WHERE ARE THE
CHRISTIANS IN HOLLYWOOD?
By Victorya Michaels Rogers
As
I travel the country helping people break into the entertainment
industry, time and time again people tell me how surprised they
are to hear that there are actually Christians in Hollywood! Truly
God is alive and well out here. But Hollywood is also a very scary
place to come all by yourself! It’s not like there are signs
all over the place saying “Christians found here.”
When
I first moved to Los Angeles from Orange County (50 miles south)
it was complete culture shock. For the first year it seemed I was
the only Christian around. I went back home every weekend just to
be near other Christians. Then one day I met someone involved in
a Christian ministry for people in TV and Film. I went to one of
their meetings and was thrilled to find a group of people that I
could relate to. Through that group I was introduced to more exciting
Christian ministries with a heart for Hollywood. After 16 years
in the TV and Film business one thing is for sure—I just don’t
know how I would have made it in Hollywood without these support
groups . There is so much stress, anxiety, rejection and temptation
here—spiritually I would have been bankrupt. It is truly wonderful
to have others nearby to walk alongside you. They understand what
you’re going through because they experience the same things.
Now
you or a loved one can come to Hollywood to pursue your dreams,
and rest assured that there are groups of strong Christians nearby
available for spiritual strength, career guidance and even friendship!
Following are a few of my favorite ministries.
MASTERMEDIA
Larry Poland started this powerful ministry back
in 1985. Mastermedia offers so much it’s hard to put it all
in one paragraph. Not only have I been a part of their women’s
Bible Study, but I’ve been blessed by many facets of their
ministry—including their Summit, prayer calendars, newsletters,
annual dinners, and wonderful friendship. Mastermedia is a ministry
offering hope and spiritual leadership to media leaders. Through
confidential, one-on-one and small group settings Mastermedia provides
a safe haven for often-beleaguered media executives. The MasterMedia
staff also attends the major secular TV and Film conferences to
offer hope to celebrities, producers, directors and executives.
Mastermedia also offers a media leader prayer calendar encouraging
Christians around the world to pray for individual influencers,
leaders and actors.
PREMISE
A monthly prayer group where Christian professionals
get together to pray for the industry and for each other. Premise
is for producers, directors, writers and agents. I met my co-authors
Karen & Jim Covell through this group. Our class and now book
“How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out” was inspired
because of our involvement with Premise.
INTER-MISSION
This wonderful ministry is an outreach of Hollywood
Presbyterian Church. They offer quarterly conferences addressing
various aspects of the movies and television business from a Christian
perspective. I have been to many of their events over the years
and have never been disappointed! I always learn something new (and
I’ve been in the TV & film business for more than 16 years!)
Plus the group is so large, I always meet new friends.
ACT ONE
“Act One: Writing for Hollywood” is an
incredible annual month-long intensive program for those striving
for a writing career in Film and TV. It’s an honor to be chosen
to attend this conference! Brought together under one roof are some
of Hollywood‘s top screenwriters, producers, lawyers, and executives
to reveal the secrets to a great script and how to get it seen and
sold! Sponsored by Inter-Mission, ActOne’s purpose is to prepare
Christian screenwriters who are interested in more than just the
next big sale. They seek writers committed to a Christian world-view
who have the talent and professional skills to translate this spirit
to the screen. For the past two years I’ve spoken to their
students about agents—what they do and how to get one. Mentorships
are set up and TV and Film screenings are followed by group discussions.
CHRISTIANS IN MEDIA
These weekend conferences are sponsored
by Biola University at various locations in the United States, including
La Mirada, CA, Dallas, TX, Phoenix, AZ and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I’ve
been speaking at these events for the past four years and thoroughly
enjoy it every time. They are highly professional and bring in top
notch experts covering all areas of media—including Radio,
TV, Print, Film, PR and marketing. The Christians and Media Conferences
consistently offer a unique forum where expert media professionals
help others break into the business, giving detailed information
of how to succeed in one of the toughest business in the world—entertainment.
LAFSC
The Los Angeles Film Studies Center is a student program
of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. During the
past ten years over 400 students have passed through the program,
with more than 100 of them now working in the mainstream Hollywood
industry attempting to make a difference for Christ. The Center
is a “semester-away” experience for students of CCCU schools
who desire to pursue entertainment. The semester includes internships
in major production offices across the industry, plus courses in
filmmaking, screenwriting, producing, among others.
MEDIA FELLOWSHIP INTL
MFI has several groups all over the
nation, with a handful of them in the Los Angeles area. They also
have Bible studies on the 2nd and 4th Sunday each month at CBS Studio
Center.
THE HOLLYWOOD MISSION
FIELD
By Jim & Karen Covell
We are
writing as missionaries from a far away land, living with a strange
tribe and engulfed in the foreign culture of Hollywood. As composer
and producer we make our living and minister within the same community.
