January 2015

Tyler Perry began developing a 330-acre studio complex on the grounds of Fort McPherson in southwest Atlanta, one of the largest film and television production facilities in the United States. The studio, which opened in 2019, was the first major studio owned outright by a Black individual and represented a landmark in Black ownership of media infrastructure.

Tyler Perry began developing a 330-acre studio complex on the grounds of Fort McPherson in southwest Atlanta, one of the largest film and television production facilities in the United States. The studio, which opened in 2019, was the first major studio owned outright by a Black individual and represented a landmark in Black ownership of media infrastructure.

Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's hip-hop family drama Empire premiered on Fox with Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. Its ratings grew with every episode—unprecedented for a new drama—reaching over 17 million viewers by the season finale. The show placed a Black family at the center of a primetime soap opera for the first time in the network era.

Deontay Wilder defeated Bermane Stiverne to become the WBC Heavyweight Champion, the first American heavyweight world champion since Shannon Briggs in 2006. Wilder, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, went on to make ten consecutive defenses of the title, the most of any heavyweight champion of his era.