The newly formed Georgia House Economic Development Subcommittee on Film and Entertainment got the VIP treatment from Tyler Perry Studios last week.

On March 6th, an eventful night at TPS began with a guided tour of the expansive 330 acre Fort McPherson campus. A seated dinner followed, attended by the elected sub-committee members, and nearly every major studio in Georgia, a community that represents hundreds of millions of dollars in brick-and-mortar investment for the state.

Tyler Perry put his busy shooting schedule on hold to join Steve Mensch, President of Studio Operations, and greeted the honored guests. Perry even offered the blessing before the meal and guests dined in a room that once housed the rehearsal stage for the military band of The US Army Command.

The purpose of the night was to raise awareness and strengthen relationships between the State House, and Georgia’s film and television production companies, an industry that is projected to have nearly $7 billion of positive economic impact for Georgia in 2017.

This represented the first look for what has become the most anticipated film and television production studio in the US.

“Tyler Perry Studios will always have an open door policy to the community and our State legislators,” Steve Mensch said. “It was exciting for us to host the event at Fort McPherson, and discuss all the exciting growth that is happening, not only on our lot, but across an industry that has created so many jobs and changed so many lives here in Georgia.”