Club Shay Shay - Hawks AF - Will Packer on choosing Atlanta over Hollywood, Kevin Hart, & a secret of Stomp The Yard

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

Billion-dollar film producer Will Packer joins DC for a wide-ranging interview about the evolution of his filmmaking career, from moving to Atlanta to found his first production company, his relationship with comedy star Kevin Hart, giving DC his theatrical debut, and how one small tweak to the pitch for Stomp the Yard led to his first Number 1 movie.0:00 Intro0:23 That's what the AF stands for2:40 How filmmaking has evolved in his career4:25 Will puts DC on the big screen5:20 Collaborating with Kevin Hart6:45 The fortuitous "no"7:47 Founding Rainforest Films in Atlanta10:40 Making & pitching Stomp the Yard11:37 New book Who Better Than You?14:28 DC as an NBA owner15:30 Legacy Will wants to leave @ ClubShayShay @ Nightcapshow_ #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. The Made for This Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being and then climb that mountain. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. Small but important ways, from tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding.

If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Listen to everybody's business from Bloomberg Business Week, starting May 16th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency.

It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever is for your time. I had VHS. You don't remember VHS. Stop playing, no lie to these people. I had party tapes. You know what a VHS is? I had Mr. Turtle tapes. Okay, okay. So you do know about VHS.

Yeah. Yeah. America, once again, welcome to another episode of Hawks and Friends, man. Listen. Oh, that's what the AF stands for. Yes, that's what the AF stands for. Yes, that's what the AF stands for. And friends.

I thought it was too. They said DC Young Fly was hosting a podcast and it was called Hawks AF. No. I said, oh, they have let the nephew loose. I was confused for a second. No, not too loose. Not too loose.

Okay, all right, so we still on brands. Yeah, we still on brands. We still on advertising. We still on brands. But I got to get you to a proper introduction. Yes, sir, I'm sorry. You an icon. Go ahead, my bad.

You're a legend. It's because we know each other. Yeah, this is my dog right here. Yeah, go ahead, do it right. But I have to let the people know, okay? Yes. Now today's guest, all right, my OG, man, someone I can call on, especially when I have, you know what I'm saying, advice, when I need advice.

He's a Hollywood icon, filmmaker, producer, director, handling his business. Make some noise for Will Packer! Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir. Thank you for having me back. Come on now. Come on. Come on now now.

It's good to be here, how you feeling? Man, I feel good. Yeah? Hostel gave me a job. Yeah, I see that. They told me to come on back. So this is job number 3729. 3729.

The crazy thing is that you lied to these people, told them you didn't have a job, and that's how you got this one. And that's why I love you. But you know what I did tell them? What you tell them? I wanted to add the money to the tickets. Yes.

Because the season tickets are expensive. They are tough. They tough. How's it going, man? Listen, you know, I'm still on my Hollywood grind. Yes. I am blessed. I cannot lie. I'm still on my Hollywood grind. Yes. I am blessed. I cannot lie.

I'm here chilling with you. Hawks going to pull off a win tonight. I'm feeling good. I really am. Are you a Hawks man? Of course. What do you mean? Oh, I'm a longtime Hawks board member.

Oh, oh. Yeah. Board member. Hold on. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I didn't even know there was different boards. Yeah.

So what you mean about board member? There are. Yes. Yes. So. You mean like you got to say so? Well. On this trade. Well, I'm not going to say that. You mean like you gotta say so? Well, you know. On this train?

Well, I'm not gonna say that. No, I have nothing to say on the actual basketball operations. Okay, okay. This is the philanthropic board, sir. Now we get back to the community and do all those things. And so Mr. Tony Russell and Jamie Gertz, very good friend of mine, majority owners of the Hawks, they invited me to be a part of the board.

So I have been a long time member of the board and now they're transitioning. So I go on and do some other stuff and I was proud of my time on the of the board. So I have been a longtime member of the board, and now they're transitioning, so I go on and do some other stuff, and I was proud of my time on the Hawks board. You know it's levels, DC. You know that, brother. I know it's levels, so I'm trying to get on the board next time.

