Movie mogul Tyler Perry reflected on his success recently when a sign on the interstate directing motorists to his studio went up.
The sign is at the Sylvan Road / Cleveland Avenue exit on I-85 in southwest Atlanta.
Tyler Perry Studios sign goes up on Atlanta interstate
Perry posted on Facebook about the sign, which he said reminded him of how far he’s come.
“Driving into work today I saw these signs on the highways being changed. My eyes filled with water knowing what God has allowed to happen in my life. Atlanta has truly been the promised land for me. I came here with nothing, lived off Sylvan Road, ended up homeless and starving, but I was always praying and believing. I was always keeping the faith, knowing that if I worked hard, did my absolute best, kept my integrity, honored every blessing, and remained grateful through it all that everything would work out. And it has, thank God.”
Music mogul Jermaine Dupri also praised Perry for the accomplishment, saying on Twitter, “This deserves to be posted twice cause I saw some stupid a** comments, this man was homeless, living in his car and now look at God,if this don’t inspire you to get up,get out and get something,I don’t know what will.”
Perry’s story is well known. He moved to Atlanta from New Orleans with only a dream. He put on a series of plays that turned into movies.
A couple years ago, he purchased more than 30 acres at Fort McPherson in southwest Atlanta. Today, that property is where Tyler Perry Studios is located. When the studio opened, the first movie to film there was “Black Panther.”
Atlanta has become a movie mecca in recent years and Georgia has been a favorite location for TV productions since the state instituted generous tax breaks for film companies that agree to shoot locally. Projects from CBS, NBC, HBO, BET and more are slated to shoot in the metro area in 2018-19 and the foreseeable future.