From Pages to Possibilities: Tyler Fisher’s Journey to Access, Exposure, and Self-Made Opportunity
There’s a rare kind of clarity that comes from starting life with everything stacked against you. For writer, director, and producer Tyler Fisher, that clarity came early, shaped by long nights in a Charlotte shelter, the sting of eviction, and the quiet determination to turn struggle into stories and pages into possibilities.
From Homeless To Hollywood
“I was homeless,” Tyler shares with steady resolve during our interview. “We lived in the Salvation Army’s Women’s Shelter on Graham Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. If we weren’t at the shelter, we were getting evicted or staying with different people. That kind of instability… it teaches you to adapt fast.”
That early need to survive gave him more than resilience, it gave him perspective. It also gave him his first love: football.
Like many kids with a dream, Tyler poured his energy into the sport, hoping it would be his way out of poverty. “I thought football was my escape,” he says. “But then, right before my senior season, I broke my leg. Seven screws. A plate. I had to relearn how to walk.”
While the injury ended his athletic aspirations, it opened the door to something even more enduring—storytelling.
Writing His Way Forward
Recovery brought time, and time brought reflection. “I started writing as therapy,” Tyler says. “I wasn’t thinking about a career in writing. It was just how I coped, how I made sense of what I was going through.”
That writing eventually blossomed into a self-published book at just 18 years old, followed by a children’s book and a book of affirmations titled Stay Fast, which he later turned into a clothing brand and a growing online community.
With an innate entrepreneurial spirit, Tyler knew his voice was worth sharing, but he needed a platform. That platform came through his education at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically Black college that provided him the access, community, and support he’d long lacked.
“College gave me everything football couldn’t: opportunity,” he reflects.
He credits his experience at NCCU not just for the academic support but for developing his character.
“It wasn’t just about the entertainment industry. It was about learning how to carry myself, how to lead, how to communicate.”
The Breakthrough: HBCU IN LA
It was during his senior year at NCCU that Tyler discovered EICOP’s HBCU IN LA program.
“I applied. Got in. Graduated. And the next summer, I was in L.A. working in the industry. That program changed everything.”
Through HBCU IN LA, Tyler was placed on set as a production assistant on the reality series Basketball Wives and in a matter of months, he was promoted to associate producer—a leap rarely seen so early in a career.
“I was blown away when they called me back the next season and offered me the producer role,” Tyler recalls. “I just kept showing up with curiosity and a willingness to learn.”
While some might scoff at reality television, Tyler saw the bigger picture. “Those were real tears. Real stories. I got to see how a show is built from the ground up and how to coordinate scenes, work with talent, send notes to execs, and edit scripts in real time.”
That experience opened more doors and lead Tyler to work with Crazy Maple Studios as a Development Assistant, reviewing more than 400 scripts and participating in creative meetings with top streaming platforms like Netflix and Fox. He also collaborated with production companies led by creatives like James Bland and Carlton Jordan, all while cultivating his own voice as a storyteller.
Creating His Own Lane
As powerful as his work behind the scenes has been, Tyler’s proudest moment came when he stepped into the role of director and writer for his first short film, POP: Purpose Over Pleasure, a deeply personal story inspired by the loss of a cousin to substance abuse.
“It was my love letter to anyone struggling with addiction or distractions,” he explains. “I self-funded it, cast my friends, and shot the whole thing with one camera over three days. We had two weeks to prep. It was hard. But I learned so much.”
The film, which blends themes of faith, redemption, and personal accountability, exemplifies Tyler’s brand of storytelling as raw, intentional, and rooted in lived experience.
“This was my chance to show what I could do. I wasn’t just telling a story, I was healing in public.”
A Legacy in Progress
Tyler’s journey is far from over. His vision now includes expanding his short films into full-length features, building a production company dedicated to spotlighting underrepresented voices, and mentoring the next generation of Black creatives.
When asked about his influences, he nods to Tyler Perry, Donald Glover, and even Tyler, the Creator—“They took all the good names,” he jokes—but quickly adds, “I’ll build my own.”
It’s clear that his story isn’t just about making it in Hollywood. It’s about changing the landscape of what’s possible for young creators who start with very little.
“I may have started in a shelter,” he says, “but I always knew my story wouldn’t end there.”
And it hasn’t.
