Here at Groovy, we have the privilege of playing a small part in the syndication of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. When we landed the gig, I began to do some research on Tyler Perry, and after reading quite a bit about him, I realized that he has provided us with a blueprint on how to become a TV and movie (and theatre and book should you choose) mogul.
1) Take risks – Early in Tyler Perry’s career, he had a string of failures that left him homeless and sleeping in his Geo Metro. But he stuck to his creative guns and eventually struck a chord with his audience.
2) Understand your audience – Had Tyler Perry not had such a keen understanding of his audience, he never would have been able to overcome his initial failure. With a troubled childhood, and the experience of being a young African American male he had a wealth of experience to draw from that allowed him to speak to his audience in a way they’ve not often heard.
3) Have something to say – A large part of Tyler Perry’s success with his audience is that he has a message that resonates. His moral compass comes through strongly in his work, and people respond.
4) Own as much of your content as you can - Of all his accomplishments, the fact Tyler Perry has managed to own almost everything he has produced is probably the most amazing. That’s just not the way things have traditionally worked in the “biz.” Even Steven Spielberg doesn’t own his work outright! Was Perry able to pull a fast one on the studios, or is this the future of entertainment? Only time will tell.
5) Work your tail off – I’m convinced that the man doesn’t sleep. He is completing construction on a 28 acre studio outside Atlanta, just completed production on 100 episodes of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne (and TBS has ordered an additional 28 episodes), is about to release 2 films: “The Family That Preys” (September 2008) and “Madea Goes to Jail” (February 2009), his play “The Marriage Counselor” is currently touring, and he has signed a deal with Lionsgate Films for three additional films.
6) Be damn good at it – Bottom line? Tyler Perry is extremely talented. He is produces consistently high quality work that people want to see, and that is awfully hard to do.
Can everyone do what Tyler Perry has done? Absolutely not. What seems so simple on paper is not as easy to do when faced with the prospect of sleeping in your own metaphorical Geo Metro. Life often causes people to lose the laser-like focus required to pull off what Tyler Perry has accomplished. Add to that the fact that very few people come close to the level of talent that Tyler Perry has, and now you know why he is where he is.
So can you be the next Tyler Perry? Just follow his 6 easy steps and remember to thank me when you get to the top!
Love this post, I initally did not warm up to Tyler Perry or his productions because they were a bit too real. I always felt that African Americans would rather spend money to be taken away in fantasy just like someone can go see Superman that “looks just like them”. Who wants to pay money for scenarios you see and experience every day of your life? So with that said…..the entrpreneur side of me has to salute this brilliant an creative person for building an enterprise that is virtually a hit factory with a built in audience that craves all he makes.