*Tyler Perry has heard all the criticism about his writing style and he’s bringing changes to his studios in Atlanta.
After previously catching heat from fans for not having a writers room, the filmmaker plans to hire up-and-coming writers and filmmakers to help expand his brand.
“We’re super excited about the young, up-and-coming filmmakers and new writers that we’re working with,” Michelle Sneed, Tyler Perry Studios president of production and development, tells Variety. “Tyler has solidified his place in the industry; his brand is amazing, and we’ll continue to grow that. Then on the other side, we’re working on promoting, providing a platform and advocating for this new talent, both in front of and behind the camera.”
The news comes after Perry was criticized for revealing that he does not have a “writers room” for his projects, unlike most television shows.
“So, I don’t know if you know this, but all shows on television have a writers room,” Perry said in a video shared to Instagram in January. “And, most of the time, there are 10 people or 12 or whatever that write on these television shows. Well, I have no writers room. Nobody writes any of my work. I write it all. Why am I telling you this? I wrote all of these scripts by myself in 2019. Work ethic!”
READ MORE: Tyler Perry Says Spike Lee’s Criticism ‘Stung’ But He Still Named A Soundstage After him
Many of Perry’s Black colleagues were quick to call him out on social media for doing a disservice to Black writers.
In an interview with men’s magazine Level earlier this year, the Hollywood mogul recalled the challenges he faced hiring Black writers early in his career, and how this led to his “NO WRITERS ROOM” policy.
“So, when I first started my career, I got a deal with TBS. When it was time to staff, I went to DGA, SAG, and IATSE and I told them, “TBS isn’t paying me the money upfront — I’m financing these shows myself. I’m not Sony, I’m not Disney; I need to work out a deal for pay rates,” Perry tells the publication. “They worked out great deals for me. At the time, I had a bunch of writers who were nonunion, and I was unhappy with every single script they wrote. They were not speaking to the voice. They just didn’t get it.”
He also noted during the interview, “We have four shows coming up with showrunners who will have their own writers and their own writers’ room. There will always be opportunities at Tyler Perry Studios for writers. Always. But for these particular shows, my audience wants my voice.”
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