Nightcap - 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. 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 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.

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 you get your podcasts.

They said the DVD back? Back then it was VHS. Okay, okay. I was there. I had VHS. You don't remember VHS. I had VHS. Stop playing.

Don't lie to these people. I had Ponytape. I had Ninja Turtle tapes. Okay. VHS. I had VHS. You don't remember VHS. I had VHS. Stop playing. Don't lie to these people. I had Pony tapes. I had Ninja Turtle tapes. Okay. So you do know about VHS. 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.

Not too loose. Okay, all right. So we still on brand. Yeah, we still on brand. We still on advertising. We still on brand. But I got to get you to a proper introduction. Yes, sir.

I'm sorry. You're an icon. Go ahead, my bad. You a legend. It's because we know each other. Yeah, this is my dog right here give you the proper introduction. Yes, sir. I'm sorry. You're an icon. Go ahead, my bad. You 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? 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, baby. Come on now. Come on. Come on now. It's good to be here. How you feeling? Man, it feels good. Yeah?

Host, they gave me a job. Yeah, I see that. They told me to come on back. So this is job number 3,729. 3,729. The crazy thing is that you lied to these people and 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'd you tell them? I wanted to add the money to the tickets. Yes. Because the season tickets are expensive. They are tough. You did? They're tough. How's it going, man?

Listen, you know, I'm still on my Hollywood grind. Yes. I am. I'm blessed. Yes. I cannot Yes. I am. I'm blessed. I cannot lie. I'm here chilling with you. Right. Hawk's going to pull off a win tonight.

I'm feeling good. I really am. Are you a Hawks fan? Of course. What do you mean? Oh, I'm a longtime Hawks board member. Oh, yeah. Hold on.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I didn't even know there was different boards. Yeah. So what you mean by board member? There are. Yes. Yes.

So you mean like you got to say so? Well, you know. On this train? Well, I'm not going to say that. Okay. No, I have nothing to say. Okay. On the actual basketball operations.

Okay. Okay. This is the philanthropic board. Okay. Okay. Now we get back to the community and do all those things. And so Mr. Tony Russell and Jamie Girtz, very good friend of mine. Yes, sir.

Majority owners of the Hawks. They invited me to be a part of the board. That's right. So I have been a longtime member of the board. And now they're transitioning so i'll go on and do some other stuff but i was proud of my time on the hawks board okay you know it's levels dc you know that so i'm trying to get on the board next time well speaking of boys easy now you've been on the atlanta board for for quite some time especially

in the in the film industry like how is it different from when you first got into the game to what 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 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 just 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 want to do is you want to have an audience that connects with you. You want to 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. If you're somebody that has an amazing idea and 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 what 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 want to 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. Yes, sir. I appreciated you. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Put me alongside some stars, baby. Was that your theatrical debut? Debut, yes. 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. It's every Christmas. Every Christmas it is a staple. It's every Christmas. You got a lot of people that tune into that movie every Christmas. DC stills the show.

I'm telling you that 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, you know what I'm saying, 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, like,

to stay consistent and stay hungry because you and Kev, like, y'all don't play. Yeah, Ke, like, y'all don't play. Yeah, Kev Hart. Y'all don't play. Me and Kev are each other's most frequent collaborators. Right. Kevin Hart has never worked with another producer as much as he's worked with me,

and I've never worked with another actor as many times I've worked with him. Right. You know what the commonality is, D? The work ethic. Mm-hmm. Kevin Hart is going to work hard. Right.

You're not going to outwork him and you're not going to outwork Will Packer. And so if you're watching this podcast right now, you're saying, well, I want to get to where DC flies. 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 hit send 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.

Right. So when you say outwork your peers, you have to consistently take the yeses and the no. Correct. You have to take the nose as if it was a door saying you might can't make it to this door, but there's a door down the street. Let me tell you why nose can be good. Right. I call them fortuitous nose. A no can actually cause you to adjust what you're doing to think about the game differently. Correct. I have been told no so many times, man. 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.

Correct. 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. Right. You got the final answer.

Right. You got the final answer. Right. Whatever you say is what ultimately goes not Somebody else because they got some position of power So somebody tell 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 and to speak on that back then it was not too many black filmmakers or

film production companies and when you came from FAMU, you took your education and your knowledge and you said, let me start to apply it. Yes. And you came out with Rainforest Films.

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. Right. 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 sent the DVD back? They said, back then it was VHS. Okay, okay Hollywood didn't care. They sent it back. They said, please don't send us nothing no more. They sent the DVD back? They said. Back then, it was VHS. Okay, okay. All right, stay with me, y'all. Okay, okay, okay. I'm with you. I had VHS.

