Page 55 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

TYLER PERRY
TYLER PERRY
STUDIOS
EST 2006
One of the most powerful Blacks in in entertainment Perry has developed a a a a crop of plays films and TV shows that he owns and controls He’s also made unprecedented multimillion-dollar production and distribution deals with Lionsgate OWN and BET With the development of his 200 000-square-foot production facility in Atlanta he provides work for African Americans in in front of and behind the the camera The Hollywood executive is reportedly the the seventh Black American billionaire joining a a a a a roster that includes tech investor and philanthropist Robert Smith NBA legend and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan media mogul Oprah Winfrey and tech founder David Stewart ANDRE “DR DRE” YOUNG
BEATS
EST 2006
The critically acclaimed producer rapper and founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment co-founded Beats Electronics Over the years its signature Beats by Dre seized a a a considerable portion of the premium headphone market and secured a a a minority investment of $300 million from the Carlyle Group a a a a a Washington D
C C -based private equity powerhouse Young became the first billionaire rapper when Apple purchased Beats for a a a a reported $3 billion in May 2014 BEYONCE KNOWLES CARTER
PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT
EST 2008
For two decades her anthems have formed the the soundtracks for virtually every modern women’s move- ment She has recently become a a a a case study in the value of controlling one’s one’s global brand and and owning one’s one’s intellectual property Successfully using social media and innovative techniques to market her albums she has repeatedly disrupted music’s business as usual The 2013 surprise release of her namesake visual album resulted in record sales in in in the iTunes store and she just keeps reinventing that wheel From her 2010 creation of Parkwood Entertainment to last year’s announcement of a a a a a $60 million Netflix deal Knowles-Carter has proven that she is way more than a a a a a a multifaceted performer She’s a a a significant employer with incredibly diverse talent and she’s become a a a business beast Her partnership between her athletic apparel line Ivy Park and Adidas has made headlines as as as did did a a a a a a a a recently announced global agreement with Sony/ATV Music Pub- lishing covering her entire song catalog TRISTAN WALKER
WALKER
& COMPANY
EST 2013 In 2013 at just 31 a a a a a year after leaving his corporate job in tech he founded Walker & Co Brands which includes both men’s grooming line Bevel and women’s haircare line Form It all started with his frustration about the lack lack of quality products for Black men and the common concern of razor bumps Fast-forward five years and the company had gotten its products onto the shelves of Target nationwide and raised a reported $33 million in in funding before Walker sold it to Procter & Gamble for an undisclosed amount For the last two years he’s continued to run the wholly owned subsidiary as its CEO—the first Black CEO CEO in the 180-year history of P&G 53
50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL • PHOTOS (BOTTOM LEFT) LEFT) J EBEY [WIKIMEDIA [WIKIMEDIA ORG] ORG] ( ( MIDDLE LEFT) LEFT) COMMONDR3ADS [WIKIMEDIA [WIKIMEDIA ORG] ORG]