ENTERTAINMENT NEWS – Tyler Perry’s studio exec, Steve Mensch, dies in plane crash

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Friday night, Tyler Perry Studio’s president, Steve Mensch, was killed when his small plane crashed 60 miles north of Tampa. Mensch had worked at the studio for eight years and was instrumental in making Atlanta a global hub for film and production companies. He was one of the strongest advocates for Georgia’s film tax credit, which helped grow the film industry in Georgia to over $1 billion and encouraged other companies to move their productions to Atlanta.

Mensch was planning to take his work abroad by building a huge studio in China. News of Mensch’s death came the same day as the release of a Tyler Perry film, The Six Triple Eight. Many in the film industry are concerned about finding a replacement for Mensch, whose work and advocacy for the industry in the U.S. and abroad have not been replicated by anyone else.