Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Packer. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Nina Packer has primarily worked with generation-defining figures and brands in music, film/television, media, and social justice for over 20 years. My life and work are a summary exposition of the powerful potential of empowering creative people to bring their passions to fruition in a commercially viable and humanity-forward manner. As an entrepreneur, she has consulted with several well-known figures in entertainment, sports, and social impact to activate and anchor their endeavors by writing their visions for moving humanity forward, making them plain by creating action-oriented strategic plans, and supporting them through various phases of growth and business development with executive coaching, operations management, and philanthropic engagement.
Her professional tagline is “Moving Humanity Forward”
Nina entered the entertainment industry in 1999 as part of the Development and Marketing teams of Rainforest Films (now Rainforest Entertainment), founded by Will Packer and Rob Hardy. In this role, she was responsible for reading and providing feedback on scripts for production consideration. She led media buying and promotional planning for the company’s independent film releases in the territories of Atlanta and the southeast region for its monumental theatrical release of the film Trois and successive theatrical films Pandora’s Box, The Gospel, and Stomp The Yard. She supported the company’s national independent distribution strategy for theatrical and straight-to-DVD releases, contributed to brand-building efforts, and provided executive support and corporate talent development to the rapidly growing film production powerhouse through 2008 as the wife of its key executive.
Simultaneously, Nina worked as a high school Marketing Education Teacher for Clayton County Public Schools from 2001-2003. She taught Marketing Principles I and II, Entrepreneurship, Cooperative Education, and facilitated a Customer Service Certificate program via Griffin Technical College (now Southern Crescent Technical College). In 2003 she launched her nonprofit consulting firm, Nina Packer & Associates (now Nonprofit Planning & Administration). NPA began working with prominent Atlanta nonprofits such as The Study Hall, Cool Girls Inc., and 21st Century Leaders. By way of 21st Century Leaders, NPA developed and managed the two-year program pilot of Leadership Unplugged: A CNN Experience (now Warner Media Institute) in partnership with Turner Broadcasting (now Warner Media). Her national clients have included Do Something (now Do Something.org) and Burrell Communications. She has also developed, and managed family-led charitable activations for sports figures affiliated with the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Nina earned a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in 2006.
In 2007 Nina entered the music industry by way of her work as a philanthropic strategist for Grammy Award-winning artists Neyo, Akon, David Banner, and Lil Wayne. In 2008, upon the meteoric release of Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III album, she became the General Manager and Director of Operations for Bryant Management—the artist management firm of Cortez Bryant. Bryant Management was the management home of Lil Wayne, Drake, Lil Twist, and the Young Money Brand. After the merger between Bryant Management and Hip Hop Since 1978 created the The Blueprint Group (now BPG/Maverick) in 2010, Nina served as Operations Manager from the company’s Miami headquarters. In this role, she developed and managed the day-to-day operational systems and physical facility, supervised and trained the firm’s administrative support staff that virtually supported the BPG executive team and artist operations teams through 2014.
NPA was tapped by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon Martin, to help them develop the inaugural programs of The Trayvon Martin Foundation in 2014. Nina’s firm planned and activated the pilot programs Circle of Mothers and Circle of Fathers. Both programs are retreat-styled therapeutic and empowerment weekends for parents who have lost their children to senseless gun violence toward the larger aim of community building. The Circle of Mothers retreat included Lisa Nichols as a healing facilitator and Afeni Shakur as keynote speaker. As well, NPA provided communications consulting support to the organization’s co-founders as they contributed to the Obama administration’s efforts to create the My Brother’s Keeper initiative. The work of the Trayvon Martin Foundation serves as the framework for today’s social justice efforts.
Nina leveraged her entertainment industry relationships to bolster support for the establishment of the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Degree program and the Institute for Research in Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at her alma mater, Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 2011. She has taught its required Practicum in Music Management course virtually since the program’s inception and continues to enjoy shaping emerging music industry executive talent by teaching this course.
From 2016-18 Nina Packer returned to the high school classroom where she championed the effort to establish the Film and Media Magnet Program and the Sports and Entertainment Marketing CTAE Pathway at Mundy’s Mill High School in Clayton County Public Schools.
In 2017 NPA facilitated the formation of the Rob and Shaun Hardy Amazing Stories Foundation. The firm facilitated the establishment of the foundation’s Chocolate City Fund at the FAMU Foundation to cover the travel costs associated with entertainment industry internships for FAMU students. As well, Nina spearheaded and executed the effort to donate the historic film artifacts of Rainforest Entertainment to the Black Archives at FAMU. In 2019, she helped the foundation develop and continues to manage the Amazing Stories Film & TV Apprenticeship Program to stimulate Georgia’s pipeline of diverse and high-quality talent for its film and television production workforce. ASF has trained an placed 44 production assistants who have developed careers as below-the-line professionals, via partnerships with major studios and private foundations.
In 2021, through her role with the Cortez Bryant Foundation, Nina wrote a $300,000 grant to support the foundation’s work to establish and support a Music Business Certificate Program at Jackson State University. The grant was awarded in 2022 and empowered students to travel to Atlanta, GA to professionally record 3 EPs and 3 music videos. Student-led artist teams developed artist development and marketing plans for commercial distribution. The grant included $100,000 in Apple Technology to upgrade the recording studio and create a student workspace in the JSU Music Department. Nina began teaching Introduction to Music Industry as an Adjunct Professor at JSU in the Spring 2023 semester.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nina Packer is battle tested. The biggest obstacle and also the greatest blessing I’ve faced in my journey has been balancing the weight of my family life with becoming the professional I desire to be. She became a mother one year after graduating from college and in her first semester of grad school and has always had to manage being a mother as the priority while strategically pursuing her goals. By faith, Nina is a witness that “All things work together to the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am excited at this point in my professional journey to be giving more energy to my creative side as a Producer and a Podcaster. Recently my work as a producer has included the following titles: HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard: (Segment Producer), The Return: An HBCU Homecoming Experience (Associate Producer), Blackstream Live: The Foundation (Talent Producer).
I am super proud of the work that I’ve done so far to present the culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the world. Although I am not credited on Stomp The Yard, I contributed input on the project with the intention of making sure that it was an accurate portrayal of the experience.
I am also availing myself more to speaking and hosting engagements for fundraising and educational events. In December 2022, I served as Co-Chair of A Meal to Remember, the annual black-tie fundraising gala for Meals On Wheels Atlanta. I’m honored to share that the event raised $800,000 to support meal preparation and delivery for some of Atlanta’s most vulnerable seniors.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
In the nonprofit and philanthropic space, Nina is delving into golf-related event production for fundraising and to bring awareness to great causes through celebrity-driven tournaments and outings.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ninapacker.com
- Instagram: @industry.auntie
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/ninapacker