Speaking of boards. Easy, easy. Now, you've been on the Atlanta board for quite some time, especially in the film industry. How is it different from when you first got into the game to where you see filmmakers now today? Oh, it's different. Yeah, the game is constantly changing.

And I tell people that all the time, right? If you want to get into film, you know I've had this conversation before. You have to be malleable and you have to know your audience, right? Because a lot of people are always trying to get to folks like me and other Hollywood executives. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But the major media companies are looking for people, honestly, DC, I would say this whether you're here or not, but like you, that have a brand. So I'm telling people all the time, your brand is very important. And so what that means is that you gotta be careful with what you're doing all the time. All the time.

You just can't produce anything. You can't produce everything, you can't tweet and post everything because it is your brand, you're building a brand. But what you wanna do is you wanna have an audience that connects with you. You wanna have an audience that will follow you wherever you go and then the media companies will come.

So I'm telling people all the time, don't think that you can only get into Hollywood by going through gatekeepers like myself. Because there is a way, especially now, this is the time of what I like to call the democratization of media, right? If you're somebody that has an amazing idea, an amazing talent, you can go out and take it

directly to the people. And so I encourage folks to do that. And if they like it, you build a brand. Absolutely. The media players, like myself, we will come find you. And so that's why I encourage people to do. So I'm still out here. The game has definitely changed,

but I think in a good way. It's changed because there's more opportunities. As tough as it is, it's still very tough. This is an industry just like sports, entertainment, very high profile industries that a lot of people wanna get into. But the reality is that if you are grinding and building your own brand and building your own audience,

folks will find you. So speaking to building a brand, because you know, when we did Almost Christmas, we appreciated you. Yes, to building a brand, because you know, when we did Almost Christmas, we appreciated you. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Put me alongside some stars, baby. Was that your theatrical debut? Debut, yes.

Yes. DC on the big screen. And to this day, man, I'm so grateful. If you haven't seen it yet, Almost Christmas, DC, you have to watch it. Every Christmas, it is a staple. It's every Christmas. We got a lot of people that tuned in to that movie.

Every Christmas, DC steals the show. I'm telling you right now. I appreciate the opportunity. And I always tell you that because it doesn't matter how far we get in the game. I think as peers and comrades, we always got to tell each other when we're appreciative and when we're thankful.

100%. Because that little boost is the boost that I needed. Or that little boost showed the world, like, look, he's on his way. And it's on you to continue to grind now. You came from FAMU. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

The Florida A&M University. In case there was ever any mistake, which there should never be. The journey from FAMU to where you are now, to stay consistent and stay hungry, because you and Kev, y'all don't play. Yeah,v, like, y'all don't play. Yeah, Kev Hart. Y'all don't play.

Me and Kev are each other's most frequent collaborators. Kevin Hart has never worked with another producer as much as you've worked with me, and I've never worked with another actor as many times I've worked with him. You know what the commonality is, D? The work ethic. Kevin Hart is going to work hard.

You're not gonna outworkwork him and you're not going to outwork Will Packer. And so if you're watching this podcast right now, you say, well, I want to get to where DC fly, I want to get to where Will Packer is. The answer is that you have to go out and make sure that you're outworking all your peers. That's the bottom line. People don't want to hear that. It's not a magical formula that you can put together. And a lot of times people think, because we are in the age of social media, you can just put up a post and get a trillion views, and now you're rich. So a lot of people don't understand the hustle.

They don't know where to find the grind. They think that once somebody tells you no, it's over with. So when you say outwork your peers, you have to consistently take the yeses and the nos. You have to take the nos as if it was a door saying, you might can't make, enter this door, but there's a door down the street. Let me tell you why nos can be good.

