Newly Launched “Hope Studios” Will Create Cinematic Content for Streaming and Movies
11 July 2023 |
Hope Channel International (HCI) has launched a new evangelistic department, Hope Studios, aimed at producing cinematic content for diverse platforms, with an evangelistic focus, according to an article on the ANN site. Derek Morris, president of HCI, and Vyacheslav Demyan, HCI vice president for programming, emphasized that this initiative seeks to reach a global audience, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural differences. Hope Studios plans to create a range of impactful content, including narrative films and documentaries.
The studio serves multiple roles within the HCI network, including creating new content, acting as a liaison to external studios, and negotiating licenses for third-party distribution. For instance, Hope Studios recently negotiated with Angel Studios for the distribution of The Chosen, a multi-season series about the life of Christ, across all Hope Channels globally. It also secured the licensing for copyrighted clips of the show for use in HCI’s TV series Story Encounters: The Chosen.
In addition to this, Hope Studios leverages third-party platforms to distribute Adventist-produced content. For example, it facilitated the streaming of the high-quality film series, Encounters, on Sony’s Pure Flix platform. This move exposed the series to Pure Flix’s 1 million subscribers, garnering positive feedback and leading the executive team to anticipate more content from Hope Studios.
The establishment of Hope Studios was announced at the Hope Channel Network Leadership Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, in April 2023. Attendees expressed excitement and renewed commitment to film production.
“With the opportunity to reach larger audiences with the gospel, it became clear to me that there is an even greater need for quality, relevant Christian content,” said Rico Hill, senior producer at Hope Studios.
As it forges ahead in the Christian media industry, HCI encourages involvement in this initiative. It invites viewers to discover films and series at HopeStudios.org, share them with others, and support HCI’s mission through prayers and financial contributions.