Angel Studios, which works with the popular Christian series “The Chosen,” is just getting started. The family-friendly moviemaking powerhouse could end up disrupting how films and TV shows are funded and created.
Neal Harmon, co-founder of Angel Studios, shared how his company raised $47 million to help empower individuals and families to take a larger role in creating the faith and family content they want to see.
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“Angel’s a home for those who are outcasts from Hollywood, and the name is after the people who back the projects, the people who love the content and want to see its message made,” he said. “People get to participate in culture. They get to have an impact on culture, and it’s not just a bunch of Hollywood executives that make these decisions. It is the smartest executives of all time — it’s the audience.”
Harmon, who also cofounded VidAngel, a filtering service that helps families cut out negative language, sex and violence from movies and shows, is a longtime hope dealer. Angel Studios’ roots were set in 2012 when he and his brother started thinking about their love for storytelling and their quest to protect their children from negative content. Their passionate discussions sparked the creation of VidAngel, giving parents more control over the content their families watch.
“The Chosen” is just one of many projects that have successfully attracted funds through Angel Studios. “The Tuttle Twins” and the “The Wingfeather Saga,” for example, both have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to create second seasons The film “David” just raised $5 million, with the creators explaining in their pitch that they aim to create “an epic movie that is biblically authentic while standing alongside the likes of ‘Moana’ and ‘Tangled’ for quality and entertainment value.”
Angel Studios is achieving a series of successes, but Harmon said the path ahead is going to be a multi-decade marathon and won’t be easy. Change, he said, always requires grit and sacrifice. And he said that’s exactly what Angel Studios is committed to finding as the team continues on a quest to transform entertainment.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
