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Her albums The Right Stuff, The Comfort Zone and The Sweetest Days earned multiple GRAMMY® Award nominations and have yielded such classic hits as “Save the Best For Last,” “Dreamin” and “Love Is,” as well as the Academy Award®-winning single, “Colors of the Wind,” from Disney’s Pocahontas, among many others. Her recordings also include two holiday albums, Star Bright and Silver & Gold, Vanessa Williams Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years, Everlasting Love and The Real Thing.

In 1994, Vanessa took Broadway by storm when she replaced Chita Rivera in Kiss of the Spider Woman, winning the hearts of critics and becoming a box-office sensation. She garnered rave reviews and was nominated for a Tony® Award for the 2002 revival of Into the Woods. She also headlined a limited special engagement of the classic, Carmen Jones, at the Kennedy Center and starred in the Encore! Series staged concert production of St. Louis Woman. She was last seen in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s original Broadway musical, Sondheim on Sondheim.

Vanessa made her film debut in 1986 in Under the Gun. She has starred in such features as Eraser, Hoodlum, Soul Food, Dance With Me, Light It Up, Shaft and Johnson Family Vacation. She starred in the independent features, My Brother and Somebody Like You and co-starred in Disney’s feature film, Hannah Montana: The Movie. Next up, Vanessa plays Janice in Tyler Perry’s Temptation.

On television, Vanessa has starred in “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” “The Boy Who Loved Christmas,” “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” ABC’s revival of “Bye, Bye Birdie,” “Nothing Lasts Forever,” “The Odyssey,” “Don Quixote,” “Keep the Faith, Baby,” and she executive produced and starred in Lifetime’s “The Courage to Love” for Lifetime and the VH1 Original Movie, “A Diva’s Christmas Carol.” She starred in ABC’s critically-acclaimed hit series, “Ugly Betty,” earning three Emmy® nominations as the deliciously wicked Wilhelmina Slater, in addition to numerous individual and ensemble awards and nominations, including SAG, Golden Globes® and NAACP Image Awards. In 2010, she moved to Wisteria Lane on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” where she stirred things up for the hit show’s final two seasons, winning an NAACP Image Award. She currently plays Olivia, the stylish wife of the devilish Gavin (Terry O’Quinn) in ABC’s supernatural drama “666 Park Avenue.”

In April 2012, Vanessa and her mother Helen landed on the New York Times Best Seller list with their memoir, “You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-Nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss (and Each Other).”

Robbie is also currently starring in “90210” on the CW and in “Necessary Roughness” on USA Network. Robbie's other television credits include “One Tree Hill,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Southland,” “Dark Blue,” “Hellcats,” and the Syfy pilot “Rewind.”   His stunning performances opposite Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker in Hurricane Season and Angela Bassett on “ER” are among his most memorable. 

   Robbie hails from Sacramento California. He attended Cal Berkeley where he starred on the bastketball court. Robbie currently plays basketball in The Entertainment League (E League) alongside Ice Cube, Don Cheadle, Justin Timberlake and Jamie Foxx. 

A long-time music aficionado, Robbie is the much sought-after celebrity DJ "DJ RJ."

As a writer/actress, in collaboration with her husband of forty-seven years, Joe Bologna, she co-wrote and co-starred in the Broadway play Lovers and Other Strangers. They collaborated on the screenplay for the movie version and for it received an Academy Award® nomination. They then co-wrote and co-starred in the original feature film Made for Each Other, They received an Emmy® Award for co-writing the TV special, “Acts of Love and Other Comedies.”

They co-wrote and co-starred in the TV special “Bedrooms,” for which they received a Writers Guild of America Award. They also created the TV series “Calucci’s Department” on CBS. They co-wrote and co-starred in the feature film, It Had to be You, based on another of their Broadway plays. They shared the same duties and also co-directed the original feature film, Love Is All There Is, casting Angelina Jolie in her first starring role. They have co-written and co-starred in two other Broadway plays, Bermuda Avenue Triangle and the semi-autobiographical If You Ever Leave Me, I’m Going With You. Also in publication is Love Allways, a compilation of their short plays that have been performed around the world. Along with their other efforts, Miss Taylor and Mr. Bologna have produced one son, one grandson, many dogs and cats, and one very bossy bird.
ELLA JOYCE (Sarah) Ella is remembered and beloved in the community for her television role of “Eleanor” on TV’s family sitcom “Roc” which earned her a NAACP Image Award Nomination. Her many TV Guest star appearances include the recurring role of Jasmine on “My Wife & Kids,” Mama Pearl on “Eve,” Annabeth on “The Jamie Foxx Show,” and Porsche Langford on “In The House” and “Seinfeld” as the Dean of NYU.

