Will Packer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Will Packer
Packer in 2018
Born	(1974-04-11) April 11, 1974 (age 51) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	Florida A&M University (BS)
Occupation	Film producer
Years active	1994–present
Notable credit(s)	Think Like a Man Obsessed Ride Along About Last Night Girls Trip Night School
Spouse(s)	Nina Packer ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2009)​ Heather Hayslett ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	4

Will Packer (born April 11, 1974) is a super successful American film producer. He started two companies, Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media. He has helped create many movies that have earned over $1 billion around the world!

Ten of his films have even opened at number one in movie theaters. He has produced more than 30 movies. Some of his big hit comedies include Think Like a Man (2012), Ride Along (2014), Girls Trip (2017), and Night School (2018).

Will Packer also produced the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, which is also known as the Oscars. This event was widely talked about for a moment involving actors Will Smith and Chris Rock. In 2024, Packer became a part-owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons football team.

Early Life and Education

Will Packer grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida. He finished high school in 1991. After that, he went to Florida A&M University (FAMU).

In 1996, he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He earned his degree with high honors. FAMU honored Packer in 2021 by naming their amphitheater the Will Packer Amphitheater. He also received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the university. This is the highest honor FAMU gives out.

Will Packer's Career in Movies

Starting with Rainforest Films

Will Packer began making films while he was at FAMU. He worked with his friend and future business partner, Rob Hardy. They also had an internship with producer Warrington Hudlin.

In 1994, Packer and Hardy made their first movie, Chocolate City. It cost only $20,000 to make. Packer even helped get a small deal for the movie to be shown in Blockbuster video stores.

After college, Packer and Hardy moved to Atlanta, Georgia. They started their own company called Rainforest Films. Their goal was to make movies that African American audiences would love. They wanted to show people like themselves in different types of films.

In 2000, Rainforest Films released its first movie in theaters, Trois. It earned over $1.2 million. This made it the fastest million-dollar movie distributed by African Americans independently. Daily Variety magazine listed Trois as one of the top 50 independent films that year. Rainforest Films was also listed among the top film distributors by The Hollywood Reporter. Because of this success, Packer and Hardy were seen as important new figures in Hollywood.

In 2001, Packer helped make a deal with Sony Pictures. This deal was to produce and distribute movies for urban audiences. This included the sequel to Trois, called Trois: The Escort, and Motives. Another film, Lockdown, was released on home video through this partnership. In 2005, Rainforest Films released The Gospel. Around this time, Will Packer started using his shorter name, "Will Packer."

Packer and Hardy wanted their films to feature both famous actors and new, rising stars. For example, in the 2007 movie This Christmas, they had experienced actors like Loretta Devine and Regina King. They also included R&B singer Chris Brown in his first movie role.

Will Packer produced five movies that reached number one at the box office with Rainforest Films. These include Stomp the Yard, Obsessed, Takers, Think like a Man, and Ride Along. His biggest hits with Rainforest were Think like a Man, which made over $96 million, and Ride Along, which earned almost $150 million.

Packer also helped create Bounce TV. This is a TV network for African Americans. It started in 2011 and shows programs for people aged 25-54. In 2014, Packer and Hardy decided to close Rainforest Films.

Will Packer Productions

In 2013, Will Packer started his own company, Will Packer Productions. He signed deals with Universal Television and Universal Pictures to create new projects.

Under this new company, Packer produced more number-one movies. These include Ride Along 2, No Good Deed, and Think Like a Man Too. He also produced The Wedding Ringer and Girls Trip.

Girls Trip was a huge success in 2017. It was the highest-grossing live-action comedy that year. It was also the first film written, directed, produced, and starring African Americans to earn over $100 million. The movie made $140 million from a budget of only $19 million!

Packer also worked as an executive producer on the movie Straight Outta Compton. He also worked on the 2016 TV mini-series Roots.

He has produced many other comedies. These include Night School (2018) with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. He also made What Men Want (2019) starring Taraji P. Henson, and Little (2019) with Marsai Martin and Regina Hall. Other films include The Photograph (2020) and Beast (2022) starring Idris Elba.

Will Packer has been recognized in many important lists. These include The Hollywood Reporter's "40(ish) Most Powerful People in Comedy" and Black Enterprise's "Most Powerful Players Under 40."

Will Packer Media

In 2017, Packer launched another company called Will Packer Media. This company creates content for brands and digital platforms. It works with Discovery Communications and Universal Pictures.

Will Packer Media makes TV shows, both scripted and unscripted. It also creates content for brands and short videos for young adult audiences. Some of their current shows include Ready to Love and Put a Ring On It for OWN. They also produce That Girl Lay Lay for Nickelodeon. Will Packer Media also makes podcasts with iHeart Media.

Packer was an executive producer for the remake of Roots. For this work, he was nominated for an Emmy Award. His company's WP Narrative_ division has won awards for its video shorts and campaigns for shows like Showtime's Billions.

In 2019, an entertainment news show called Central Ave started airing on Fox TV stations. Will Packer Media produces this show.

Producing the 2022 Oscars

Will Packer was chosen to be the producer of the 94th Annual Academy Awards. This big event aired on March 27, 2022. It was his first time producing a live TV show for a major network like ABC. The show was broadcast in over 200 countries around the world.

The 94th Oscars was the most-watched entertainment special in primetime in two years. It had 16.6 million viewers. However, some critics, like Kelly Lawler from USA Today, described the ceremony as "equal parts boring and terrifying, cringe-worthy and interminable."

Personal Life

Will Packer is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He was married to Nina Packer from 2001 to 2009. They have a son named Dominique, and two daughters, Maya and Nija.

Packer later proposed to Heather Hayslett live on stage at the 2013 Essence Music Festival. They got married in August 2015 in Georgia. Will and Heather have a son named Zion.

Will Packer's Movies and TV Shows

Producer

Executive Producer