I call them fortuitous nos. A no can actually cause you to adjust what you're doing to think about the game differently. I have been told no so many times, man. It changes your perception cause you to adjust what you're doing to think about the game differently. Correct. I have been told no so many times, man. Different perception. It changes your perception because just because you got told no doesn't mean that that dream, that endeavor, whatever you're trying to do is dead.

Right. It means you might have to adjust it. You might have to go about it differently. Correct. And in going about it differently, you can actually make it better. Correct. That's the thing that I want people to know. I didn't get to where I am because I just got told

yes a bunch of times. I got told no so many times. I was constantly falling on my face, constantly failing. But I never accepted it as failure. I never accepted somebody telling me what I couldn't do as the final answer. I got the final answer. You got the final answer.

You got the final answer. Whatever you say is what ultimately goes, not somebody else because they got some position of power. So somebody telling you no is really just an opportunity for you to tweak what you're doing, think about it in a different way, and come out better. And to speak on that, back then, it was not too many black filmmakers or film production companies.

And when you came for FamU, you took your education and your knowledge, and you said, let me start to apply it. And you came out with Rainforest Femmes. That's real. Come on now, explain a little bit about Rainforest. Yeah, so coming straight out of FamU, we made a little tiny movie while we were there,

it's called Chocolate City. And we sent it to Hollywood, and Hollywood didn't care, they sent it back. They said, please don't send us nothing, no more. They said the DVD back? They said, it went back then it was VHS. OK, OK. Stay with me, y'all.

OK, OK, OK. I'm with it. I'm with it. I had VHS. I had VHS. I don't remember VHS. Stop playing. Don't lie to these people.

I had party tapes. I had Ninja Turtle tapes. OK, so you do know about VHS. We were sending VHS to Hollywood with this movie we had worked so, so very hard on. We made it independently. Nobody would watch it, nobody would respond to it. What it did is it forced us to then go out and make another movie independently without Hollywood.

That was our first movie we made after we moved right here to Atlanta and it was called Twa. Myself and my OG player partner to this very day, his name is Rob Hardy, he and I started Rainforest Films, that was our production company. We didn't want to go to New York.

We didn't want to go to L.A. because we felt like we would be just another small fish in a big pond. This is a testament to, I don't care where you are, right? The magic is not the city. The magic is not the market. The magic is not the industry. The magic is you.

So we were able to be successful not being in a major film market at that time. We moved right here to Atlanta. This is back when- Control your dot, your parameter. Yes, absolutely, 100%. We moved here because the music industry was popping. This back in the days of LaFace,

So So Def, Organized Noise. You'll be a fresh start. We came in like, hey, and you know what we thought? We thought we were gonna come in and we were going to be able to produce music videos for all the new hip hop labels that were coming up. DC, we came to Atlanta, couldn't get one music video. No.

Nobody would hire us. None of these people are my folks right now, right? Jermaine Dupri would not hire. Dallas Austin, no. None of them. LaFace, LA, or Babyface, nobody would hire us. What? None of the faces? None of the faces.

We couldn't get one face to hire us. But that's that for two of us to know. They all told us no. And what it was was that we were the new guys. They knew the people, they had cats that were already doing music videos for them. It made us then say, all right, we can't depend on that industry.

We're gonna go out and make our own movie and we shot our own independent film. That was TWA which ended up coming out and making a million dollars completely independent of Hollywood. If we were able to go and do music videos, if we had got told yes instead of no, we never would have went off

and shot our own independent movie. That's what was meant to be. So by y'all doing that, gave y'all the, you know, what I wanna say, like the dream to say, you know what, just continue to keep going. Stomp the yard. Yeah. Come on now. Now you're getting to the good stuff. Yeah, y'all getting. Come on now. Now you're getting to the good stuff. Now you're getting to the good stuff. Now you gotta wake up to understand because like you say you are the yes for real. You

are the vision. It took those lessons for you to like to get to this point. No question. Now Stomp the Yard. Tell us about the process with Stomp the Yard. Stomp the Yard was a movie that we dreamed of making a movie about black college life. We took it to Hollywood, and literally every studio told us no, everybody. You name a movie studio in Hollywood, they said we are not making this movie. But we didn't let that kill our dream.

