Introduce Yourself : Reach a New Audience by Kenneth R Dickson

Hey Kenneth! We have many people here on 32 working in the faith based space. We also work with a few executives here in town who produce faith based films. They've taught Next Level webinars and classes for us as well. You can find those under Education. Great to have you here, my friend.

Kenneth - we're thrilled to have you in the Stage 32 community. We are actually tackling faith based films and tv shows in an upcoming Stage 32 Next Level webinar...hope to see you there: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Developing-and-Financing-Faith-and-Fami...

Love your perspective; I'm a woman of faith looking to write for all audiences, so I'm a big fan of reminding people that the faith-based audience is there.

Thanks y'all, yes I'm from Texas, for commenting on my intro. I am certainly interested in the faith-based film projects, discussions and webinars. I am most interested however in helping persons and communities of faith discover life and faith themes in secular films and programs, those outside the faith-based genre(s). I believe those often have more powerful, or impactful messages for both persons of faith and, as I described, "faith-curious." I often use such programs in my preaching and teaching. I think, for instance "Pulp Fiction" offered one of the most powerful, and relevant, examples of redemption, and rejecting such, through the dialogue of Vince and Jules about their surviving the man with the "hand-cannon." Of course the circumstance was overly dramatic, but such discussions and decisions are very common. I also preached a sermon series on "Breaking Bad" as I think it powerfully, if extremely, presented the consequences of responding to life out of fear rather than faith. From a clergy perspective secular programs present an under utilized resource for faith introduction and formation. From a film industry standpoint faith communities and individuals are, with some targeted marketing/connections an underserved market for secular films and programs.

Hi Kenneth, may I ask your opinion of why NBC's AD failed to attract audiences? I have no stake in the show. Just curious to hear your faith-based perspective. Thank you!

Hi Regina, As with all things there are probably several aspects that went into the tepid response and ratings. My first thought is that the program was the victim of the decline of religiosity of society and the program didn't offer something new to attract persons in, around, or outside the faith. For persons of faith, they know the stories and have recently seen them portrayed on TV, ie The Bible. For those outside or on the perifery of faith the program may have been seen too "religious" or lacked somethng to connect them and spark an interest in watching a Biblical narrative. I was not interested because of the style, which I thought was overly produced and dramatic, the trap the vast majority of Biblically based narratives fall into. The result in the story being distant, detached, and thereby not relevant. The challenge of Biblical narratives, and preaching for that matter, is portraying the stories in such a way that while staying true to the account there is also a connection between the audience and the people and or circumstances of the story/scripture. Overly dramatic dialogue, delivery, and musical scores can create distance from the audience. These reasons are why I believe secular films/parables can reach persons in more powerful ways.

Hi Kenneth, thanks very much for taking the time. I'm from the Bible Belt, and I always wonder how my Protestant friends from home and others of faith react to faith-based entertainment. One last question, did you feel the same way about The Bible, or was it a fresher approach at the time that you and your friends could appreciate at the time?

No, Regina I didn't care for it too much. It was over produced/dramatized for my tastes, and I think doesn't appeal to persons outside the faith or not familiar with the story. There were also some errors regarding scripture.

Thanks so much for sharing your POV, Kenneth.

Kenneth: I have a faith-based team of Christians that travels the U.S in order to help clients with supernatural events occurring in their lives. We seek to "debunk" the myths of the paranormal world, and utilize God's word and Christs' authority with great success. We have video taped our investigations in hopes of someone helping us succeed in producing either a documentary or realty type TV series. We want to show the world the Truth about what others call the paranormal. Many people (hundreds) have been helped personally, many have been baptized and/or brought to faith, and thousands have contacted my team for help. Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated. God bless.

Jeffrey, I will think about your project though I must admit it is outside my wheelhouse. You might check with Right Now Media, which provides video series to subscriber churches. Perhaps another resource would be mega churches with satellite churches, fellowship.com or Watermark church in Dallas.

Kenneth, thank you for your reply. I understand that the subject matter is not everyone's cup of tea; however, beyond the world we see and live in is the spiritual world that we are warned about (Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.). This realm is what causes more afflictions and pain, (both physically and mentally) than most people understand, comprehend, or believe. It is very important that Christians and unbelievers alike are made aware of these battles we face. Most people suffer alone in silence, because no one wants to speak out about this subject. Little children, the elderly, and those with mental and physical illnesses are subject to attacks and have nowhere to turn. The subject matter is so important, that Jesus' actions to rid this evil is all through the Gospel, and the Father refers to it as one of the very first promises in the Garden.