Ryan Millsap, former CEO and owner of Blackhall Studios, made a name for himself in Atlanta as an executive who encouraged diversity. But, per a report in ProPublica, he may not have been as pro-diversity and inclusion as he appeared.
This week, ProPublica staffer Nicole Carr and Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Mike Jordan published an investigation that looked into hundreds of pages of text messages between Millsap and his ex-girlfriend, Christy Hockmeyer, that were submitted as evidence in a lawsuit against him.
His texts, mostly from 2019, included comments about “Fucking Black people” and “nasty Jews,” as well as other racist and antisemitic views. The pages were released due to a legal dispute, which includes various filings, between the real estate developer and his former attorney, John Da Grosa Smith.
“Ryan’s public persona is different from who he is,” Smith wrote in one of the filings. He added, “Ryan works hard to mislead and hide the truth. And he is very good at it.”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to a representative for Smith for comment.
The texts and additional court records in the story made it clear that Hockmeyer, who was an investor in Millsap’s real estate company, played an active role in his business dealings, according to ProPublica.
In one of their conversations, the two were discussing Millsap’s desire to hire an executive who was well-known in Atlanta’s film industry, and Hockmeyer suggested he poach someone from Tyler Perry Studios, the 12-stage lot named after the iconic Black filmmaker. “Taking someone from Tyler Perry would be fine too,” Hockmeyer wrote in a text, according to a court filing, adding, “As long as they are white.” She also said she knew the “teeny tiniest Jew,” who may be good for Millsap to consider.
When the reporters reached out to the film exec about an interview tied to their investigation, he told them that this “sounds like a strange situation” and asked “how this came up.” He requested to review the material they had gathered, which they provided, and then he stopped responding to their multiple requests for comment.
Hockmeyer, on the other hand, did respond. She explained that she severed all ties with him years ago because their “values, ethics and beliefs did not align.” She added, per the story, “I consistently encouraged Mr. Millsap to treat his investors and community supporters with fairness and respect.”
In another email, she apologized for her part in the racist and antisemitic conversations she had with the real estate developer. “I made comments and used language that was inappropriate,” she wrote. “I referred to people in ways I shouldn’t have. I’m sincerely sorry for what I said. Those comments do not reflect who I am, and I disavow racism and antisemitism as a whole.”
Blackhall Studios attracted massive productions — including Venom, Lovecraft Country and Godzilla: King of Monsters — and was looking to expand in 2019 through a land swap with the county. Millsap’s pitch to the community for the expansion included a $3.8 million plan that featured public improvements, like a new park, according to ProPublica. He also noted the expansion, which would triple the studio’s soundstages, would help create thousands of jobs for community members.
In 2021, Millsap sold Blackhall Studios for $120 million, and the following year, he announced he was planning on building a new complex in Newton County, Georgia, about 40 miles east of Atlanta.
