Tyler Perry was a young man who grew up in the third ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, and had a dream to retire his mother.  Yet, his dream did not come true without sacrifices.  He built his brand, invested in his brand, and did not run away from his cultural background to tell the stories.

First, Mr. Perry built his brand by putting his name on his professional creations. He took what he had and made his name known to diverse audiences all over the world. He refused to become apologetic for creating projects under his name. He knew his competitors did not explain themselves to anyone. Therefore, neither would he.  As Mr. Perry built his brand, he always worked hard for what he wanted. To finance his dream he worked various jobs, such as being a car salesman and a bill collector. Those jobs served him well. They financed the bigger mission he had for himself. It took several years for his mission to be realized. However, no matter what happened during the years of his career, he never gave up on himself. It fueled him to stay focused on his mission.  He was determined to see his mission come to fruition.

 Another way Mr. Perry owned the path he paved is he invested in his brand. He saved thousands of dollars to showcase his first screenplay. But, the hopes he had of displaying his gifts and talents through cultural messages to larger audiences proved to be a slight disappointment at first. Yet, he was okay with that. His drive was bigger than the disappointments he faced.  As a once-homeless man, he eventually built his own production studio for him to direct, produce, and write original productions. He has complete ownership of the content he creates.  His productions focus on relatable subject matters and provide messages of hope that can encourage everyone. He uses people around him as a source of inspiration for his productions in a variety of ways including stage plays, television, or films.  He uses his gifts to make a difference in the lives of the people around him and beyond. He wanted the stories of black people to be recognized.

Lastly, Mr. Perry did not run away from his cultural background to tell the stories of black people. Tyler Perry built his production studio in an underserved community to show younger generations no matter what background they represent they can create an imprint their ancestors would be proud of.  He gave the stories of the black community platforms because he knows every story has value and no one’s life story is greater than the other. He acknowledges that often the resources people are searching for are connected to someone within their culture. Whenever one of us has an opportunity, it’s essential to use the platform we are given to provide someone else with an opportunity to grow and develop a platform for their gifts to be seen.

Although Mr. Perry’s dream of retiring his mother eventually happened, he admitted that dreams sometimes take years to come true. He taught me that it takes sacrifices to build my brand, investing my resources into my brand is important, and not running away from stories of the black culture will allow me to own the path I am paving.