your money on billboards. Just audition!
“I love that you want to work with me, and I love that you invest in yourself,” Perry wrote last year in a public statement. “But when you do things like this it puts my team on high alert and makes me look at you sideways. I know the message that you want to send is a positive one, but this comes across as the opposite.” Plus, he said he saw her in 2016’s HBO series “The Night Of” and said she just needed to audition minus the billboard.
But Bailey did get free publicity and notoriety for her bold marketing idea.
In an email, Bailey said she continues to audition and has been grateful for the mostly positive reaction she has received.
“Since then, I’ve booked ‘FBI,’ a show on CBS,” Bailey wrote me. “Just auditioned for a lead in a new CBS show ‘Clarice’ to play the role of Ardelia. Waiting to hear back from that. #FingersCrossed.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
