Tyler Perry went from sleeping in his car, creating stage plays and movies, and has now opened his new massive film studio on Saturday.
The debut of the new Tyler Perry studios, now one of the largest in the country, took place in Atlanta with plenty of entertainment industry moguls, a red carpet, and a gala to commemorate the special moment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson, Samuel L. Jackson, Halle Berry, among others, attended the gala to celebrate the opening of the 330-acre studio that was once a Confederate army base, the report said.
— Tyler Perry officially unveils the first Black owned studio —
Beyoncé at the Tyler Perry Studios opening in Atlanta — Oct. 5th. 💛 pic.twitter.com/gIq84t5iWV
— BEYONCÉ LEGION 𐚁 (@BeyLegion) October 6, 2019
“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,” Perry told The Associated Press on Saturday night as he greeted and shook hands with supporters.
Oprah, Perry’s close friend who also owns a studio, celebrated the the opening.
“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. I remember when he was thinking about buying this place and I said ‘You’d be crazy not to take it,” she told The AP.
Samuel L. Jackson pointed out Perry’s go-getter mentality as the driving force behind his new studio.
“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.
— Tyler Perry dedicates star on Hollywood Walk of Fame to ‘the underdogs’ —
Tyler Perry unveiled his $250 million Atlanta studio last night! It is the only major film studio in the nation owned by an African American: https://t.co/RCXwbUh5Hu pic.twitter.com/a3orFH91vQ
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) October 6, 2019
Tyler Perry Studios will pay homage to seminal Black actors and actresses, with all 12 sound stages in the studio being named after someone who made a difference.
“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.