Numerous film credits include Detective Waller in the popular action film “Set It Off,” the Nurse in “Bubba Ho-Tep,” “Selma, Lord Selma” (working again with Jurnee Smollett-Bell), “Forbidden Fruits," "Dead Of Winter,” “Uncle P,” “Who Made The Potato Salad?” "Stranger Inside," and the suffering young Mother in the famous, classic MTV Award winning music video – TLC’s “Waterfalls”. Ms. Joyce’s current movie credits include the role of Sister Watkins in Warner Bros. popular film Preacher’s Kid, parole Officer Carol Brodie in California Solo starring Robert Carlyle, which played at Sundance this past year, a hilarious cameo in the film Our Family Wedding starring Forrest Whitaker and Regina King, and the romantic comedy Hopelessly In June. Ella recently completed “Belle’s” coming to TV One next season.

Ella works extensively in Regional Theatre earning both the Jefferson Award and the Black Theatre Alliance Award (BTAA) from the Goodman Theatre for Lynne Nottage’s “Crumbs From the Table of Joy,” which she world-premiered in New York, and received outstanding reviews in the city of Chicago. Ms. Joyce world-premiered two August Wilson plays, one directed by the late Lloyd Richards: Two Trains Running opposite Laurence Fishburne, and King Hedley II which she world-premiered at the O'Reilly Pittsburg Public Theater. She performed in Fences at the bi-annual National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, where she has served as a Board Member helping to establish that Festival. Ella is an invited Beinecke Fellow at Yale School of Drama and was invited to perform in a new play Bossa Nova by Kirsten Greenidge. Her many legitimate and urban stage credits have taken her to regional theaters across the country.

Ella is also a talented voiceover artist. Audible Books-on-tape include Ron Milner’s “Ruby McCollum Story”, portraying the voice of Zora Neal Hurston produced by Susan Lowenberg’s Los Angeles Theater Works , and recently completed Ernest Thomas’ “Conversations With My Mother”. Ella received another NAACP Image Nomination for BET's "Storyporch" (the children TV reading series).

Ella has spent the past five years touring her own one-woman play A Rose Among Thorns, a Tribute to Rosa Parks, in 28 cities around the country, receiving an NAACP Nomination, numerous awards, wonderful press reviews, testimonials, and accolades. Bookings and calendar for her play is available at www.aRoseAmongThorns.com.
For more information on the actress, please visit www.EllaJoyce.com.


BRANDY NORWOOD (Melinda) is a superstar actress, R&B/pop singer, songwriter, host, spokesmodel and record producer. Brandy just released her brand new album Two Eleven  (RCA/Chameleon Records) which debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B Album chart. Ranked by the RIAA as one of the best-selling female artists in American music history, Brandy has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, while receiving a plethora of awards, including a GRAMMY®, an American Music Award, two Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, three Billboard Awards, four MTV Awards®, six Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, two Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards and three BMI Awards. She arrived with a self-titled debut album at the age of fifteen and went on to record a series of hit CDs that established her as one of the successful R&B/pop female vocalists to emerge in a generation. Brandy is a cast member of BET’s top-rated scripted series “The Game,” receiving rave reviews and will be appearing in Tyler Perry’s upcoming Lionsgate release, Tyler Perry’s Temptation.


ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
TYLER PERRY (Writer, Director, Producer) Tyler Perry's inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood's A-list is the stuff of American legend. Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Tyler fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and shows.

It was a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey that set Tyler's career in motion. Encouraged to keep a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences, he began writing a series of soul-searching letters to himself. The letters, full of pain and in time, forgiveness, became a healing catharsis. His writing inspired a musical, I Know I've Been Changed, and in 1992 Tyler gathered his life's savings and set off for Atlanta in hopes of staging it for sold out crowds. He spent all the money but the people never came, and Tyler once again came face to face with the poverty that had plagued his youth. He spent months sleeping in seedy motels and his car but his faith - in God and, in turn, himself - only got stronger. He forged a powerful relationship with the church, and kept writing. In 1998 his perseverance paid off and a promoter booked I Know I've Been Changed for a limited run at a local church-turned-theatre. This time, the community came out in droves, and soon the musical moved to Atlanta's prestigious Fox Theatre. Tyler Perry never looked back.

And so began an incredible run of thirteen plays in as many years, including Woman Thou Art Loosed!, a celebrated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes.

In the year 2000, I Can Do Bad All By Myself marked the first appearance of the now-legendary Madea. The God-fearing, gun-toting, pot-smoking, loud-mouthed grandmother, Madea, was played by Perry himself. Madea was such a resounding success, she soon spawned a series of plays - Madea's Family Reunion (2002), Madea's Class Reunion (2003), Madea Goes To Jail (2005) - and set the stage for Tyler's jump to the big screen.

