Will Packer Bio
William Packer, widely known as Will Packer, is an American film producer and entrepreneur who has become one of the most successful African-American producers in modern Hollywood. He is the founder of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, companies that have produced major theatrical releases, television series, and branded digital content. Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide at the box office, including 10 films that have opened at number one. He has produced more than 30 features including big-screen hit comedies such as Think Like a Man (2012), Ride Along (2014), and Girls Trip (2017).
Beyond film, Packer is a television executive, a co-founder of the broadcast network Bounce TV, and the producer of the 94th Annual Academy Awards in 2022. His work spans theatrical films, scripted and unscripted television, podcasts, and digital media, making him a leading figure in entertainment for African-American audiences and beyond.
Early Life and Background
William Packer was born on April 11, 1974, in St. Petersburg, Florida, and raised in the same city. He grew up in a community that nurtured his interest in storytelling and entertainment from an early age. Packer graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1991 before heading to college that fall.
He went on to attend Florida A&M University, one of the nation’s most respected historically Black colleges and universities. In 1996, Packer graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, an academic achievement that reflected his strong analytical mind. Decades later, on October 29, 2021, Florida A&M University honored him by renaming its amphitheater the Will Packer Amphitheater and presenting him with the Meritorious Achievement Award, the highest honor the university bestows.
Path to Producer
It was at Florida A&M University that Packer began his journey into filmmaking. While still a student, he started making films alongside classmate and future business partner Rob Hardy, and the pair took part in an internship with veteran producer Warrington Hudlin. That early mentorship gave Packer his first real taste of the film industry and shaped his ambitions as a producer.
In 1994, Packer and Hardy produced their first film, Chocolate City, on a modest budget of $20,000. Packer helped broker a small distribution deal with Blockbuster Video, giving the young producers their first taste of the commercial side of the business. After graduating, Packer and Hardy relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and co-founded Rainforest Films. Their vision was to create genre films featuring African-American casts and storytelling that had not been widely represented on the big screen, a goal that would shape Packer’s career for years to come.
Will Packer Career
Early Career (1994–2010)
Packer’s early career was defined by his partnership with Rob Hardy at Rainforest Films. In 2000, the company released its first theatrical film, Trois, which grossed more than $1.2 million and became the fastest million-dollar-grossing film independently distributed by African Americans. The film landed in the Top 50 Highest Grossing Independent Films of the year, and Rainforest Films was named on the list of Top 100 Film Distributors of 2000.
In 2001, Packer helped broker a deal with Sony to produce and distribute urban films, opening the door to projects such as Motives and Lockdown. In 2005, Rainforest Films released The Gospel, and around that time Packer began using the shortened professional name Will Packer. He went on to produce five number-one films with Rainforest, including Stomp the Yard, Obsessed, Takers, Think Like a Man, and Ride Along, building a reputation as a reliable producer of crowd-pleasing entertainment.
Breakthrough (2011–2022)
In 2011, Packer helped launch Bounce TV, the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created for African-American audiences. In June 2014, he and Hardy dissolved Rainforest Films, and by then Packer had already begun shaping his next chapter. In 2013, he launched Will Packer Productions, signing a two-year deal with Universal Television and a three-year deal with Universal Pictures. The banner produced a string of major box-office hits, including Ride Along 2, No Good Deed, Think Like a Man Too, The Wedding Ringer, and Girls Trip. Girls Trip was the highest-grossing live-action comedy of 2017 and the first film written, directed, produced, and starring African-Americans to gross over $100 million, ultimately reaching $140 million on a $19 million budget.
Packer continued his hot streak with Night School (2018), starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, What Men Want (2019), starring Taraji P. Henson, Little (2019), starring Marsai Martin and Regina Hall, The Photograph (2020), starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield, and Beast (2022), starring Idris Elba. He also executive produced the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton and the 2016 television mini-series Roots, earning an Emmy Award nomination for the latter.
In 2017, Packer expanded into digital and branded content by launching Will Packer Media in partnership with Discovery Communications and Universal Pictures. The company later acquired the digital ad firm Narrative_, rebranding it as WP Narrative_, and added the women’s lifestyle site xoNecole in 2018. Current and recent Will Packer Media productions include Ready to Love and Put a Ring On It for OWN, That Girl Lay Lay for Nickelodeon, and podcasts such as Fight Night and The Lower Bottoms with iHeartMedia. Central Ave, an entertainment magazine series, debuted on Fox television stations on November 4, 2019.
In 2022, Packer was named the producer of the 94th Annual Academy Awards, which aired on March 27, 2022, on ABC. It was his first live television production credit for a major network show, broadcast in more than 200 territories. The ceremony drew 16.6 million total viewers and a 3.8 rating in adults 18-49, becoming the highest-rated entertainment special in primetime on any network in two years.
Notable Works and Milestones
Packer’s signature productions include Think Like a Man, which grossed over $96 million worldwide, and Ride Along, which earned nearly $150 million at the box office as of April 2014. Girls Trip remains one of his proudest achievements, both commercially and culturally. He has also been recognized with honors from Florida A&M University and named to lists such as The Hollywood Reporter’s 40(ish) Most Powerful People in Comedy and Black Enterprise’s Most Powerful Players Under 40.
Will Packer Award Nominations
Will Packer received an Emmy Award nomination for his work as executive producer of the 2016 television mini-series Roots, a landmark remake of the acclaimed historical drama. The nomination recognized his contribution to one of the most-watched limited series of the year.
Will Packer Awards Won
Will Packer has earned recognition across film, television, and digital media throughout his career. Florida A&M University personally honored him by renaming its amphitheater the Will Packer Amphitheater and presenting him with the Meritorious Achievement Award, the highest honor the university bestows. His company’s WP Narrative_ division has also been honored with a 2018 Webby Award, a 10th Annual Shorty Award, a Clio Entertainment award, and a 2018 D&AD Award for branded content campaigns.
Will Packer Family
Packer is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, inducted into the Beta Nu chapter at Florida A&M University. He and his first wife, Nina Packer, were married from 2007 until their divorce in February 2009. Nina Packer served as general manager of Bryant Management and director of operations for Blueprint Group, the artist management firm for Lil Wayne and his YMCMB label. Packer has a son, Dominique, and two daughters, Maya and Nija, from a previous relationship, and a son, Zion, with his wife Heather Hayslett. Packer proposed to Heather Hayslett live on stage at the 2013 Essence Music Festival, and the couple married in August 2015 in Georgia.
Personal Life
Will Packer was married to Nina Packer from 2007 until their divorce in 2009. He later became engaged to Heather Hayslett, proposing to her on stage at the 2013 Essence Music Festival, and the two married in Georgia in August 2015. Packer is a father of four: a son named Dominique, two daughters named Maya and Nija, and a younger son named Zion. Beyond his family life, Packer became a limited partner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons in 2024, expanding his business interests beyond entertainment.
