Steve Mensch, Tyler Perry Studios president, dies in a plane crash

Rodney Ho, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec 7, 2024

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ATLANTA — Steve Mensch, president and general manager of studio operations at Tyler Perry Studios, died in a plane crash on Friday evening in Homosassa, Florida. He was 62.

According to multiple news reports, Mensch died flying a single-engine plane about 75 miles north of Tampa. A spokesperson for Perry confirmed the death with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

State troopers responded to the crash near the intersection of U.S. 98 and West White Dogwood Drive at about 8 p.m.

The aircraft is a 2023 Vans RV-12iS owned by Mensch, who resided in Fayetteville, according to data provided to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Tyler Perry Studios released this statement Saturday morning: “We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend Steve Mensch. Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than eight years and well beloved in the community of Atlanta. It’s hard to imagine not seeing him smiling throughout the halls. We will miss him dearly. Our heart goes out to his family as we all send them our prayers.”

“I’m heartbroken by the loss of my friend and colleague,” said Gannon Murphy, general manager of Atlanta’s Cinelease Studios. “He often spoke with so much love for his family. My thoughts are with them during this tough time. Steve will be truly missed.”

Mensch was married to Danila and was the father of three children.

A graduate of the University at Buffalo in 1985, Mensch worked at Embassy Suites and AT&T before entering the entertainment business as a general manager and vice president of sales at Features Systems Inc., which rented out camera gear and grip equipment.

He was one of the key people who promoted the state of Georgia to Hollywood producers in the 1990s, according to Ric Reitz, an actor who was instrumental in creating the current film and TV tax credit system. Mensch, he said, helped launch the lobbying group the Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) and was president for several terms.

“He was trying to formulate the vision for the marketplace before the Olympics and wanted a think tank of people in the community to make Georgia competitive,” Reitz said. “He was an important figure in the our growth to become a strong film and TV market.”

Mensch came to Turner Broadcasting in 2005, where he oversaw studio facilities and became director of strategic production partnerships.

He took over Tyler Perry Studios in 2016 after a year at a studio in China and a few months running Third Rail Studios in Doraville.

Kaleb McMichen, a longtime senior official at the George House, called Mensch “a tireless advocate for Georgia’s film industry at the Gold Dome. He was trusted ― always spoke plainly and dealt fairly. For all his power as Tyler Perry’s right-hand man, he displayed zero ego in every interaction he had with our shop. Few people will ever know how instrumental he was in preserving Georgia’s film tax credit over the last decade or so.”

In an interview posted on TylerPerryStudios.com, Mensch cited why he enjoyed working at the studio, which was formerly Fort McPherson, an Army post. “The most humbling part of my job is being on the post daily. The history that was made here and decisions that affected the world from the buildings that I walk through daily is as I said humbling,” he said.

During a tour of the 330-acre studio with the AJC in 2019, Mensch noted that this was the first major studio in many years to build out not just stage space but a sizable back lot, which includes a replica White House, a diner, a lakeside cabin, a trailer park, suburban homes, and a commercial jet.

“It’s really cool to be on these grounds every day,” he said. “I’ve been on the lot of Disney and seen pictures of Walt. In 100 years, people will drive through here and see pictures of Tyler.”

Craig Miller, a local filmmaker and friend of Mensch who worked with Mensch at GPP, said “he lived life large. He was a golfer, a motorcyclist and an airplane pilot.”

Kris Bagwell, who ran EUE Screen Gems on 30 acres of the former Lakewood Fairgrounds from 2010 until 2021, said Mensch also loved cars: “Before we opened in Atlanta, he used to bring his sports car and I would let him do donuts down in the old parking lot. He loved the whole ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ legacy there.”

Mensch was also fundamentally kind, Miller added: “He could have a conversation with a studio head or a grip and a gaffer and you’d feel like you were talking to someone who cares about what you were trying to accomplish.”

The aircraft Mensch flew, according to the Vans website, is “a two-seat all-metal side-by-side airplane with a large cabin that seats the occupants ahead of the wing spar for maximum room and superb visibility.”

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(AJC staff writers Savannah Sicurella and Greg Bluestein contributed to this story.)

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