Tyler Perry's why I almost left Atlanta
Things got so contentious between Tyler Perry Studios and its Inman Park neighbors last year, the Atlanta filmmaker considered moving his multi-million dollar film and television empire out of his adopted hometown.
"When we were in Canada shooting '[Tyler Perry's] Why Did I Get Married?' I talked about moving the entire operation," Perry told the AJC Wednesday. "I was extremely angry."
While the studio facility itself sits on property zoned as commercial, an adjacent street is residential. Perry's studios employ 300 people, and he estimates that his multiple film and TV projects bring in $100 million to the metro area annually.
"The neighbors complain every day," Perry said. "They call about the lights and the traffic and they call about the air conditioner being too loud. They were upset that I was trying to build a parking lot. Finally, I said, 'OK, these people truly do not want me in this neighborhood.' I absolutely feel that I was forced to go to another place."
Perry says his staffers talked him out of leaving Atlanta.
The director has since found an expansive area on Continental Parkway near Greenbriar Mall in Southwest Atlanta and built a new multimillion dollar TV and film studio facility where he will shoot episodes of his TBS sitcoms "House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns" and his future film projects. The director-writer-producer plans to move his operation to the new space in the coming weeks.
Cliff Bramble, who co-owns Inman Park eateries Rathbun's, Kevin Rathbun Steak and Krog Bar, says he'll miss Perry and his staff.
"They're great neighbors," Bramble told Buzz on Wednesday. "We'll hate to see them leave. Tyler loves our lobster tacos. But maybe they outgrew the space here. He's experiencing a lot of growth with everything he's doing."
Inman Park Neighborhood Association president Lisa Burnette said Wednesday: "In my tenure since June, the association hasn't had any problem with the studio. I think this was more a case of individual neighbors taking issue with noise and traffic."
Burnette added that when she chaired the Inman Park Festival in 2006 and 2007, Perry?s studio graciously loaned the use of its parking lot to festival vendors.
Perry, meanwhile, is delighted with his new neighborhood. On Sunday, he drove up to the property and saw a jogger picking up litter out front.
Said Perry: "She told me, 'What you've done here is so beautiful. We're so happy you're in the neighborhood. We want you to know you're welcome here. This is my little way of saying thank you.'"
