Contact: Crystal Drake, Office of Strategic Communications
Will Packer, one of Hollywood’s most prolific and commercially successful producers, headlined Tuskegee’s annual back to school fireside chat led by Tuskegee’s Career Education Leadership Development Center with an in-depth discussion on the theme, “Your Tomorrow Begins Today.”
The event, sponsored by Amazon, featured Arianna Bell, a senior Supply Chain major from Benton Harbor, Michigan and Vice President of the Career Education Leadership Development Center student board, as a moderator, and Jerrod Haugabrook, a 2025 graduate of Tuskegee now working as a Procurement Specialist with Amazon.
Before he took the stage, Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO, welcomed Packer to his first ever visit to the campus. They discussed a shared belief that an HBCU experience should be a unique crucible for young Black students, producing well-rounded scholars who are fully prepared to thrive and succeed in the complex world that awaits them.
“We welcome you, an industry leader and change-maker who blazed a path for himself, through preparation, vision and drive, to Mother Tuskegee,” said Dr. Brown. “You are a shining example of the power of an HBCU education and what it can accelerate in the lives of young people. In our Renaissance Era, we are focused on cultivating excellence in our students and, just as you produced your first movie while you were still a junior in college, we know that their futures are being built now.”
During the event, Packer stressed the importance of seizing the moment and doing it now.
“Don’t be a talker, be a doer,” he told students gathered in Logan Hall. As he put it, “the grind does not stop.”
Packer, who is the Founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, wears his $1 billion box star power with an ease that made it clear he is not resting on his laurels and is living by that advice. With humor and candor, he gave students a behind the scenes look at how remaining focused on being a doer by continuously setting and surpassing goals fueled his rise to the elite circles of the entertainment industry.
Packer’s portfolio includes among others the blockbusters “Girls Trip,” “Night School,” “Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man," and “Straight Outta Compton” but it was his 2009 movie “Obsession” starring Beyonce that he used to provide a lesson on tenacity and what he called the “fortuitous no.”
“I went to Beyonce five times and each time she said no,” he said. After the first decline, he was granted just five minutes with the megastar to ask for feedback. He continued to reach out to her team each time asking for more insight and each time making meaningful adjustments to script content and shooting schedules, all in pursuit of what by that time had also become a deal-breaker for the financing of the film. Sony pictures had let him know – no Beyonce, no deal.
“If you can put your ego aside, no can become something you can use. I call it the fortuitous no and it has served me well. On the sixth ask, Beyonce said yes.”
Packer added that “the world is waiting to tell you no”, advising students to get used to that idea but also to be their own most powerful advocate. He shared that he begins everyday with spoken affirmation to himself and that it remains essential to his success formula.
A magna cum laude graduate of Florida A&M University (FAMU), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, Packer also made it clear that while his degree was in a very different subject matter than where his true passion led him, it played a vital part in his success.
“My electrical engineering degree has given me a leg up over my peers in the industry who are strictly creatives. The analytic skills I developed in the major have been critical because essentially engineers are problem-solvers. How do you attack problems? By first breaking them down into individual subsets, finding solutions for one part, then moving to the next and the next. Engineers here will understand what I mean,” he said asking if engineering majors, the largest category of majors at Tuskegee, were in the crowd as several hands popped up.
When asked his take on imposter syndrome, Packer said that often it is a mindset, not a skillset, that sets people apart.
“Many times, the only difference between you and the other people in that room, in high-level industry meetings where the big decisions get made, is that they genuinely believe they belong there. That’s it, nothing else. You have to believe it too,” he said.
He also encouraged students to focus on developing exceptional skillsets and acumen that make them one of one in those rooms. “What is the one thing that only you can bring to that room?”
Tuskegee’s Career Education Leadership Development Center prepares students to step into those spaces with confidence.
“From the moment they become a Golden Tiger, we are here to support every Tuskegee student in connecting with opportunities that will set them on the road to success,” said Walter Cooper, Director of the Career Education Leadership Development Center. “Tuskegee University’s student success strategy is focused on preparing students through every aspect of professional development and career planning, ensuring they complete resumes, secure internships and co-ops, and gain exposure to industry decision-makers and leaders. We are so grateful to Mr. Packer for spending time with our students, sharing real-world advice and challenging them to own their futures now.”
The Career Education Leadership Development Center will welcome more than 60 companies from a wide range of industries to campus on September 24 for the 2026 Annual Career Fair, one of many scheduled for the 2026-2027 academic year.
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