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Attending an HBCU helped Lance Gross realize his dreams of becoming an actor. The Oakland, CA, native had envisioned he would establish a career in entertainment. However, his parents initially had other aspirations, encouraging him to pursue finance and business . “I went against the grain. I like to take a chance on myself. I always bet on myself,” Gross told AFROTECH™ on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Off The Yard Festival at The Bullpen in Washington, DC. There he served as an event partner for the spirit company DIAGEO, celebrating Howard University’s 100th anniversary and sharing in its mission to elevate HBCUs. “I had to do what I loved and what I loved was entertainment. And I’m a creative person, and I feel like I’m not living unless I’m creating. For me, it was a no-brainer. Now, I had some convincing to do with my parents, and also I was on a full track and field scholarship, so I had to convince my coach as well. But, I’m from Oakland, CA, so I’m gonna make it work. We know...
50 Cent has revealed one of those “unwritten laws of business.” The artist and entrepreneur took to the stage at Invest Fest in Atlanta, GA, and shared his unspoken rule in business: Never appear to need anything. He then clarified the thought process behind this surprising rule. “One of the unwritten laws of business is to not appear to need anything,” he said during Invest Fest, according to HipHopDX. “Because everybody will do you a favor when you don’t need one. If they can expect a bigger favor in return or a favor from you at some later point, they’ll find the ability to just do it.” He added: “That’s why when they tell me no, I go — if television say[s] they [are] going on strike, I say, ‘Okay, I’m on tour.’ That last tour [the Final Lap Tour], I did 103 shows. It’s the third-highest-grossing Hip-Hop tour ever.” Although the saying “closed mouths don’t get fed” is commonly accepted, 50 Cent has succeeded in various ventures despite not adhering to this principle. While it is...
Although in no rush to become a billionaire, 50 Cent is following Tyler Perry’s blueprint. Both entrepreneurs have their own studios, which house their current and future projects and create jobs that benefit the surrounding communities and beyond. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Perry, a self-made billionaire, relied on his earnings to fund a 330-acre studio in Atlanta, GA, which opened its doors in 2008. “That’s why ‘Sistas,’ ‘The Oval,’ ‘Ruthless,’ and ‘Zatima’ — soon to come — All these shows on BET are doing so well, because I had us,” Perry said during Invest Fest 2023. “So, I haven’t been in a position where I’ve had to use private equity or money like that.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tyler Perry Studios (@tylerperrystudios) Today, Tyler Perry Studios grants him greater creative freedoms through its built-in features that include 12 sound stages — available to rent — and various staged sets such as baseball fields, a chapel, a bank, a county jail, a...
Tyler Perry opened the world’s largest Black-owned studio, not just to build his own legacy but to empower others to create theirs. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he self-funded Tyler Perry Studios to launch in Atlanta, GA, in 2008. I t’s now reportedly worth $280 million and serves as both a hub for his creative projects and a welcoming space for other filmmakers seeking to rent its stages and spaces. His ambition to succeed and help others is driven by his great-grandfather, who was enslaved, NBC News reports. “I’m on the wave that they set in motion,” he told the outlet. “So I feel like I’m supposed to live well. I feel like I’m supposed to have everything that I want. Not just for me, but for everyone who didn’t get it. …It’s not just about what I’m doing,” Perry told NBC News. “It’s also about all the people that’s affected.” Perry’s vision has manifested in several ways. His workforce is 99% Black and also includes a population of those who were formerly incarcerated and...
Many people first came to know Keke Palmer as the pre-teen spelling whiz in “Akeelah and the Bee” in 2006. A few months before the drama film’s release, “Madea’s Family Reunion” began showing in theaters. Directed, written, and produced by Tyler Perry, at age 11, Palmer played the role of Nikki, a young girl who became Madea’s foster daughter. Nearly two decades after “Madea’s Family Reunion” was released, Palmer is continuing to show gratitude to Perry for the acting gig. While the media mogul was a guest on the longtime actress’ podcast, “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer,” she recalled the movie set and cast feeling like a family. “Everybody felt like my aunties and uncles and cousins and just family and friends,” Palmer expressed to Perry. “That was a great experience.” Palmer also recalled how Perry went above and beyond when it came to the check she received from the film. “That was the first time that I have ever been in a movie, and it introduced this for me in business,” Palmer...
