Act One: Evangelicals in Hollywood

I recently came across a book entitled, Behind the screen: Hollywood insiders on faith, film, and culture (2005). This collection of articles from christians working in Hollywood provides a fascinating alternative reading of evangelicals (& other protestants & catholics) and the media. The folk writing these chapters are working on shows like Mission Impossible, Batman Forever, Joan of Acrcadia, X-Men, and That 70s Show. They are folk who are daily wrestling with the tension between faith and culture on the frontlines of the media industry.

In 1999, they formed a non-profit program known a Act One "to train these 'artist-apostles' for Hollywood" (p.9) "ACT ONE is a nonprofit organization that trains people of faith for careers in mainstream film & TV."

"Stressing artistry, excellence, professionalism, and spirituality, Act One prepares students to be "salt and light" in writers rooms, on sets, and in studio and network offices. Our goal is not to produce explicitly "religious" entertainment, but movies and TV programs that combine mastery of craft with an unusual quality of depth."

Check out their site - and be blown away by this amazing movement. Here's a sampling of some of their members and affiliates:

Members/Affiliates of Act One

Sheryl Anderson

Ron Austin

Dean Batali
Dean is Executive Producer of FOX's That 70's Show. He wrote for the initial two seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB), and served as co-producer on ABC's recent remake of Fantasy Island. He was also a staff writer on NBC's Hope and Gloria, and has written for Duckman, Bruno the Kid, Mickey's Campfire Tales, and Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete and Pete.

Janet Scott & Lee Batchler
As a husband-wife writing team, Janet and Lee's feature credits include the international blockbuster Batman Forever for Warner Bros., Shores of Tripoli for Disney, and Modesty Blaise, a "female James Bond" based on the well-known English novels and comic strip, for Miramax. In addition, their adventure movie Smoke and Mirrors is currently in development with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones set to star. The Batchlers have taught seminars on writing and the film industry for UCLA Film School, USC Film School, UC San Diego, Biola University, the Scriptwriter's Network, Women in Film, and the Writer's Connection, among others.

Brian Bird
Brian Bird is a principal partner in Dove Canyon Films. Brian served as Co-Executive Producer and senior writer for four seasons on the series Touched By An Angel. He wrote Call Me Claus for TNT, which starred Whoopi Goldberg and became the highest rated cable film of 2002. Brian’s other film credits include Bopha! for Paramount Pictures, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame drama Captive Heart: The James Mink Story. He has also written In Silence, based on the book by Ruth Sidransky, for Paramount Pictures, Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation, for TNT, and Before Time Runs Out for FOX. His television series production and writing credits also include Evening Shade, Step by Step, The Family Man, and the original Fantasy Island.

Jonathan Bock

Terry Botwick
Terry has had an outstanding career in television and now motion pictures. As Senior Vice-President at CBS Entertainment, he helped the network rise from third to first place, and oversaw all primetime series programming (developing three successful series) and special events (Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, etc.). His eclectic resume of broad-ranging successes includes: President of worldwide television distribution and production for Hearst Corporation, Founder/CEO of eLearning company Spongelab, President/COO of Big Idea Productions (VeggieTales), and Co-Founder/CEO of Thunderpoint Studios, a new feature film and finance production company.

Todd Burns

Charles Robert Carner
Charles Robert Carner has climbed Mount Kenya, run the Los Angeles marathon, and earned the United States Marine Corps Devildog Award for physical fitness. He has survived winter camping expeditions in weather of 40 degrees below zero, and rafting trips down the crocodile-infested waters of the Tana River in East Africa. He has been bitten by rattlesnakes, stalked by leopards, and chased by angry Cape buffaloes. He has skydived, scuba-dived, and competed in Tae Kwon Do tournaments. He has also written over 50 screenplays and teleplays, 18 of which have been produced. He co-wrote and directed A Killer Among Friends, the highest-rated CBS movie of the 1990’s; he wrote and directed Who Killed Atlanta's Children?, Showtime’s highest-rated movie of 2000; he wrote Crossfire Trail, the highest-rated cable movie in the history of television. He also wrote, produced and directed The Fixer for Showtime; wrote and directed Christmas Rush and Red Water for TBS; and directed Judas for CBS. His feature credits include Let's Get Harry and Blind Fury. He has served on the executive committees of the United States Catholic Conference, and Catholics in Media. He is a Life Member of the Sierra Club and the National Rifle Association. His biography appears in the Who’s Who editions of Entertainment, America and the World. Finally, and most importantly, he is married to actress/writer Debra Sharkey; they have two children, Michael and Grace Noelle.

Phil Cooke
Phil Cooke is President and Creative Director of Cooke Pictures, a television production and media consulting company for some of the largest non-profit and faith-based organizations in America. He has produced programming in more than 35 countries, and is a popular speaker at media workshops, seminars and conferences worldwide. An award-winning director, Cooke is also a founding partner with Ralph Winter (producer of X-Men and X2) of Thomas-Winter-Cooke, a commercial production company. One of the few working producers and directors in Hollywood with an earned Ph.D., his work has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times, and is in the permanent archive of the History of Broadcasting at Newhouse School of Communication, Syracuse University.

