Hello, I’m Dr. Ty Johnston-Chavis — producer, mentor, and founder of The Producer’s Academy.

I’ve always dreamed of seeing my name on screen, attached to the kind of projects that air on networks like Paramount, BET, FOX, and AMC. But when I got started, the path looked nothing like it does today.

In fact, the internet was just breaking ground… literally through dial-up. There were no YouTube tutorials, no Instagram DMs, and definitely no shortcuts.

I come from the press-and-push era — where you pressed up DVDs, partnered with manufacturers, and launched grassroots campaigns with retail giants like Best Buy, FYE, Sam Goody, and Blockbuster. We were out there getting end caps in stores, door-to-door, face-to-face, pitch-by-pitch. That was the hustle. That was how you did business.

I’ve lived through every major shift in this industry all from physical media to streaming, from studio gatekeeping to the rise of indie film, from handshakes in parking lots to pitch decks in virtual rooms.

I didn’t just learn this business …I lived it, one pitch, one partnership, one breakthrough at a time.

I never waited for permission because in the era I came up in, you didn’t wait… you created. The same people I used to pitch to years ago? Many of them are now colleagues and friends. That’s the full-circle power of staying in the game, building real relationships, and never losing your spark.

I’m also the founder of the Atlanta Pitch Summit which was launched during a time when people were still asking, “What’s a pitch?” and “What’s a summit?” Now those words are industry clichés. Back then, I was ahead of the curve creating a marketplace before the culture caught up.

And while I’ve built a career in the field, I’ve also stayed grounded in the classroom. I’m a former professor who’s taught digital filmmaking and media at colleges and universities, and I now serve on the Film & Entertainment Curriculum Committee for Anaheim University, as well as the Advisory Board for Southern University’s Digital Media Arts program.

So, no …I’m not just out here talking. I’m teaching. I’m producing. I’m proof.

I’ve always worked in the independent space, but when it was time to step into the mainstream , I had to dig deep and build real, lasting relationships to enter and sustain in rooms many never reach. That relationship equity is part of what I now pass on to others.

Because once you’ve made it to a certain level in this industry, it’s not just about staying there…it’s about reaching back, collaborating across generations, and helping others build what’s next.

I’ve seen this industry evolve from the concrete hustle of DVDs and in-store end caps… to pitch decks, streamers, and AI-powered tools, workflow automation, and data-driven development strategies. And I’ve stayed in it because I understand it from every side.

The Producer’s Academy is not a trend. It’s a training ground built from lived experience, designed for rising and working producers who are serious about ownership, credibility, and creative power.

Because real producers don’t wait to be greenlit.

They greenlight themselves