Tyler Perry’s Vision Turned a Place Once Tied to Racial Oppression Into a Thriving Epicenter for Black Excellence
Celebrations of Atlanta’s culture, music, art, and business take center stage every year on 404 Day, April 4, and with that comes a spotlight on changemakers.
Among those whose impact is recognized is Tyler Perry. The New Orleans native has called the Southern “Black Mecca” home since 1991.
The man who once struggled to launch his stage play career, experienced homelessness, and bet his livelihood on his dreams of telling stories that resonate with the Black community has since become a bona fide billionaire and history maker as the first African-American to own a major film and television product studio that rivals Hollywood.
Oppression to Empowerment: Tyler Perry Rewrites Atlanta’s History
The 330-acre Tyler Perry Studios campus is located in southwest Atlanta, about 10 miles south of downtown Atlanta’s sky-high buildings. The lush forests and stretches of interstate between the metropolis serve as a not-so-far-away backdrop to the entertainment hub.
“Welcome to Tyler Perry Studios” reads the entryway signage at one entrance, but its past as the U.S. Army installation Fort McPherson can still be observed elsewhere on the 487-acre campus that served as a Confederate army base during the Civil War. Decades-old signs outside of the studio’s gates remain, and original brick structures such as soldiers barracks continue to stand on the grounds.
Named in honor of Civil War Union Major General James Birdseye McPherson, the former military compound dates back as far as 1835. Its history as a major command post spans the 19th century Spanish-American War, World War I and WWII, segregation and integration of the South, the Persian War, and beyond.
The “Alex Cross” actor acquired the land for $30 million in 2015. He and T.D. Jakes purchased an additional 37.5 acres in 2022 for forthcoming expansions.
In his acceptance speech for the BET’s 2019 Ultimate Icon Award, Tyler noted, “There were Confederate soldiers on that base plotting and planning how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved. Now that land is owned by one negro.”
TPS headquarters’ location is equally as significant. He said, “I built it in a neighborhood that is one of the poorest Black neighborhoods in Atlanta so that young Black kids could see that a Black man did that and they can do it too.”
Tyler Perry’s Creativity and Business Savvy Make Georgia as the “New Hollywood”
The billionaire’s film and television epicenter boasts 12 sound stages that have been used for his extensive list of productions as well as for Marvel films such as “Black Panther,” Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s “Bad Boys for Life,” and Eddie Murphy’s “Coming 2 America,” to name a few.
RocketReach claims that the studio has raked in $98.3 million thus far in 2025. In 2019, Perry had made more than $1.27 billion at the film box office throughout his career. His projects have earned esteemed Black actors like Meagan Good and Taraji P. Henson some of their highest earnings for a single project and helped many others continue in their craft.
At a time when networks are canceling Black shows, there’s Tyler Perry. He deserves more credit for not having to depend on a network/executives to determine whether or not his shows are renewed since they are produced under Tyler Perry Studios and his organic reach/support. https://t.co/fMGN3osvB5
— TB🤴🏾 (@TevonBlair) March 12, 2025
“At a time when networks are canceling Black shows, there’s Tyler Perry. He deserves more credit for not having to depend on a network/executives to determine whether or not his shows are renewed since they are produced under Tyler Perry Studios and his organic reach/support,” read praise on X for the “Madea’s Family Reunion” director-writer.
The Georgia film and television industry brings in an estimated $4.3 billion annually. It is speculated that the “Beauty in Black” creator’s compound is worth at least $280 million and contributes hundreds of millions to the economy.
Tyler Perry’s Inspired Black Creators to Aspire to New Levels of Ownership
“What I learned was that the ownership is non-negotiable. It’s not at all. I have to have that particular part of it because that is where generational wealth is made,” Perry told Variety about retaining ownership of his projects.
“That’s where things are established for generations to come for my son and his kids. And if they are as smart about it as I have been, then everything will change. I think that’s how you change entire communities,” he continued.
Katt Williams speaks on buying a military base in Alabama & turning it into a film studio on the Jimmy Fallon show pic.twitter.com/rtSBv1XyGo
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) March 20, 2025
His path has since been followed by 50 Cent and Katt Williams. The “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” rapper launched G-Unit Film and Television Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2024. His more than $2 million investment into the city, which is among the most financially needy in the country, has reenergized economic development.
Williams followed in Perry’s footsteps when purchased the defunct 117-acre Fort McClellan base in November 2024 for an undisclosed amount.
“He did it his way,” Oprah Winfrey told 11Alive at the grand opening of TPS in Atlanta. “He didn’t wait for Hollywood. He didn’t wait for anyone to tell him how to do it. He did it his way.”