Lana Corbi
Lana served as President & CEO of Crown Media U.S., where she played a pivotal role in the creation and 2001 launch of the Hallmark Channel. Under her leadership, Hallmark Channel was the most successful network premiere in cable history, and became the nation’s fastest growing cable network. Prior to that Ms. Corbi was Chief Operating Officer of the Odyssey Network, and in the Nineties she enjoyed two tenures with the Fox Broadcasting Company as President of Network Distribution. She has been called one of the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America” (Fortune Magazine), one of the “10 Most Powerful Blacks in TV” (Ebony Magazine), and one of the Top 100 “Women in Entertainment” (Hollywood Reporter). Ms. Corbi now serves as President & CEO of CORBICO, a business and media consulting firm.

Karen & Jim Covell
Karen Covell is a television producer and director of the Hollywood Prayer Network (HPN). Her producing credits include Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer and America's Throwaway Children. As the Director of the Hollywood Prayer Network, Karen speaks and teaches around the country on how people of faith can pray for the people in the entertainment industry. Jim Covell's musical scores range from feature films to television series and specials. He has written music for Ron Howard, Jonathan Lynn, and Mickey Mouse, to name a few. He also has commission orchestral works which have been performed by symphonic orchestras around the country. Together, Jim and Karen have authored two books, How to Talk about Jesus without Freaking Out and The Day I Met God, both published by Multnomah.

Meilssa D'Arabian
After obtaining her MBA from Georgetown University, Melissa d’Arabian worked in Finance and Planning for The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, and for Eurodisney in Paris. An alumna of Act One’s Writing Program in Los Angeles. Melissa d’Arabian is the former Director of Act One Executive Program. Currently, Melissa is working part time as a research and writing associate at the Kellogg School of Business, which was just ranked the number one MBA program in the US by Businessweek. The rest of her time is more than filled by taking care of her brand-new daughter, Valentine Reese.

Craig Detweiler
Craig Detweiler is Associate Professor and Chair of Mass Communications at Biola University. He is also a screenwriter and the author of the book A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture. He wrote the films The Duke for Buena Vista and Extreme Days for Providence Entertainment. His documentary Williams Syndrome: A Highly Musical Species won a Cine Golden Eagle and the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival. Craig serves as executive producer of the City of the Angels Film Festival and on the advisory boards for Reel Spirituality and the Heartland Film Festival. Craig has an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema/TV and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is a contributing editor for The Mars Hill Review. A Matrix of Meanings, co-written with Barry Taylor, was honored by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association as one of five finalists for the 2004 Gold Medallion Book Award in theology/doctrine.

Scott Derrickson

Kim Dorr
Kim Dorr has worked in entertainment for 19 years. She was the Head of Casting for The Arthur Company from 1985 to 1993. She became a talent agent in September of ’93, when she was asked to run the Kids and Young Adults Division of Bobby Ball Agency. As this division evolved, Kim’s aptitude for working with adult talent lead to the establishment of the TV/Film Department at BBA. Last year, due to the success and growth of this department, Kim launched Defining Artists, a breakaway boutique division of BBA. Kim came to her faith in Christ in March of 1993. She has completed the M. Div. degree at Fuller Seminary and is certified ready to be ordained in the PCUSA. She hopes to continue working in both entertainment and ministry.

Jack Gilbert

Myrna Gutierrez
Emmy Award winning TV producer Myrna Gutierrez has been a pioneer in the emerging television frontier bilingual/bicultural programming, and served as spokesperson on such national media as MacNeil-Lehrer, CNN and FOX-TV. Ms. Gutierrez now combines her TV savvy and 20-plus years of communications experience to counsel major businesses and organizations like NASA, the Los Angeles Times, and Marshalls. She is a former board member of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and of the USC Board of Governors, and was named by Hispanic Business Magazine one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics.”

Barbara Hall

Sam Haskell III
Sam Haskell, a graduate of the University of Mississippi where he majored in Theatre, Radio, & Television, moved to LA and joined the William Morris Agency in the mailroom in 1978. Sam became an agent in the Television Variety Department where he packaged television specials starring Lily Tomlin, Lynda Carter, Debbie Allen, David Frost, and Diana Ross, to name a few. Sam served as the World Wide Head of Television and oversaw the packaging of all Network projects represented by the William Morris Agency. Series packaged by Sam include "The Cosby Show," "Sisters," "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Mad About You," "Suddenly Susan," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "King of Queens," "Murphy Brown," "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and many others.