We adjusted the way that we pitched the movie. And we said, you know what we're going to do? We've been selling it as a black college movie. Now we're going to go and we're going to sell it as a dance movie that happens to take it as a black college movie. Now we're gonna go and we're gonna sell it as a dance movie that happens to take place at a black college. And the studios got that. You switched the, you get in the same movie,

just switched the pitch. That's what we did, we switched that pitch up. All you need is one yes. I don't care if you get a thousand nos, you don't need but one yes. We got that one yes, stomped the yard, right? That was our very first number one movie. Number one at the box office office two weeks in a row.

Absolutely. And nobody wanted to make it, but we made it happen. Absolutely. You got human hands in here. Come on. Yeah, well, we do. We do. Please.

Come on now. Now, you got an amazing book out right now, Who's Better Than You. Yes. Now, tell us, Tessa. Who? Who better than you? Who better than you?

Yes. Yeah, because the implication is that there is nobody better than you to achieve not than you? Yes, yes, because the implication is that there is nobody better than you to achieve not medium level success, not good success, but great success. But to do that, you have to have what I call healthy arrogance. The most successful people I know

have a supreme level of confidence, not just that they could be successful, but that they are meant to be successful. These are people that believe no matter what, I am supposed, I am predestined for success. So what I do in this book is I break down stories and some stories I never told before over 30 years in Hollywood.

And I'm working around some of the most high profile, most successful people in the world. And they all have very similar traits. They have healthy arrogance and they dream big. And so this book is me, it's like a master class. It's like for somebody that's just starting off or wants to transition into a new career or wants to figure out how to live a more full life.

That I'm saying you can do that. And the way to do it is by understanding that there's no one better than you to do it. So the book is out right now. Talk your talk, man. Yeah, man. Before we go play this game right now against the Bucks, you know, because I got to see this new talent

that the Hawks got. What you think? I think, I think it took some time for me to evaluate. OK. All right. What is your professional sports opinion? My professional sports opinion? Because I'm going to tell Tony wrestler.

I'm going to go, whatever you say, I'm taking it straight to ownership. I had to sit down and think. Do you approve, sir? You know, I don't approve of the players leaving now, but I do understand why they had to go. You understand the- And I understand the value that we got from,

okay, so if we traded Deandre Hunter, they gave us two players and three second round picks. I'm like, okay, so he was valuable enough for us to get a lot. That's correct. So, whoever in control just utilized what we got. Do you feel like it's a good long-term move? Cause I'm thinking that right now,

if I was on the board, you know what I that right now, if I was on the board, Yep. Yep. You know what I'm saying? Cause I ain't on the board, but if I was on the board, If you were. If I was on the board,

Talk to them. I would say, don't give up too much money up front. They have to work for it. So if that's saying quote unquote, if somebody signed a bad contract, which means if the Hawks gave up too much money up front, and now the player is starting to develop on his sixth year, you done gave him 150 already. Now he wants 300.

Yeah, absolutely. When it's time to negotiate. Because it only goes up, it doesn't go down. It goes, you feel me? Yeah. So it's like, OK, give the new guy the 50, the 40. By the sixth year, 150 sounds way better than that 40. It would be a lot of NBA players

that would hate you as an owner. Because you don't mess around. You would be Stingy AF as an owner. I ain't Stingy. DC Young Fly would be Stingy and Friends as an owner. I'm gonna tell you that right now. But if you think about it right now, some players getting paid on the bench.

I'm just saying, DC the tickets, if they was a little cheaper, I wouldn't be tri pitch. I'm just saying, these seeds and tickets, if they was a little cheaper, I wouldn't be tripping. I can't wait. They making us pay like we coming to see LeBron, Michael Jordan, all in one. I can't wait to you buy your team. I'm going to be right there. Listen, that's why I got a little league team.

