Maxine’s Baby: A Tyler Perry Masterclass for Budding Wealth Makers

Streaming on Prime Video, “Maxine’s Baby” details Tyler Perry’s rise to wealth despite the odds — from dealing with abuse and trauma to homelessness. Documentary is a lesson

• resilience,
• self determination,
• And self-confidence.

Although the focus of the documentary appears to rest on Perry’s acceptance of his love for his mother Maxine and his commitment to paving the way for future generations – the documentary shows Perry admitting to being underestimated, excluded, and ultimately broken. There were themes around leaving. All the rules of traditional success.

Underestimating black talent is nothing new

When Wells Fargo in 2020
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The CEO noted that “the bank had trouble reaching diversity goals because there was not enough qualified minority talent” It was no surprise he felt this way. Black talent is often underrepresented outside of the realm of sports entertainment and Hollywood is no different. Much of Perry’s success came from a concentrated audience that related to the characters and drama depicted in his plays. It was the combination of his hard work and building a community that allowed him to exceed the expectations of Hollywood executives when they finally decided to give him his shot. Despite the obstacles Perry has overcome in her personal life and professionally, she still had to show up and be the best at what she did. Many Black professionals can relate to an experience in navigating the sometimes spoken, sometimes unspoken rule that dictates that we have to be twice as good to get as far.

Self-determination demands ownership

Perry’s non-negotiable stance on maintaining creative control and ownership over his work was repeatedly mentioned in the documentary. While advocating for the rights to your intellectual property has been the subject of artists and entertainers, facing the decision to sell for a lump sum prepayment can be the difference between starvation and survival in that moment. Perry took advantage by building a fanbase with whom he could interact via email and a successful track record of sales that he could bring to the table, allowing him to do what he did best without interference. By discovering a model that worked and scaling it, he was able to create massive wealth simply by rinsing and repeating.

When the odds are against you, bet on yourself

Despite the possibility of losing everything, Perry repeatedly reinvested in his projects. He has mentioned directing criticism from members of his community around the impact of his work with the acceptance that it comes with the territory. Many first-generation wealth creators are confused about what to do with their newly acquired wealth and often end up incurring a phenomenon called ‘The Black Tax’, where their estimated wealth is expected to be immediately returned to the communities they reside in. Where they come from. This may come before it is possible to understand how to use that new asset or to reinforce habits that will reliably protect that asset. While it appears Perry cared about his family and community through philanthropy, it quickly became clear that wearing his life jacket happened through reinvestment in his dream.

Taking an in-depth look at the rise and success of Tyler Perry, this documentary sheds light on the familiar barriers and systems that his work seeks to dismantle. It particularly sheds light on the mindset of those who are in the throes of the wealth building process and provides a blueprint of sorts of things to anticipate, things to avoid, and things to accept as part of the process.