Making It: How HBCU Education Helped Shape Will Packer - Higher Education: Graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering is not the typical pathway to becoming a successful filmmaker, but then again, there’s nothing typical about Florida A&M University graduate Will Packer. Despite the fact that his course of study was not directly related to what he would ultimately do for a living, Packer attributes a good deal of his success to his alma mater.
“Attending an HBCU set the foundation for me to be successful in my career,” says Packer, a proud recipient of FAMU’s highest honor, the Meritorious Achievement Award. “The nurturing environment and the unyielding push for excellence [at FAMU] provided me with the analytical skills that I have needed to navigate the business world. I go back and give back every chance I get.”
He befriended colleague and future business partner Rob Hardy while attending the Tallahassee-based university, and the rest, as they say, is filmmaking history. In 1994, while still in school, Hardy and Packer started making films. Later, when major studios turned down their projects, the pair marketed them independently.
