Will Packer Gets FAMU Amphitheatre Named After Him
Distinguished director/producer Will Packer, who is a Florida A&M University (FAMU) alum, has recently celebrated the university's new amphitheater named after him.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, FAMU received a $1.5 million gift from the Knight Foundation to jumpstart the efforts of building a more multifunctional amphitheater in addition to a new space on campus. Last Friday, Oct. 29, Packer, alongside ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and comedian Kevin Hart, The Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater was unveiled during a broadcast of the sports network’s First Take, marking a historic moment for the founder of Will Packer Media.
“I choose to look at it as not just an honor for me as an individual but what I represent — an HBCU grad who came into FAMU without having any Hollywood connections or knowledge of the industry, who was able to go and find my voice, find my vision, find my passion and shape my dream and have been able to be successful doing that,” he added. “To me, that’s the bigger statement.”
The Emmy-nominated director graduated from FAMU in 1996 with a degree in electrical engineering and is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Packer's illustrious career is filled with several movie and television credits where he served as a producer or executive producer including Girls Trip, The Photograph, Little, Obsessed, Stomp The Yard, and Being Mary Jane.
BET previously reported that the 47-year-old was selected to produce the 94th Academy Awards airing on March 27, 2022.
The Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater will also be a part of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Plaza.
“The power, the beauty, the romance of the imagery in movies has always attracted me. I’m fully embracing the challenge of bringing an ode to one of the most iconic mediums in the world to life. What an honor,” Packer said in an official statement about the Academy Awards, according to Deadline.
