Will Packer Bio
William Packer is an American film producer and founder of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media. He has produced or executive produced more than 30 feature films that together have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, including ten films that opened at number one at the box office. His producing credits span independent and studio releases with a focus on mainstream comedies and commercially driven dramas.
Packer produced hit comedies such as Think Like a Man, Ride Along and Girls Trip and has overseen projects in television and digital media. He produced the 94th Academy Awards ceremony in 2022 and continues to develop scripted and unscripted programming through his production companies.
Early Life and Background
William Packer was born on April 11, 1974, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1991 and enrolled at Florida A&M University in the fall of that year. At Florida A&M University he studied engineering and in 1996 graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.
While at Florida A&M University Packer began making films with classmate Rob Hardy and participated in an internship with producer Warrington Hudlin, formative experiences that led to his early independent filmmaking efforts. The university later honored him by renaming its amphitheater the Will Packer Amphitheater and bestowing its Meritorious Achievement Award.
Path to Celebrity
Packer started his career making low-budget independent films and building distribution relationships. In 1994 he and Rob Hardy produced Chocolate City for about $20,000 and arranged a small distribution deal that helped establish their model of low-cost production and targeted marketing. The pair later co-founded Rainforest Films and focused on films that appealed to Black audiences underserved by mainstream genre cinema.
Early distribution and festival interest for projects such as Trois helped Rainforest Films gain visibility, and Packer used those early successes to negotiate studio partnerships. The company produced theatrical releases and commercial films while cultivating relationships that would support larger studio deals and future mainstream releases.
Will Packer Career
Early Career (1994–2007)
William Packer began producing films in 1994 with Chocolate City and built Rainforest Films with Rob Hardy to expand theatrical opportunities for films starring and created by Black talent. Rainforest Films released Trois in 2000, which became a notable independent success and one of the fastest million-dollar grossing films independently distributed by African Americans at the time.
Throughout the 2000s Packer produced films that combined emerging performers with established actors and pursued partnerships with distributors and studios. Titles such as The Gospel and This Christmas reflected Rainforest Films’ strategy of making commercially minded films for mainstream theatrical release while expanding the company’s industry footprint.
Breakthrough (2008–2017)
Packer’s profile rose as Rainforest Films and later Will Packer Productions delivered a string of commercially successful films. By producing wide-release comedies and action-leaning studio pictures he achieved multiple number-one openings and strong box-office returns. Think Like a Man (2012) and Ride Along (2014) were among the films that solidified his reputation as a reliable commercial producer.
In 2013 Packer launched Will Packer Productions and signed development deals with major studios, extending his capacity to shepherd bigger-budget comedies and mainstream projects. Girls Trip (2017), produced under the Will Packer Productions banner, became a defining commercial success, grossing over $140 million on a modest budget and marking a milestone as a major studio comedy led, written and produced by Black filmmakers and starring a predominantly Black cast.
Notable Works and Milestones
Packer has produced more than 30 feature films, including Think Like a Man, Ride Along, Think Like a Man Too, The Wedding Ringer, Girls Trip, Night School, What Men Want and Little. His films have generated more than $1 billion worldwide and include at least ten number-one opening weekends. He has also expanded into television, digital content and branded media through Will Packer Media, and served as the producer of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony in 2022.
Will Packer Award Nominations
Packer’s producing work has received industry recognition across film and television. He earned an Emmy Award nomination as an executive producer on the Roots remake, and his companies and projects have been recognized in festival lineups and industry lists that track influential producers and executives in entertainment.
Will Packer Awards Won
Packer has received institutional and industry honors for his contributions. Florida A&M University awarded him its Meritorious Achievement Award and renamed its amphitheater in his honor. Divisions of his company, including WP Narrative, have won industry awards such as a Webby Award and a Shorty Award for branded and short-form digital content work.
Will Packer Family
Packer has four children: his son Dominique and daughters Maya and Nija from a prior relationship, and his son Zion with Heather Hayslett. He married Heather Hayslett in August 2015 after proposing publicly at the 2013 Essence Music Festival. Packer was previously married to Nina Packer; that marriage ended in divorce in 2009.
Personal Life
William Packer is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, inducted into the Beta Nu chapter at Florida A&M University. He balances family life with the demands of running production companies that produce film, television and digital content. Packer lives and works between production hubs and continues to develop feature and television projects through Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media.