Steve Mensch, a film executive in Georgia who pushed for state policies to support the industry and who was the president of Tyler Perry Studios, died in a plane crash in Florida on Friday. He was 62.
Mr. Mensch was the sole occupant of a small-engine fixed-wing aircraft that crashed on Highway 19 in Homosassa, Fla., just after 8 p.m. on Friday, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Mr. Mensch worked at Tyler Perry Studios for more than eight years, managing the 330-acre studio in Atlanta that was once home to Fort McPherson, a U.S. military base that closed in 2011, according to the company.
Mr. Perry, the actor and entertainment mogul whose movies and television shows often depict the lives of Black Americans, bought the decommissioned base for $30 million in 2015.
The lot has been a host to many of Mr. Perry’s projects, like “Boo! A Medea Halloween,” featuring Mr. Perry in his comedic role. Since his breakout role as Madea, Mr. Perry has appeared in nearly 50 shows and movies, including “Don’t Look Up” and “Gone Girl” and has over 70 producer credits, according to IMDb.
Other shows and films have been shot at his studio, including “Pitch Perfect 3,” “The Walking Dead” and “Black Panther.”
Mr. Perry said on social media on Saturday that Mr. Mensch “loved flying and he loved that plane.” He called Mr. Mensch “a great leader at the studio.”
About nine years after graduating in 1985 from the University at Buffalo in New York with a business degree, Mr. Mensch got his start in the entertainment industry at Feature Systems Inc., which provided equipment for filmmakers. In 2005, he became an executive at Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta where he ran studio and business operations for about 10 years.
Mr. Mensch became known as a liaison between the entertainment industry and state government as he lobbied for policies and made deals that supported Georgia-based entertainment companies. While working at Turner Broadcasting, he supported a film tax credit to help lure production businesses to Georgia.
“When I started at the Georgia Film Office 28 years ago, Steve was already a fixture in the burgeoning film industry and was instrumental in the growth of studios in Georgia even before joining Tyler Perry Studios in 2016,” Lee Thomas, the deputy commissioner of Georgia Film Office, said on Facebook on Saturday.
Mr. Mensch had a yearlong stint as the president and chief executive of Qingdao Oriental Movie Industrial Park in China, but returned in 2016 to lead Third Rail Studios in Atlanta. Months later, Tyler Perry Studios brought Mr. Mensch on as the company began to develop its newly acquired land.
On the day of Mr. Mensch’s death, Tyler Perry Studios premiered “The Six Triple Eight,” a film starring Kerry Washington based on the U.S. Army unit made up of women of color who delivered mail to soldiers during World War II.
According to the Georgia Film Office, Mr. Mensch, who was born on June 7, 1962, is survived by his wife and three children.
The post Steve Mensch, President of Tyler Perry Studios, Dies at 62 appeared first on New York Times.
