Report: Atlanta movie executive, former CEO of Blackhall Studios under fire for racist and antisemitic text messages

Ryan Millsap, the founder and former CEO of Blackhall Studios. (Wikimedia Commons)

A prominent figure in Atlanta’s film and television industry, previously lauded for his diversity and inclusion efforts, is embroiled in controversy over private messages released in court that show a sharp contrast to his public persona.

Court documents show text messages in which Blackhall Studios founder Ryan Millsap made derogatory comments against African Americans and Jewish people, according to a story Thursday by ProPublica and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The messages, filed in Fulton County Superior Court by Millsap’s former attorney John Da Grosa Smith, range from Millsap expressing his annoyance with “F—— Black People” to “nasty Jews.”