In early 2005, Tyler's first feature film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, debuted at #1 nationwide. His ensuing films, Madea's Family Reunion; Daddy’s Little Girls; Why Did I Get Married?; Meet The Browns; The Family That Preys; I Can Do Bad All by Myself; Why Did I Get Married Too?; For Colored Girls; Madea’s Big, Happy Family; Good Deeds and Madea’s Witness Protection have all met with massive critical and commercial success, delighting audiences across America and around the world.

Perry also helped release Academy Award®-nominated Precious, a movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire, in conjunction with his 34th Street Films banner, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films and Lionsgate.

2006 saw the publication of Tyler's first book, Don't Make A Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries On Life And Love, which shot to the top of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and remained there for eight weeks. It went on to claim Quill Book Awards for both "Humor" and "Book of the Year" (an unheard-of feat for a first-time author), and spread Tyler Perry's unique brand of inspirational entertainment to a devoted new audience.

It is a brand that quickly became an empire. In 2007, Tyler expanded his reach to television with the TBS series House of Payne, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time, which went into syndication after only a year. His follow up effort, Meet the Browns, was the second highest debut ever on cable - after House of Payne. In 2012, Perry inked a partnership deal with Oprah Winfrey’s OWN to write/produce and direct their first scripted series which will premiere in May 2013.

Not one to rest on success, Tyler Perry and his 350 Atlanta-based employees have been hard at work. His latest film, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor will be released in March 2013 followed by a December 2013 release of Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas and Single Moms Club, is currently in production and will be released in 2014. 2013 will also see the release of the second production from his 34^th Street Films banner, We the Peeples. He can currently be seen in the title role in the Rob Cohen-directed Alex Cross.

In the fall of 2008, Perry opened his 200,000 square foot studio in Atlanta, situated on the former Delta Airlines campus of more than 30 acres. The studio consists of 5 sound stages, a post production facility, a pond, a back lot, a 400-seat theater, a private screening room, and designated areas for entertaining and hosting events.

But listen to Tyler Perry and you'll hear a man who hasn't forgotten about the people that have helped him reach the top of a mountain he could once only dream of climbing. He has been intimately involved in civil rights cases, including the trial of the Jena 6 in his home state of Louisiana. He has donated generously to charities that focus on helping the homeless, such as Feeding America, Covenant House, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure, and Perry Place - a 20-home community that Tyler built for survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In July 2009, Tyler sponsored a trip to Walt Disney World® Resort for 65 children after learning that a suburban swim club had turned them away because of the color of their skin. Tyler Perry has also built 2 churches and has donated generously to the NAACP.

In January 2010, Perry pledged $1,000,000 via The Tyler Perry Foundation to help rebuild the lives of those affected by the recent earthquakes in Haiti.

Tyler Perry practices what he preaches, and what he preaches has endeared him to millions of fans drawn by that unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor that continues to shape his inspiring life story and extraordinary body of work.
OZZIE AREU (Producer) became president of Tyler Perry Studios, the first African-American owned major motion picture and television studio in 2008. The mission of Tyler Perry Studios, a place where even dreams believe, is to build worlds, inspiring audiences with real-life, and thought provoking issues.

Ozzie’s functions as president include overseeing all facets of film, television, and play productions. Tyler Perry Studios is nestled in Atlanta on 60 acres and houses over 200,000 square feet of studio space. The studio occupies 5 sound stages, full post‐production facilities, back lot locations, a 400 seat theater, and private screening rooms.

In addition to Ozzie’s duties as president of Tyler Perry Studios, he has produced numerous Tyler Perry films and television shows. Films produced include, the newly released “Good Deeds” starring Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union and Tyler Perry; “The Marriage Counselor” starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Williams, and Brandy Norwood; “We The Peeples” starring Kerry Washington, Craig Robinson and Ana Gasteyer; and “For Colored Girls.” “For Colored Girls” received honors at the NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture ‐ Kimberly Elise, Outstanding Directing for a Motion Picture/Television Movie ‐ Tyler Perry, and Outstanding Motion Picture. At the 2011 BET Awards show “For Colored Girls” received top honors for Best Picture. Ozzie also produced “Madea’s Big Happy Family” starring Loretta Devine, Cassi Davis, Shad “Bow Wow” Moss, Tamela and David Mann, and Tyler Perry.

