Melanated Excellence

THE GENIUS BEHIND FILM ENTREPRENEURS, NOBLE M. JOHNSON, OSCAR MICHEAUX & TYLER PERRY.

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

Born in the beginning of the film industry (July 12, 1908), comedian Milton Berle said, "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." And with a career that spanned some 80-years in film and television, one might say Berle was a master of creating opportunities that contributed to his success and career longevity. And while Berle was able to create, open, and stand inside the doors of opportunity he created, people of color were relegated to stand outside the doors of others; the reality of building their own similar doors of opportunity almost impossible.

Noble M. Johnson, Oscar Micheaux, and now Tyler Perry are among the melanated pioneers who didn't just build doors of opportunity for themselves (and others); they went the extra miles and built buildings—knocking down obstacles and creating opportunities from the inside out. Their journeys, unbeknownst or forgotten by many, are to some degree similar (as with Oscar Micheaux and Tyler Perry) or interconnected (as with Noble M. Johnson and Oscar Micheaux).