Slow Progress Is Better Than No Progress: A Talk with Will Packer on Legacy and Empowerment
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumnus and producer Will Packer delivered a special book talk today about his new book, “Who Better Than You,” moderated by FAMU Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President Dakarai Williams in the Charles Winter Wood Theatre.
The FAMU Psychology Department hosted the event in accordance with their Black Psychology Theme Week and the Imhotep Interdisciplinary Research Conference.
Williams, a fourth-year psychology scholar from Macon, Georgia, started the conversation by asking Parker about his time as a student at FAMU and how the HBCU influenced his life and mindset.
“So much of my success is shaped by the foundation that I got here at FAMU,” said Packer, looking back on his journey traveling and meeting incredible people and how his “foundation was born here on this campus.”
Packer also shared stories about the makings of his first film, “Chocolate City,” while a student at FAMU. He explained how he sent invitations to Hollywood’s elite for the grand premiere. Packer said the front row, which he saved for the Hollywood producers and heavyweights, stayed empty. Still, the remaining seats were packed full of FAMU students while others stood.
Will Packer with the FAMU Psychology Department.
It was in that moment Packer said he recognized it was his peers who he needed to show up for him and not Hollywood. Those same peers were the ones that already believed in him.
“Ever since “Chocolate City,” I realized I haven't been making my movies for the front-row people. I’ve been making them for everyone else,” Packer said.
He encouraged students to network and build relationships, especially with people with the same passions as themselves.
After the producer graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, Packer decided engineering was not a career for him. Instead, he chased his film dreams alongside his longtime friend, Rob Hardy.
“From 1996-2007 was a grind. Waking up at 3 a.m. delivering newspapers all over Atlanta, working at temp services, and questioning if what I was doing was right,” he said.
When it comes to dreaming big, Packer told the audience: “Until you say it’s over, it isn’t over.”
At one point during the discussion, Packer admitted that he almost did not attend FAMU. Instead, his mind was set on an Ivy League institution.
Then, he recalled FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries Sr. coming to his home and offering him a “Life Gets Better” scholarship. He said that ultimately choosing the HBCU became the “best decision for me because I found myself, I found my voice and confidence.”
Will Packer sharing stories.
Packer, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., also shared the message behind chasing one’s dreams and shutting out naysayers.
“If chasing that dream is worth more than taking the safe route of doing something you’re not passionate in, you’ll never ever regret it, and I am a living example of that,” said Packer, who also stressed that “slow progress is still progress,” acknowledging that many of his movies took him years to make.
Packer shared stories about his frequent collaborator, actor, and comedian Kevin Hart, the late actor Paul Walker, and Beyoncè, and how they all played a part in his movies’ success and taught him new things that helped him elevate his passion.
The producer now has 10 number-one movies, generated $1 billion in box office receipts, is a New York Times bestseller, and has ownership with the Atlanta Falcons.
“Every day, you’re building your brand from the time you’re born until you die; you never know who is watching you,” said Packer.
Noted FAMU alum Will Packer made a stop at his alma mater to inspire students, faculty
and staff with lessons from his new book "Who Better Than You."
The book talk included with an open forum for students to ask questions. The Department of Psychology also gave Packer an award for the significant contributions he has made to FAMU's legacy.
Williams said, “It was just very inspirational to have him come and impart so much wisdom onto the student body.”
The President’s Office and Office of Student Affairs gave away free copies of “Who Better Than You?” The Art of Healthy Arrogance and Dreaming Big.
Will Packer speaking about his book "Who Better Than You?"
In the Works: Girls Trip 2 with the original cast and some newcomers.
Special appreciation:
- Allyson L. Watson, Ph.D., provost
- Valencia E. Matthews, Ph.D., dean of the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
- Jermaine Robertson, Ph.D., chair of the FAMU Department of Psychology
- Kelley Bolden Bailey, dean of Online Education
- Karen Peters, FAMU psychology professor
- Sharlyn Crump Ed.D.,
- FAMU Alumnus Tia Glover,
- 2024-2025 Mr. FAMU Omari Rasheed
Photo Credit: Glenn Beil/FAMU Office of Communications
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