Black actors and actresses’ public display of gratitude for Tyler Perry’s support is ongoing. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Meagan Good shared on NBC’s “Today With Hoda & Jenna” that Perry was the first person to properly compensate her throughout her three-decade career. While Good was anxious to share with Perry what she desired to earn for her leading role in his “Divorce in the Black,” she says that the media mogul was already set on that offer. “He [Perry] was like ‘You deserve this’ ’cause I was already thinking in my head like, what I was going to ask, and I was like, ‘Oh, is this too much?’” Good recounted. She continued, “I was like, ‘I don’t want to lose the job.’ ‘Cause I come from that generation when you’re working in the ’90s and 2000s when women ask for something you are perceived to be a certain kind of way or when you show up a certain way. When you’re assertive, you’re perceived to be a certain kind of way… But that’s what I love about Tyler, ’cause he was...
Despite being an industry veteran, Meagan Good reveals she was finally paid her worth on her latest film. While promoting “Divorce in the Black,” she spoke candidly about her experience with the film’s director, writer, and producer, Tyler Perry . She described him as an “angel” during an interview on NBC’s “Today With Hoda & Jenna.” On the show, Good confirmed that Perry was the first to compensate her properly for her role despite her working as an actress for “over 30 years.” “I actually cried because what I love about Tyler is not only is he an angel, not only is he a genius, not only is he unapologetic as a leader, but he also makes you feel valued and seen and appreciated, and he goes out of his way to do that,” Good explained to hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. “I think about how people pay it forward, and I don’t know if anyone paid it forward to him, but he most certainly pays it forward to everyone else.” While Perry willingly paid Good accordingly, the actress...
A new update regarding the potential sale of BET has been revealed. According to Bloomberg, Paramount is reportedly in talks with BET CEO Scott Mills and CC Capital Founder Chinh Chu, who are looking to buy the network. Bloomberg’s anonymous sources share that the group is aiming to offer $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion. The outlet details that the new offer follows the group’s initial attempt to purchase BET in December 2023 for “a little under $2 billion” and also comes after Paramount’s proposed merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media fell through. As previously shared by AFROTECH™, Byron Allen has shown avid interest in being a potential buyer of BET. So much so that he reportedly placed an offer of $3.5 billion that same month. The whopping offer marked the media mogul’s second attempt to lock in the opportunity to make BET Black-owned again. “You are pursuing an inside sale at a below-market price with management that will not yield the highest price for the stockholders,”...
In April 2023, Tyler Perry shared his interest in bidding to purchase a majority stake in BET Media Group from Paramount. As BET is the home of his shows such as “Sistas” and “House of Payne,” there was potential alignment. In addition, the media mogul hoped for the network to become Black-owned once again. However, the aspiration came to an end shortly after. By August 2023, Paramount announced that it had ended its initial plan to sell its majority stake in BET Media Group stating that “a sale wouldn’t result in any meaningful deleveraging of its balance sheet,” as previously shared by AFROTECH™. With the change in plans, Perry, along with other reported bidders including Byron Allen, did not gain ownership of BET. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Perry was reportedly among the offers that ranged from $2 billion to $3 billion, but the bidding process didn’t pan out as he had hoped. “I was disappointed about it for a number of reasons,” Perry shared at Bloomberg’s Equality Summit,...
Artificial intelligence (AI) has altered Tyler Perry’s plans for a significant business venture. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Perry was looking to expand his 330-acre studio in Atlanta, GA, adding 12 soundstages to the property. However, the $800 million project is now being halted, and Perry cites AI-powered platform Sora and its capabilities for the decision. Per Sora’s website, the platform offers a text-to-video model that can generate videos up to one minute long according to the user’s prompt. “I have been watching AI very closely and watching the advancements very closely. I was in the middle of, and have been planning for the last four years, about an $800 million expansion at the studio, which would’ve increased the backlot a tremendous size, we were adding 12 more soundstages,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter. “All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I’m seeing. I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming,...
Failure was never an option for filmmaker Tyler Perry. In conversation with Soledad O’Brien during a fireside chat hosted by QuickBooks and Mailchimp, Perry emphasized the importance of not frowning upon small beginnings. In his early days as a hungry creative in Atlanta, GA, he was homeless and living in his car, as AFROTECH mentioned previously. However, Perry never lost faith, and he credits hope as his constant driver toward success. “What I would say to anyone if it is your dream and it is your hope, it is that thing that you wake up with, and you go to bed with it, and you can’t shake it no matter what, that’s something that’s bigger than you… I was homeless,” Perry explained to O’Brien. He continued, “My mother said, ‘Leave them plays alone’…You ain’t never going make it.’ And this woman loved me with all of her heart, but she knew how difficult it was for me. But if it is your dream and that thing wakes you up and keeps reminding you, do not stop, don’t stop. I’m sitting...
