CODE M Magazine Names Hollywood Powerhouse Will Packer 2026 Man of the Year

CODE M Magazine Names Hollywood Powerhouse Will Packer 2026 Man of the Year

Award to be presented December 4 in Cleveland, OH by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Lucien J. Metellus Jr., on the fraternity's 120th Founders' Day

CLEVELAND, Ohio October 21, 2026 Code M Magazine, the national platform dedicated to spotlighting Black male achievement in business, culture, media, and community impact, today announced that Will Packer, one of Hollywood's most prolific and commercially successful producers, will be recognized as their 2026 Man of the Year. Packer, Founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media will be presented with the honor on December 4, 2026, at The City Club of Cleveland, by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Lucien J. Metellus Jr., in recognition of Packer's three-decade impact on film, television, entrepreneurship and Black cultural storytelling at studio scale.

Packer, whose films have collectively grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, has built a body of work that includes culture-defining titles such as Girls Trip, Ride Along, Think Like a Man, and Night School. Most recently, he produced the Netflix hit 72 Hours, which spent four consecutive weeks atop Netflix's Global Top 10, and Universal Pictures' You, Me & Tuscany, the first wide-release studio romantic comedy in more than a decade to feature two Black leads. He is also the force behind Peacock's award-winning limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.

"Will Packer has spent three decades building an entertainment empire and opening doors for Black storytellers at the global studio level. Naming him our 2026 Man of the Year is a statement about the kind of legacy Code M Magazine exists to document.", Bilal Akram, CEO, Code M Magazine

Founded in 2013, Will Packer Productions has built an entertainment empire generating billions at the box office, with additional production credits including Straight Outta Compton, The Photograph, Little, What Men Want, and Stomp the Yard. In 2022, Packer served as lead producer of the 94th Oscars Ceremony, making history as the first Black producer and producing team to preside over the Academy Awards, earning him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special Live. He is also a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Who Better Than You? The Art of Healthy Arrogance and Dreaming Big, and in 2024 became one of four new limited partners in the Atlanta Falcons ownership group.

"This recognition is deeply meaningful because it celebrates not just achievement, but impact. I'm proud to stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way and grateful for the ability to help create new opportunities for the next generation."

• Will Packer, Founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media

Packer will receive the honor from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Lucien J. Metellus Jr., who was elected to lead the nation's oldest intercollegiate Greek-letter organization founded by African Americans on January 12, 2024, and took office January 1, 2025. A Haitian-American leader and Syracuse University graduate, Metellus has served the fraternity at the chapter, district, and regional levels for more than two decades, including as the 28th Eastern Regional Vice President, and brings more than 20 years of experience in information technology as a project manager and senior business analyst.

The 2026 Code M Magazine Man of the Year Award will be presented Friday, December 4, 2026, at the City Club of Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio. Doors open at 5:00 p.m., with a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the formal program beginning at 7:00 p.m. The date coincides with Alpha Phi Alpha's 120th Founders' Day. This year's awards event follows 2025's Code M Man of the Year award recipient, Attorney Benjamin Crump. Additional details on this year's red carpet access, credentialing and program participants will be announced in the coming weeks.

ABOUT WILL PACKER

Will Packer, Founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, is one of Hollywood's most prolific and commercially successful producers. His producing credits include Girls Trip, Think Like a Man, Ride Along, Night School, Straight Outta Compton, and the Peacock limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, winner of four NAACP Image Awards. The Hollywood Reporter has named Packer among their illustrious Forces for Change list, which highlights the heavyweights in Hollywood pushing for change. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Florida A&M University with a degree in Electrical Engineering and holds an honorary doctorate from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

ABOUT LUCIEN J. METELLUS JR.

Lucien J. Metellus Jr. is the General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.. A member of Zeta Zeta Lambda Chapter in St. Albans, New York, he has held leadership roles at the chapter, district and Eastern Regional levels, including service as the 28th Eastern Regional Vice President. He holds a degree in Policy Studies from Syracuse University and has worked in information technology for two decades, currently serving as a Project Manager and Senior Business Analyst at Centrilogic.

ABOUT CODE M MAGAZINE

Code M Magazine is a national platform dedicated to transforming the lives of men, with a focus on men of color. Celebrating achievement in business, culture, wellness, and community impact, the media company's editorial coverage and its annual Man of the Year platform document the leaders, builders, and creatives shaping culture at the highest levels.

ABOUT ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, Inc.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, founded December 4, 1906, at Cornell University. The fraternity marks its 120th Founders' Day in 2026. Alpha Phi Alpha initiates college men and professionals into a Brotherhood dedicated to academic excellence, community service and civic leadership.