As Jesus
did, we live amongst the people we are ministering to—Hollywood
is our mission field. Whereas Washington is the seat of power in
this world, certainly Hollywood is the seat of influence. Thus it
is the perfect place for powerful spiritual warfare. The temptations
are tough, the competition is fierce, the sin is rampant, but the
Lord is bigger than all of that.
God has
placed Christians in all areas of the entertainment industry—including
actors, cameramen, composers, writers, directors, producers, agents
& assistants. Here is just a example of projects Christians
worked on as writer, producer, director, actor or technical crew:
FEATURE
FILMS: Xmen, Inspector Gadget, Mighty Joe Young, Volcano, Tarzan
(the animated film), Rosewood, Broken Arrow, Batman Forever, Dumbo
Drop, Captain Ron, Star Trek, Free Willy, and Hackers, to name
a few.
TELEVISION
SERIES: Touched by an Angel, Allee McBeal, Christy, 7th Heaven,
High Incident, Matlock, About Sarah, Mad About You, Entertainment
Tonight, Promised Land, Family Matters, Step by Step, The Family
Man, Perfect Strangers, Hangin’with Mr. Cooper, Two of a Kind,
Kirk, Happy Days, Equalizer, St. Elsewhere, The All New Captain
Kangaroo, Mister Moose’s Fun Time, McGee & Me, Book of
Virtues, Goof Troop, and Gummi Bears, among others.
Plus
there are 100s of Christian professionals gathering regularly to
encourage one another and pray for people in this business, including
Bible studies on EVERY studio lot and in every TV network.
BUT WE
NEED YOUR HELP TOO! We encourage Christians across America to commit
to pray for the work here, to pray for the stars and behind-the-scenes
people who don't know the Lord and to lift up the Christians who
are here on the front lines. You can make an eternal difference
in this world just by joining us in prayer for this vast mission
field of Hollywood!
YOU CAN TALK ABOUT
JESUS WITHOUT FREAKING OUT!
Do you “freak out” when it comes to telling someone about
Jesus? Many believers do because they’re afraid—afraid
of personal rejection, afraid of being ridiculed, afraid of not
knowing how, or afraid of not having all the answers. You don’t
have to freak out anymore! Jim and Karen Covell and Victorya Michaels
Rogers wrote this book based on their experiences during more than
a decade of teaching Christians in media how to be more confident
and effective in sharing their faith. If this method works in Hollywood—and
it does—then it can work anywhere, be it with your neighbors,
co-workers, or even your family. Full of personal stories and anecdotes,
“How to Talk About Jesus without
Freaking Out” offers easy solutions to
those who freeze up, freak out, or “pass” on the thrill
of talking to someone about Jesus—and that’s almost all
of us.
AVAILABLE
NOW at your local book store and on the web at multnomahbooks.com,
amazon.com,
Focus
on the Family and barnesandnoble.com.
CHRISTIANS IN HOLLYWOOD MINISTRIES
|
Actors Co-Op
1760 North Gower
Hollywood, CA 90028
Prod. Nan McNamara
(323) 462-8460
(323) 462-3199 fax
|
Act One: Writing for Hollywood
1760 N. Gower St.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Dir: Barbara Nicolosi
(323) 462-1348
(323) 462-3199 fax
www.fpch.org/ActOne/index.html
|
|
Associates in Media
P.O. Box 2014
Burbank, CA 91507
Dir: Michael Chapman
(818) 558-4025
(818) 558-7653 fax
|
Associates in Music
P.O. Box 2014
Burbank, CA 91507
Dir: Cheryl Sandy
(818) 558-4025
(818) 558-7653 fax
|
|
Bel-Air Entertainment Fellowship
16221 Mulholland Dr
Bel Air, CA 90049
Dir: Chuck Slocum
(323) 782-4575
Assoc. Dir. Rob Terrell
(818) 762-5968
|
Christians and Media Conferences
C/o Biola University
13800 Biola Avenue
La Mirada, CA 90639-0001
(877) BIOLA4U
Coordinator: Josh White
(562) 906-4584
www.christiansandmedia.org
|
|
Inter-Mission (L.A. & N.Y.)
1760 N. Gower St.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Dir: David Schall
(323) 462-8460
(888) 526-9287
(323) 462-3199 fax
www.inter-mission.net
|
Los Angeles Film Studies Center
3800 Barham Blvd, Ste 202
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Dir: Doug Briggs
(323) 882-6224
(323) 882-6301 fax
Email: LAFSC@aol.com
|
|
MasterMedia International
330 N. 6th Street
Redlands, CA 92374
Dir: Dr. Larry Poland
(909) 335-7353
(800) 552-1248
(909) 335-6644 fax
www.mastermediaintl.com
|
Media Fellowship International
P.O. Box 82685
Kenmore, WA 98028
Dir: Pastor Bob Reith
(425) 488-3965, (818) 762-5252
www.mediafellowship.org
|
|
Premise
(Writers, Producers,
Directors and Agents prayer group)
2113 N. Evergreen Street
Burbank, CA 91505
Victoria Slater – v.slater@home.com
www.premiseonline.org
|
|
|
