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Producer Will Packer has officially taken the film industry by storm. Having produced two box office hits in one year has propelled him to the top of his game. In September of 2007, Daily Variety magazine was on the right track when they selected Packer as one of their “10 Producers to Watch.” Packer states, “Receiving this honor was great validation for my burgeoning work in Hollywood. As the only African-American honored on this list, I accept the tremendous responsibility that this represents to make movies that matter as well as have commercial appeal. I look forward to continuing to promote imagery that has not traditionally been pushed by mainstream Hollywood.” Subsequently, Packer was acknowledged on several high profile lists in 2007, including; Giant magazine’s “The Giant 100”, Jet magazine’s “Who’s Hot To Watch in 2008 and Black Enterprise’s “Most Powerful Players Under 40.”
Packer is Co-founder and Chairman of the Atlanta based production company, Rainforest Films. Earlier this year, Packer and his business partner Rob Hardy were honored by Black Enterprise as one of the “Top 25 Money Makers in Hollywood.” Other honorees included Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah, Chris Tucker and Tyler Perry to name a few.
As Co-Founder and Chairman of Rainforest Films, Packer is responsible for producing and overseeing the company’s studio financed and self-financed films and distribution projects. He co-founded Rainforest Films with his partner Rob Hardy in the summer of 1994 while both were engineering students at Florida A & M University. After graduating magna cum laude from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1996, Packer decided to forego lucrative job offers in the field of engineering to capitalize on his entrepreneurial instincts and his passion for film making. His tenacious and visionary leadership fueled the production and led to the successful independent distribution of the company’s first theatrically released motion picture Trois. Trois grossed $1.2 million dollars and became the fastest million dollar grossing film distributed by African Americans. Based on the company’s success as an independent distributor, Packer brokered a profitable partnership in 2001 between Rainforest Films and Sony’s Columbia Tri-Star to produce and distribute urban films. This partnership has also resulted in Packer overseeing production and distribution budgets of numerous urban-themed releases including Trois: The Escort, Motives and the independent breakout hit film, The Gospel. Next, Will brokered a deal to produce Mekhi Phifer’s feature film directorial debut, Puff Puff Pass, in Los Angeles, before returning to Atlanta to produce the company’s largest project to date, Stomp The Yard, which held the #1 position at the box office for two weekends in January of 2007 and received the 2007 Movie of the Year honors from the BET Hip Hop Awards. Packer enjoyed the success of This Christmas, which starred Regina King, Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer, Columbus Short and Chris Brown, which opened a strong #2 at the box office on Thanksgiving weekend in 2007. With 2008 shaping up to be yet another promising year, Packer’s International fame is imminent. His most current projects in various stages of production include Phenom, a basketball drama starring Vanessa L. Williams and R&B superstar Chris Brown, the action movie Bone Deep and the urban remake of the classic film The Big Chill starring Regina King. Packer is currently producing the recently announced thriller, Obsessed, starring Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter and Idris Elba which is set to begin principal photography this summer.
Mr. Packer is a dynamic and inspiring speaker who has delivered educational and motivational speeches to industry groups, as well as youth and community groups nationwide. Packer serves on the Board of Directors of IMAGE Film and Video, an Atlanta non-profit organization that exists as a support system for independent film and video artists. He also lends a substantial amount of his time as a volunteer fundraiser for Readers Make Leaders, Inc., a nonprofit organization that encourages urban teens to read. He has been honored with the key to the city of St. Petersburg, FL, and “Will Packer Day” has been proclaimed in the cities of Chattanooga, TN and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Packer will be honored by the Tallahassee Film Festival with the Emerging Talent Award in May 2008. Additionally, Packer recently received the Meritorious Achievement Award from his alma mater Florida A&M University, the highest honor the University bestows.
------------------------------------------------------------ Will Packer (along with partner Rob Hardy) has been named one of America's Most Powerful Players Under 40 on BLACK ENTERPRISE's Magazine 2007 Hot List
For the very first time, BE hits newsstands with five exclusive, consecutive covers, a first in the magazine's 37-year history. The groundbreaking covers feature NBA superstar LeBron James, Pop/R&B phenomenon Chris Brown with gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin, hip-hop star/entrepreneur Queen Latifah, platinum chart-toppers Wyclef Jean and John Legend, and tennis ace turned fashionista Venus Williams.
The BE Hot List is comprised of ultimate achievers under the age of 40 in media, music, entertainment, and sports. "These celebrities have shrewdly leveraged their fame to build multimillion-dollar empires that will sustain them beyond their careers in sports and entertainment," says be Editor-at- Large Carolyn Brown. "Plus, this year's list goes outside the box to include business executives, top-ranked money managers, and medical researchers whose impact on our world is undeniable."
http://www.blackenterprise.com/aboutusopen.asp?id=3836
Also check out the March 2008 issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine as it will feature its exclusive list of the "Top 25 Moneymakers in Hollywood". Will Packer and Rob Hardy are among the Top 25 that were honored. http://www.blackenterprise.com/coverstories/hollywood/hwmain.asp
"Who's Hot to Watch in 2008"
--------------------------------------------------------- WHEN: January 14, 2008 issue, page 62
===== WHO: Will Packer
IN: GIANT magazine article - "The Giant 100"
WHEN: December/January issue, page 104
=====
TUNE IN:
TO SEE: NAACP Image Awards
FOR: "Stomp the Yard", "This Christmas" and "Honeydripper" nominations
NETWORK: FOX
WHEN: Thursday, February 14

This Christmas Box Office Report
Coming in a strong No. 2 was the domestic dramedy This Christmas, which far exceeded expectations in opening up a $27.1 mil gift. The film, geared toward an African-American crowd, racked up a solid-A Cinema Score mark from an audience that was two-thirds female but equally divided between older and younger folks. This Christmas did so well that its per-theater average of $14,586 was actually better that of Enchanted ($13,418).
____________________________________ Anspaugh to direct 'Phenom'
Basketball drama will star singer-actor Brown By MICHAEL FLEMING Screen Gems has set David Anspaugh to direct basketball drama "Phenom," which will star singer-actor Chris Brown.
Brown will play a standout high school basketball player who goes pro after the media discovers he's the illegitimate son of the NBA's best player. Father and son are on a collision course as their teams meet on the road to the playoffs.
Henry Simmons and Vanessa Williams will also star. Robert Teitel, George Tillman Jr. and Will Packer will produce. Charles Murray and Chris Parker penned the script.
Anspaugh is a sports film vet whose credits include "Rudy" and "Hoosiers." Brown, who made his film debut for Screen Gems in "Stomp the Yard," just opened in the Screen Gems pic "This Christmas."
Production will begin early next year, after Brown completes a tour for his fall album release, "Exclusive."
Simmons stars in "Shark" as well as the Tyler Perry-directed "Madea's Family Reunion" and "Are We There Yet?"; Williams is currently starring in "Ugly Betty."
Read the full article at: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977038.html
____________________________________ VARIETY MAGAZINE 9/6/07 Will Packer 10 Producers to Watch By MATTHEW ROSS Until last year, Atlanta-based Will Packer was one of the most successful producers that few mainstream industryites had never heard of. That all changed when "Stomp the Yard," a drama about a step-dancer at a black college, marched its way to $61 million at the U.S. box office. Now, after years of working in mainstream obscurity, Packer has quickly established himself as a player. Check out the article at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971407.html

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