After years as the industry’s top African-American talent agent, Charles D. King is building an audacious new production company — with a vision for bringing long-neglected stories to the screen.

Charles D. King made history as he rose from the mailroom of William Morris agency to its first African-American partner, spearheading the careers of everyone from Oprah and Tyler Perry to Missy Elliott and Janet Jackson. Here, he chronicles how he left WME to launch Macro, a multicultural media company responsible for Fences, one of 2016's biggest films.

"One of the things we need to ensure is that this isn't just a moment. That this will be part of the norm," the 'Fences' executive producer and founder of MACRO tells THR, as he also discusses dispelling the myth of diversity at the box office.

The agent-turned-entrepreneur is building Macro into a multifaceted, mainstream Hollywood powerhouse.

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Known for innovative dealmaking and an eye for talent, King leads Macro, a media company spanning multiple areas of the entertainment biz with a mission of representing POC. His businesses include film and TV studios, talent and influencer management divisions (M88 and UNCMMN, respectively), a branding and creative agency and a venture-capital firm. King made history in 2021 when “Judas and the Black Messiah” made him part of the first all-Black producing team, alongside Ryan Coogler and director Shaka King, nominated for an Oscar. King has also produced acclaimed films “Mudbound,” “Fences,” “Sorry to Bother You,” “Just Mercy,” “Tigertail” and “Nine Days,” as well as TV series “Gentefied” and “Raising Dion” (both on Netflix). Before launching Macro in 2015, King was an agent at WME and the first Black partner in its history.

As anyone who's worked in this business for more than 15 minutes can tell you: it's a different world out there. The equity money isn't where we thought it was. The technology can do things we only dreamed of 10 years ago.