The Brief

Tyler Perry writes books, makes movies, acts in films and performs, and has built a multi-million-dollar entertainment empire, all from quite modest beginnings. In 2011, Perry topped the Forbes list of the highest paid men in entertainment. 

Why We Love Him

Tyler Perry is a perfect example of a content mogul who really knows his audience.

Early Life

Perry was born in New Orleans. His upbringing was troubled, and he suffered many beatings at the hands of his father.


Nonetheless, his mother and grandmother exerted a strong influence on his life and would later inspire many of the dramatic characters and situations that would make him famous. 

Perry never gradated from high school (though he did earn a GED) and in his twenties was watching the Oprah Winfrey show and was inspired to begin telling his story to the world. He wrote a musical called "I Know I've Been Changed," for which he rented out a hall in Atlanta using his life savings. It was a flop, but he decided to remount the show years later using a different strategy. By reaching out to African-American churches in a grass-roots marketing campaign for his production, he was able to fill seats and start building essential early audience support. 

Knowing His Audience

After that early innovation, Perry spent years honing his vision, act and audience. He co-produced his first film, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" on a budget of an extremely modest few million dollars and the film grossed many, many times that.

 

Perry famously created the character of Medea, a smart, no-nonsense black woman who dispenses both humorous and heartfelt advice about love and life in films, stage plays and books. He plays the character himself. 

He wrote in Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life: “You know, people don't want their intelligence insulted. They don't want to be preached to. They don't want to be degraded. All they want to do is sit, laugh, have a good time, love one another, forget about what's going on in the world, and find something out so they can be useful in this life. Do this and you have common sense.” 

In 2008, Perry opened Tyler Perry Studios in an old Delta Airlines facility in Atlanta. It's there that he shot several of his movies and television shows. 

In 2012, Perry struck at deal with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), in order to beef up the fledgling network's scripted series. His show, "the Haves and the Have Nots" and "Love Thy Neighbor" have racked up impressive ratings numbers and are helping the OWN network grow. 

Source: The New Yorker

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