Tyler Perry has officially christened his huge new film studio Saturday, lighting as his co-stars from the entertainment industry came down on Atlanta and walked on a red carpet to his lavish complex for a stunning opening gala.
The guests warmly met Perry, a man who had did not have any home once and yet now made his own studio, one of the nation’s biggest.
“I think it’s important in all that we’ve done, all the things that we’re doing still, that we will to try to motivate and inspire people,” Perry told The Associated Press as he hugged his well-wishers.
And there were a lot who wanted to give him thanks. Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson, Samuel L. Jackson to name a few all gave their hands to Perry christen his latest initiative, a 330-acre (134-hectare) studio that once was as a Confederate army base.
Winfrey was full of praise for Perry and told the AP the all-new studio head is a strong force to be reckoned with.
“He did not look for other people to give their approval or to say you should be doing this way or that way. He made it clear that he is going to do it his own way and it’s there for all of us to see here, become a force for himself,” Winfrey said.
“I remember when he was telling me about his grand plan and I told him ‘You’d be crazy not to take it.’” she added.
Jackson noted that Perry’s vision as a crucial factor to his ascent. “This is all on Tyler the entrepreneur. The man with a wide vision. A guy who knows that ownership means that you can do what you want,” Jackson said.
Tyler Perry Studios boasts of 12 soundstages. Every single one of them has been named after a seminal black actor.
