Will Packer has made his mark in Hollywood producing movies that capture the Black experience.
Six Florida A&M University alumni are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the global organization that includes the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. The FAMU graduates comprise about two dozen HBCU alumni who serve as judges for the Academy Awards, the Oscars. This year’s Academy Awards Ceremony is scheduled for 8 p.m. E.T. April 25
Among the FAMU alumni are:
Common (Music Branch) is an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winning artist known for his “conscious rap” and his roles in such films as Selma, Barbershop, John Wick, the animated Warner Bros’ Smallfoot, and The Hate U Give.
Staci R. Collins Jackson (Marketing & Public Relations Branch) serves as the CEO of The Collins Jackson Agency PR firm. She has led PR campaigns for Oscar nominated films and top movies in the box office such as Girls Trip, Think Like a Man film franchise, Ride Along 2, and the upcoming Coming 2 America, which stars Eddie Murphy.
Dee Rees (Directors Branch) is known for her feature films Pariah, Bessie, Mudbound, and The Last Thing He Wanted.
Anika Noni Rose (Actors Branch) is the voice of Disney’s first African American princess, Tiana, in The Princess and the Frog. She is also known for her starring role as in the Academy Award-winning movie Dreamgirls.
Will Packer (Producers Branch) is a producer whose credits include such movies as Girls Trip, Ride Along and Think Like A Man.
Tirrell D. Whittley, CEO of Liquid Soul Media, is producer of the Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace.
Other HBCU alumni who are members of the Academy include:
Andrea Nelson-Meigs, Spelman College (Associates Branch)
Anthony Anderson, Howard University (Actors Branch)
Charles D. King, Howard University School of Law (Executives Branch)
Keenan Ivory Wayans, Tuskegee University (Directors Branch)
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Spelman College (Actors Branch)
Lionel Richie, Tuskegee University (Music Branch)
Oprah Winfrey, Tennessee State University (Actors Branch)
Phylicia Rashad, Howard University (Actors Branch)
Robi Reed, Hampton University (Casting Directors branch)
Ruth E. Carter, Hampton University (Costume Designers Branch)
Taraji P. Henson, Howard University (Actors Branch)
Wanda Sykes, Hampton University (Actors Branch)
Samuel L. Jackson, Morehouse College (Actors Branch)
Spike Lee, Morehouse College (Directors Branch)
Debbie Allen, Howard University (Actors Branch)
John David Washington, Morehouse College (Actors Branch)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
