Florida A&M alumnus Will Packer is never shy about talking about his HBCU experience. Packer is one of the most well-known HBCU advocates in the nation, often using his platform to empower HBCUs and talk about how they are life-changing.

In promotion of his new film starring Chloe Bailey, entitled You, Me and Tuscany, Packer spoke about how his Florida A&M experience aided him in fearlessly pitching the movie.

“When I walk into these rooms in Hollywood and I’m trying to pitch a romantic comedy with two black leads starring Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page, I’m looking, a lot of people who don’t look like me, they’re sitting across the room from me and they’re going, ‘Why? Why should we do this? Defend yourself. What is it about this proposition that makes sense economically?’ That is nothing like when I had to go in front of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and I had a bunch of hungover cues and AKAs and Kappas and I was trying to get $5,000 to make my first little movie, chocolate City, and they was like, ‘We ain’t giving you ish. You need to explain yourself.’

His prolific film career did indeed start at Florida A&M. He created the movie Chocolate City, which served as a precursor for the 2007 feature film Stomp the Yard. With the foundation that Packer built with Chocolate City and Stomp The Yard, he was able to create a Black-led rom-com that is achieving much acclaim at the box office.

You, Me and Tuscany is available now in theaters.