Award-winning producer Will Packer reflects on success in film industry | 11Alive Uninterrupted
Will Packer is known for several popular movies, including "Girls Trip" featuring Regina Hall, and "Think Like a Man" with Taraji P. Henson.
11Alive Uninterrupted is a series focused on in-depth conversations on Atlanta's culture. 11Alive's Neima Abdulahi sits down with award-winning filmmaker Will Packer to discuss his movies, success and love of Atlanta.
Films and Success
He's a longtime Atlanta resident, filmmaker, CEO, businessman, and entrepreneur. Will Packer joined culture journalist Neima Abdulahi in an interview about his accomplishments and what he wants to see in the filmmaking industry.
Packer is known for several popular movies, including "Girls Trip" featuring Regina Hall, and "Think Like a Man" with Taraji P. Henson, also "Ride Along" and "Stomp the Yard," both filmed here in Atlanta.
"The most successful people I know are not the smartest, and the ones with the most money, even the ones with the most talent," Packer said. "Right? They're the people that work the hardest."
One of his latest projects is "Praise This," which includes metro Atlanta's very own Chloe Bailey as a cast member.
"More productions are happening here and I'm proud to be a small part of that. So, I'll continue to tell stories in Atlanta," he said. "'Praise This' is very authentically Atlanta."
The storyline of "Praise This" follows a young woman who wants to become a music star. She's forced to join a struggling praise team in the lead up to a national competition, according to Peacock's website.
"We are showing actual Atlanta locations and highlighting them. And I'm very proud of that for the city that I love," he said.
Changing the Industry
Ambition has catapulted Packer into many different roles receiving several accolades over the year, including in 2018, when he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture for “Girls Trip,” and his BET Award for Best Movie for “Think Like a Man” in 2013.
When it comes to how Packer uses his voice for the Black community in his movies, he said it's "a privilege to tell the stories" he tells, "but it's also a big responsibility that I take very seriously."
Packer's drive to keep creating is backed by his "Will" to change the industry and ultimately get more Black people into the film scene, which is one reason he loves Atlanta so much.
"There's such a diversity of folks here, and I loved it for bringing actors in because there are people from all over that come to Atlanta that create the Atlanta culture, right? So, it feels like a southern city with international flair and flavor," he said.
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