Tyler Perry Studios has signed on with Vets2Set to help generate employment opportunities in Georgia for U.S. military veterans. The deal improves job prospects for vets in the state as Tyler Perry Studios has gained major momentum in entertainment production since relocating in 2015 to the former Fort McPherson army base in Atlanta. Tyler Perry Studios occupies 330 acres, offering 12 state-of-the-art soundstages and a large backlot with prepared sets for a baseball field, farmhouse, prison yard, bank and the White House, among others. Creative options are endless, and the opportunity for career development for veterans is extensive.
“Cooperation with this powerful studio at the center of Atlanta’s burgeoning place in motion picture, television, and commercial production is huge for Vets2Set and provokes us to launch a major recruiting effort in the South,” reports David Cohen, president and co-founder of Vets2Set. “When employers enroll in our organization and search our database to staff a production, we want them to find production assistants matching their every need from COVID compliance officers to disciplined and well-trained veterans familiar with electronics, flying drones, driving trucks, security, and construction, among other skills. The majority of our veterans live in New York and California, but the opportunities in the South are tremendous now thanks to Tyler Perry.” Cohen hopes to recruit new candidates in the Atlanta area in part through cooperation with Vetlanta, an organization providing veterans with business networking services.
Robert Boyd II, Tyler Perry Studios COO, and Angi Bones, president of original programming, spoke with Cohen in early January to discuss how Vets2Set operates and within a few days, the studio was signed up and ready to hire.
Tyler Perry Studios joins more than 200 other employers working with Vets2Set to launch military veterans in civilian careers in production. Other cooperating producers include Walt Disney Television, Warner Brothers, MLB Network, NBCUniversal, RSA Films, Shutterstock Studios, and advertising agencies including BBDO Atlanta.
When staffing a shoot, cooperating producers have access to the contact details and skills profiles of hundreds of military veterans around the country via the Vets2Set database. Producers then hire military veterans to fill already budgeted positions the same way they would hire any other production assistants. The contact between employer and veteran is direct. As a not-for-profit organization, Vets2Set takes no fees for developing and promoting use of its database but rather runs entirely on volunteer labor and donations from corporate sponsors and private donors.
Military veterans and media employers can enroll in this veteran employment program here.
