Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios

The stars were out Saturday when Tyler Perry invited hundreds of A-list celebrities to celebrate the grand opening of his studios in Atlanta. The director, screenwriter, producer and playwright made history as the only Black man to own a major movie studio in the U.S.

Perry invited many of his frequent collaborators to his fete, which took place on the 330-acre lot, including Oprah Winfrey, Cecily Tyson, Taraji P. Henson, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, and Keshia Knight Pulliam.

Other Hollywood heavyweights came, including Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, Beyoncé, Jay Z and Halle Berry, along with politicos such as John Lewis, Bernice King and Stacey Abrams.

Back in June, Perry explained during his BET Awards acceptance speech that “when I built my studio, [it was in the] poorest Black neighborhood in Atlanta so the kids can see that a Black man did that and they can too.”

“The studio was once a confederate army base,” he said of the land, known as Fort McPherson, which was previously used as a Confederate Army base during Civil War, when the south fought to keep Black people enslaved.

According to his website, Perry purchased the land in June 2015, which now holds 12 sound stages for movie productions. He dedicated each soundstage to a Black person who’s made strides in Hollywood, including the late Diahann Carroll.

01

Tyler Perry

02

Cicley Tyson

03

Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham

04

Halle Berry

05

Jenifer Lewis

06

Kelly Rowland

07

Michelle Williams

08

Patti LaBelle

09

Tamron Hall

10

Sheryl Lee Ralph

11

Tyrese

12

Keshia Knight Pulliam

13

T. D. Jakes

14

Ava DuVernay

15

Storm Reid

16

Jazmine Sullivan

17

Loretta Devine

18

Tamera Mowry-Housley

19

Jill Scott

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Tiffany Haddish

21

Gladys Knight