Target Underserved Demographics
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Tyler Perry built a media empire by focusing on an underserved demographic and maintaining ownership of his content. Here's how he did it.
Early Success and Market Strategy
- Started with plays in the 1990s targeting Black audiences
- Generated $100 million in revenue over 10 years from plays alone
- Focused on 12% of America's population (Black demographic)
- Found success by appealing to a smaller but passionate audience base
First Major Film Deal (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
- Initially struggled to find distributors
- Lionsgate agreed but required Perry to fund half
- Budget was $5.5M - Perry invested $2.75M
- Film exceeded expectations:
- Lionsgate hoped for $20M total
- Made $20M in first weekend alone
- Generated over $150M in licensing
Content Empire Building
- Maintained ownership of IP in every deal
- Built massive content library:
- 22 films
- Dozens of plays
- 1,200+ TV episodes
- Recent deals still prioritize ownership:
- $150M ViacomCBS deal
- Rights return to Perry after 5 years
Keys to Success
- Consistent content creation for 30+ years
- Deep understanding of target audience
- Focus on IP ownership and control
- Long-term commitment to craft
- Built dedicated production facilities in Georgia
- Contributed to Georgia's film industry growth:
- 2007: $67M spent in Georgia
- 2018: $2.9B spent in Georgia
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.