LOCAL STUDIO
Changing the Complexion of the Entertainment Industry By Connor Judson Ga r re t t | Pho t og r aphy by Ai va Geny s F or most people, going from being a Warner Bros. security guard to being president of Tyler Perry Studios would have already qualified as a storybook ending. But Ozzie Areu took his former boss’s motto of “A place where even dreams believe” to heart. “My mom always encouraged us to spread our wings and dream big. She did a great job instilling that message in us,” says Areu. “I saw how underrepresented Latino and minority audiences have been for many years and I’ve always been compelled to do more to change this in any way I can.” Charged with respect for his former
Roughly a decade after that aforementioned post, with more than 900 episodes of production credits across nine series; including some of the biggest shows on TV, such as If Loving You is Wrong and The Have’s and Have Not’s and the blockbuster Madea movie franchise; Areu ventured out to launch his own studio. Aptly named Areu Bros., the company focuses on producing works that support LatinX, women and underrepresented communities across all platforms of entertainment.
boss and passion for the campus he helped to thrive, Areu purchased Tyler Perry’s former studio campus in Atlanta. As luck would have it, it happened to be situated in a Qualified Opportunity Zone. Opportunity Zones, a federal initiative started by the Obama Administration, offers long-term equity investors major tax incentives for reinvesting capital gains in real estate and businesses situated in low-income communities. Coincidentally, the Areu team also added superstars Steve Glickman, former senior economic advisor to President Obama and
Ozzie Areu
Kim Leadford
“We grew up in a single-parent household. My siblings and I saw the world through our mother’s eyes because we lost our father at a very young age,” says the Cuban-American. “When we got into production and content creation, we knew there was something important in how we were raised. It was this simple idea that we’re all human beings, men and women, and we should all be championed and supported in the same way. Our mother was a big part of us always knowing that we need to treat people the way we want to be treated. As we talked about building a media company, we wanted to be the epitome of inclusion.” Areu Bros. is the FIRST major Latino-owned and operated studio in the country. Areu brings the experience of producing films that focus on inspiring diverse communities, like For Colored Girls, Madea Goes to Jail, Madea’s Witness Protection, A Madea Christmas, and the animated film Madea’s Tough Love. While promoting Tyler Perry’s creative vision, Areu took part in dispelling the myth that movies and shows with minority casts that target an African-American audience could not become mainstream hits. Now Areu has given himself the chance to see if he can duplicate this success within often marginalized demographics. “It’s my responsibility to help the community and underrepresented audiences support storytellers from a diversity of backgrounds,” says Areu.
“I took an enormous leap of faith and bet on myself when I left an organization that was always very good to me throughout the years. That was not an easy thing to do. In fact, it was terrifying, but that’s why this means so much to me. I look forward to working with all of the individuals who feel as strongly as I do about inclusion.” Areu has received numerous awards for his leadership in the Latin American community and beyond, such as the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia and The Presidents’ Award by The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2019 Most Admired CEO in Entertainment, the Eagle Leadership Award by The Latino Leaders Network, Diamond Award for Outstanding Producer, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy and Humanity, The Global Cultural Hero and Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award by the World Chamber of Commerce, and The Nosotros Golden Eagle Award. As the President of Tyler Perry Studios where he handled over $1 billion dollars of productions, Areu oversaw all aspects of the studio, including operations, business management, television shows, feature films, new business projects, and stage play productions. Areu now owns the 60-acre campus he grew up on creatively and professionally as an executive. He launched the creative media campus with the objective of developing an environment perfectly-suited for minority and women storytellers to be heard and seen.
one of the architects of the Qualified Opportunity Zone program; Andres W. Lopez, another Obama advisor; and the legendary singer Gloria Estefan. The theory behind these zones is that companies positively impact these communities. Areu Bros. is the first company in the entertainment industry to have taken part in an Opportunity Zone. “Thirteen years ago, the film industry here was a lot smaller. There were about four to five projects happening a year and usually at least three of them were Tyler’s. The more content Tyler created, the more the community grew and the more crews traveled to Atlanta. Naturally, Hollywood got smart and as tax incentives increased, production grew exponentially as did the infrastructure to support it,” says Areu. As the circumstances grew ripe for Areu to start his own company, he needed to have the right team in place. Concurrently, Kim Leadford, the founder and owner of StarStream Media, flew to Atlanta to listen to a pitch for a project Ozzie and Perry were working on. Leadford would become to be Areu Bros.’ first hire. “Ozzie and I became close through the process and began talking vision and approaches. Shortly after, he invited me on board, and we continued building out the business, buying property, and preparing content,” says Leadford. “Having been in the army, president of a sports and media company at 34, receiving my law degree, and serving in the Senate has allowed me to think globally and analytically.”
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