I had VHS. I had a lot of these people. I had Pony tapes. I had Ninja Turtle tapes. Okay. So you do know about VHS. We would send the VHS to Hollywood with this movie we had worked so, so very hard on. It would be made independently.

Nobody would watch it. Nobody would respond to it. Okay. 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. Right. 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 parameters where you can. 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, we thought we were going to come in and we were going to be able to produce music videos for all the new hip hop labels that were coming up.

D.C., we came to Atlanta, couldn't get one music video. No. Nobody would hire us. None. All these people are my folks right now. Right. Jermaine Dupri would not hire. Dallas Austin, no.

What? None of them. LaFace, L.A. or Babyface. Nobody would hire us. None of the faces? None of the faces. We couldn't get one face to hire us. Man.

But that's that for two of us to know. Right. They all told us faces. We couldn't get one face to hire us. Again. But that's that for a two-year-old. No. Right. They all told us no. And what it was was that we were the new guys. Right. They knew the people. They had cats that were already doing music videos for them.

Right. It made us then say, all right, we can't depend on that industry. We're going to 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. Right. 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, I want to say like the dream to say, you know what, just continue to keep going.

Stumpy yard. Yeah. Come on now. Now you're getting to the good stuff. Yeah, y'all getting to the good stuff. Now 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 to the good stuff. Now you got to wake up to understand because, like you say, you are the yes for real. You are the vision.

Yeah. It took those lessons for you to get to this point. No question. Now Stomp the Yard. 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.

Right. 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 place at a black college.

And the studios got that. You switched the pitch. You're getting the same movie. 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 no's. You don't need but one yes. We got that one yes. Stomp the yard. Right. That was our very first number one movie. Number one at the box office two weeks in a row. Absolutely. And nobody wanted to make it, but we made it happen. Absolutely. We got human hands in here.

Come on. 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.

Who better than you? Who better than you? Yes. Yeah, 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. 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 Bucs, you know, because I got to see this new talent that the Hawks got. What you think? I think it took some time for me to evaluate.

Okay. All right. What is your professional sports opinion? My professional sports? Because I'm going to tell Tony Ressler. 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 decision? And I understand the value that we got from. Okay, so if we traded DeAndre Hunter. Yes. 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, who's ever in control, just utilize what we got. Do you feel like it's a good long-term move? Because I'm thinking that right now. If I was on the board. Yep. You know like i'm if if i was in the on the board yep yep you know what i'm saying because i ain't on the board but if i was on the board if you were if i was on the board 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 fifth, sixth year, you done gave him 150 already. Now he wants 300 when it's time to negotiate. Because it only goes up, it doesn't go down. It goes. You feel me? So it's like, okay, 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 going to tell you that right now. Because if you think about it right now, some players getting paid on the pitch.

I'm just saying, DC, the 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 until you buy your team. I'm going to be right there. Listen, that's why I got a little league team. I got a start on small.

You ain't going to have no stars on your team. I got a youth team. Y'all playing for hope. You have a youth team. And Gatorade. 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. On the back of their jersey, it's going to say Forward. Guard. That's what Alabama do. They don't need, uh-uh. You got to work for your name.

And look how they won, huh? Look at that. Don't nobody know who scored. Black saving up here. They didn't know. It's 82. But't nobody know who scored. Black saving up here. No, 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. It's just too much going on out here. And we need the real directors and the producers in the game, like you say, that 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. Real. They don't understand what I'm saying. Yeah.

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 movies. Hold up. You're not just going to walk past that. I mean, you know. Hold up. He said it. That's my stat. I don't know.

A billion dollars in box office. Are we not giving stats? I mean, we at the Hawks game, I just figured I would just give my stat. Okay, talk. 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. Right. That's what I want to 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. Hey, man, you did that, man. Thank you, brother. We appreciate it. And don't let this be your last time. I'm coming back. When the man, you did that, man. Thank you, brother. We 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 boat. Players overpaid. I don't know, man. I ain't hating on them. Is this your last day at Hudson Creek? I don't know. No.

What I'm saying is I see what they're doing. You know what? They love you because you're real. That's all? And you speak. You have always 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 D.C., 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 D.C., he can't even walk through the city. He's like one of the players. Everybody know him. D.C., D.C., what's up, nephew? Young blower. Everybody knows you. Everybody loves you. Don't ever change.

Keep it just like that. 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. 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 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.

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 you get your podcasts. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.