Ozzie executive produces “Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse” due to premiere its second season on Turner Broadcasting Systems July 13, 2012. Ozzie also produces “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” a comedy series about a multi-generational, working class family who experiences all of life’s struggles with faith, love and most importantly humor. The show premiered on TBS as the highest rated first‐run sitcom in basic cable’s history. The show remained basic cable’s #1 sitcom until TBS’s August 2008 premiere of “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns.” For the first quarter of 2011, “House of Payne” and “Meet the Browns” ranked among television’s Top 5 primetime sitcoms with African-American adults 18-34 and 18-49. Produced by Areu, “Meet the Browns” has the second highest debut ever on cable, after “House of Payne.” In 2012 “House of Payne” received two NAACP Image Awards including Best Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Keshia Knight Pulliam. In 2010 Ozzie executive produced “The Tyler Perry Show.”

Ozzie heads up 34th Street Films, a Tyler Perry Production arm that discovered the film, “Precious” while at the Sundance Film Festival and made the movie “For Colored Girls” and “We the Peeples.”

Prior to assuming duties as president of Tyler Perry Studios, Ozzie began his career with Warner Bros. in Burbank, California. He worked on set and closely with cast members of NBC’s “Veronica’s Closet” and “Jessie” along with one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, Emmy® Award-winning “Friends” for nine years. Following his years of service in television, from 1999 to 2005, Ozzie worked professionally alongside two of the most successful entertainers from Hollywood’s A-list, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Next, Areu worked with Daytime Emmy® Award winner for Outstanding Talk Show, Ellen Degeneres for two years.

In 2010, Paul partnered with ESPN and director John Singleton to produce a highly-rated 30 for 30 series documentary, “Marion Jones: Press Pause.”

Paul began his career working local news in the San Francisco market which led to positions at both the ABC and NBC networks. Soon after Paul took on the Los Angeles market, pioneering documentary programming for the PBS-affiliate KCET, and the network-affiliated programming for KABC. Paul received an Emmy® nomination for his groundbreaking work with KABC.

In mid-1990’s, Paul founded The Berkeley Group, a television and motion picture marketing company whose credits include the FOX Network reality series “Sightings and Encounters: The Hidden Truth.” Paul’s television work has aired on the FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO and Showtime networks.

Paul’s feature filmmaking relationships span the major studios; he has spearheaded pictures

for Lionsgate, Paramount, Fox, Sony, and Warner Brothers.

According to Variety, "If there is a Lionsgate model, then Paseornek has to be considered one of the chief architects."

In 2004, Paseornek met Tyler Perry  and forged a relationship that brought audiences blockbusters such as  Madea's Big Happy Family,  Madea Goes To Jail, Why Did I Get Married?, Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, and Madea's Family Reunion, all of which opened number 1 at the box office. Lionsgate has been the home to 15 Tyler Perry movies and has recently completed a deal to produce two more.

Paseornek also executive produced urban films ranging from dramas such as For Colored Girls, Pride, the critically acclaimed Akeelah And The Bee, and the upcoming family comedy We The Peeples.  He also played an important role in bringing Precious to the studio.

In the genre arena, building on the success of the Saw series, Paseornek broke new ground with My Bloody Valentine 3D - the first horror film utilizing the new 3D digital technology. In addition, Paseornek executive produced Sam Raimi's Ghost House Production, The Possession, and is in post on Texas Chainsaw 3D. He also oversees the U.S. debut of famed Korean director Kim Jee Woon's, The Last Stand, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Over the past 25 years, Paseornek has played an important role in the emergence of the independent film scene developing modestly budgeted, highly targeted genre, action, and comedy films. He founded Cinepix/Famous Players (CFP's) U.S. operations in 1992 which distributed acclaimed films such as Academy Award® winner Ang Lee's first feature Pushing Hands, James Mangold's directoral debut Heavy, James Coburn's Oscar® winning performance in Affliction, and Bill Condon's Oscar® winner Gods And Monsters.  When CFP went public it was renamed Lionsgate in 1997.  The first films under the new Lionsgate banner that Paseornek executive produced were critical successes, including Monsters Ball, American Psycho, Buffalo 66 and Shattered Glass.  The film division has won over 25 Oscar® nominations to date.

Outside of Lionsgate, Paseornek serves on the board of directors of UCLA Mattel's Children's Hospital, is on the advisory board of Hearts of Hope, a foundation sending doctors to Latin America, and the board of Del Corazon, a year round charitable camp for children with heart disease.

Paseornek began his career after graduating from New York University in 1974 when he became the writing partner of former National Lampoon editor Michel Choquette. He then became a humorist-speechwriter for some of the nation's leading business executives and worked as a script-doctor on a number of feature films.

Paseornek is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Writer's Guild of America. He has been a guest speaker at a number of institutions, including Harvard, New York University, and the American Film Institute and has served on numerous industry panels for organizations such as the NAACP and the Director Guild of America.