‘I’ll Be Down In Atlanta Building My Own’

Photo credit: Twitter/ BET

Atlanta movie mogul Tyler Perry left the BET Awards show ablaze on Sunday night’s broadcast with a stirring words about empowerment. Tyler Perry’s BET Awards speech set the tone for the night.

Perry used Atlanta to make a point about how he was investing in the city so that dreamers that don’t have means — poor dreamers — dreamers of color — could be inspired by him.

Tyler Perry reps Atlanta in BET Awards speech

“While everybody was fighting for a seat at the table, talking about ‘Oscars so white, Oscars so white,’ I said y’all go ahead and do that, but while you’re fighting for a seat at the table, I”ll be down in Atlanta building my own.”

He added: “Because what I know for sure is that if I just can build this table, God will prepare it for me in the presence of my enemies,” he said, quoting a Bible verse.

“Own your stuff, own your business, own your way.”

Perry was also celebrating a new partnership with BET, where his company will provide exclusive content as part of a new streaming platform called BET+. Learn more about it.

With more than 700 movie and TV projects just in the last few years, the film industry has generated more than $9 billion for the state of Georgia.
There are so many movies filmed in Atlanta these days that it’s hard to keep up with it all. That’s why I suggest you subscribe to AtlantaFi.com to get all the freshest movie casting calls, celeb sightings and Atlanta happenings delivered to your inbox.

Want to work in Georgia film & TV? Here are the latest Atlanta casting calls

Tee Johnson: Tee Johnson is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AtlantaFi.com, Atlanta’s independent hyper-local publication focused on news, restaurants, events, jobs, neighborhoods, and lifestyle. A 15+ year Atlanta resident and longtime journalist and content creator, she covers Travel News, Events, Business, Hair Care, and Money with a practical, Atlanta-first lens. Before launching the site, Johnson worked as a substitute teacher in Atlanta Public Schools and later in corporate roles at Home Depot’s Vinings offices. A marketer by training with a degree in business management, she grew frustrated with the fragmented, hard-to-find information about what was actually happening in the city. That gap led her to create AtlantaFi as a curated, one-stop resource for the pulse of Atlanta—#ATLHAPS—without the national noise. Editorial decisions remain independent; the publication does not accept products, meals, or services in exchange for coverage. As Editor-in-Chief, she oversees original local reporting and curated practical guides that help residents, visitors, and businesses discover and engage with the city. Readers turn to her work for timely event roundups, dining and neighborhood insights, business and travel updates, and straightforward money and lifestyle coverage grounded in firsthand observation of Atlanta. A devoted lover of all things Atlanta, Tee enjoys pickleball, a good margarita or bourbon, and walking the Atlanta Beltline. She can be reached for editorial inquiries at tjohnson@atlantafi.com (serious inquiries only).

This website uses cookies.