I got to start on small. You ain't going to have no stars on your team. I got a youth team. Y'all playing for home. You still have a league team. I got a star on smalls. You ain't going to have no stars on your team. I got a youth team. Y'all playing for hoes? You don't have a youth team. They gave me a rate. They're going to be playing for compliments.

You did good. You did good, sir. They're going to be playing for pictures. Way to go, forward. They ain't going to have real names. Back of their jersey is going to say forward, guard. That's what Alabama do. They don't need uh-uh.

You got to work with your name. And look how they won, huh? Look at that. You know what I'm saying? Don't nobody know who's gold. Black saving up here. They didn't know. It's go. Black saving up here. They didn't know, it's 82.

But no OG man, we appreciate your presence, your time and everything that you've done for the game. Now, before we go. Yeah man. With your legacy. I don't see it stopping no time soon. I don't, I don't. It's just too much going on out here.

And it's, we need the real directors and the producers in the game. Like you say, they can speak for us. Like you said, Stomp the Yard was a success. You knew it was a success because you are the people. You're there, you're touching it. And like you said, I want to do something new that ain't been done before.

They don't understand what I'm saying. Let me just readjust the pitch to make it fit comfortable for them. And we still get our point across. Let me just readjust the pitch to make it fit comfortable for them. That's right. And we still get our point across. Period. What do you want the people to remember from your legacy? You know what?

It's very, very simple. It's not what I've done. It's not the billion dollars in the box office or the 10 number one movie. Hold on, you're not just going to walk past that. I mean, you know, I just. Hold on, he said it like it was a billion dollars in the box office. Are we not giving stats? I mean, we at the aux game.

I just figured I would just give my stats. Okay, dope! You know what it is though, in real talk, it is the people I've affected. You know, it's you. It's the next generation that looks at me and says, you know what, OG? I'm inspired by you.

That's what I wanna leave behind, right? When we all leave this earth, we will be remembered by the people that we touched and the people that we affected. And so I am definitely at that stage right now where I'm trying to make sure that I'm leaving an impact, that I'm making sure that others who encounter me are better for it.

And I try to be very, very intentional about that. Amen, you did that, man. Thank you, brother. And we appreciate it. And don't let this be your last time. I'm coming back. When the next time you drop another movie. If man, you did that, man. Thank you, brother. We appreciate it. I appreciate it. Don't let this be your last time. I'm coming back. When the next time you drop another movie. If they let you keep the show, you over here

hating on the players. I'm going to be on the board. Players overpaid. I'm going to be on the, I ain't hating on them. Is this your last day at Austin Trix? What I'm saying is I see what they are doing. You know what? They love you because you're real.

That's all. And you speak, you have always speak, spoken the voice of the people. That's all I'm saying. I'm the V.O.P, baby. When you walk out here with DC, he can't even walk through the spoken the voice of the people. That's all I'm saying. I'm the V.O.P., baby. When you walk out here with DC, he can't even walk through the stage like one of the players. Everybody knows him. DC, DC, what's up, nephew? Oh, Young Glover.

Everybody knows you. Everybody loves you. Don't ever change. Keep it just like that. Oh, come on, man. I never... Listen, we're going to keep God first. Absolutely. All day. We're going to stay thankful. He's all we got. We're going to stay grateful.

Yep. Because, like, you know, we came from the bottom. Period. And once you realize when you was at the bottom, you still had the same tools you got now. Yep. You just waited for the opportunity. Yep.

You waited for when it was your time. And when your time came, like you said, you took the yeses with the noes. Yep. And you just stayed going. Period. That's the only way to win. Period.

Period. So we appreciate you. Thank you for having me, my guy. Hey, ATL, America, Hawks, and friends, we'll be back. The Made for This Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month,

tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being, and then climb that mountain. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain, this is the struggle. Listen to Made for This Mountain

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of 2B. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience

is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. Small but important ways, from tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastain. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Listen to everybody's business from Bloomberg Business Week starting May 16th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.