Jeff Holder
Jeff is president of media company FlyOver Projects, which is another way of saying he's self-employed and knows how to make a logo. FlyOver Projects' emphasis is on kids around the world, seeking to educate, inspire and help them to aspire. Jeff began as a freelance writer on such animated series as Dennis the Menace, Scooby Doo, and Flintstone Kids. In 1986 he became Director of Children's Programs for ABC where he oversaw such series as Winnie the Pooh, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, and the memorable Hammerman!. He then went on to work as Head of Development at Hanna-Barbera studios, where he piloted for the launch of Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory, Power Puff Girls, and Johnny Bravo, among others. At Hanna-Barbera, he also wrote Yogi, the Easter Bear with Joe Barbera. After leaving Hanna-Barbera, Jeff became Vice-President of Creative Affairs at Sony Wonder, where he created Angel Wings and Wondrous Myths and Legends and served as Executive in Charge of Production on numerous Sesame Street productions, including Elmo Saves Christmas and Elmopalooza. Seemingly unable to keep a job for more than five years at a stretch, Jeff left corporate in 2001 to write and produce The GodMan, a one hour CGI animation story of Jesus. In addition, he's been story editor and producer of VeggieTales "The Cartoon Adventure of Larry-Boy" and co-story editor and writer on Antenna Adventures. Jeff lives in Chatsworth with four kids, two pets, and one wife.
Donovan Jacobs
Donovan works for ABC and The Wonderful World of Disney as a union story analyst. He has written numerous screenplays and television scripts and participated in the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop in 2000. Donovan is presently working on a book about the political, social and ethical beliefs of leading TV and motion picture writers and how those beliefs impact on their work. He has a BA in Communications Studies from UCLA and an MFA from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Dick Lyles
Dick Lyles, Ph.D., is President & CEO of Leadership Legacies, a company that focuses on developing a new generation of leaders. Dick has been an active speaker and management consultant with an international clientele for more than thirty years. His client base has included numerous cities and countries, various departments of the U.S. government, and Fortune 500 companies, including Exxon and Hughes Aircraft. Dick has published many books including the best seller Winning Habits: 4 Secrets that Will Change the Rest of Your Life and the upcoming 2-volume set, Achieving Leadership Genius. He hosts the weekly Relevant Radio program “LifeWorks.”

Stephen McEvetty

Barbara Nicolosi
Barbara has an MA in Film from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She has been a director of development, a reader for the Humanitas Prize, and a consultant on many film and television projects. She wrote "The Work," a full-length feature set during the Spanish Civil War, for IMMI Pictures of Beverly Hills. Her feature screenplay Select Society is being developed by Reel Life Women Productions, Bel Air. She writes a media column for the National Catholic Register, is on the executive committee of the City of the Angels Film Festival, the board of CIMA and frequently addresses writer's conferences on screenwriting and the arts.
Thom Parham

Leo Partible

Patricia Phalen
Patricia Phalen is an Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. She has an MBA from Boston College, and a PhD in Radio/Television/Film from Northwestern University. Dr. Phalen worked in media planning at Foote, Cone & Belding and audience research at WTTW in Chicago. Her primary research interest is the socio-economics of media industries, especially the role of audience information. She has written two books, The Mass Audience: Rediscovering the Dominant Model, with James Webster, and Ratings Analysis: the Theory and Practice of Audience Research, with James Webster and Lawrence Lichty. Dr. Phalen has also published articles in several top scholarly journals.

Daniel Roemer

Christopher and Kathy Riley
Chris and Kathy Riley are screenwriters whose first film, After the Truth, a multiple-award-winning German-language courtroom thriller, sparked international controversy in 1999 when it was released in Germany. The film earned its star Goetz George a Best Actor nomination for the prestigious European Film Award for his portrayal of Josef Mengele. The husband-wife team has been writing together since 1983. They wrote 25 to Life, a dramatic thriller for Touchstone Pictures, The Sky's the Limit, an action romance for Paramount Pictures, and The Other White House, a political thriller for Sean Connery's Fountainbridge Films. They recently adapted the book Actual Innoncence by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld for the Fox television network and are currently writing Elijah, a supernatural thriller. The Rileys have been longtime members of Premise. This is their fifth year to serve on the faculty of Act One. They work actively to assist families affected by childhood brain tumors. Along with their four children and a Labrador retriever, they live in Los Angeles.

James Scott Bell

Linda Seger

John Shepherd
John has produced some 16 motion pictures including the 2004 ESPY nominated 20M indie Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius starring Jim Caviezel. His filmography includes a dozen films “produced and/or written by” for World Wide Pictures, the film ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “The Climb” swept the ICVM awards (“Best Evangelistic” and “Best Picture”) and “Road to Redemption” marked the ministry’s first intentional comedy. His “message” movies have been shown on broadcast television (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBN and UPN) and many cable outlets including PAX and BET. Theatrical releases of his Christian work have reached every continent of the globe.

John’s also been a showrunner on the web at Digital Entertainment Network (Omni award winning “Redemption High” starring Judge Reinhold was written up in Time Magazine), and most recently served as Senior Vice President of original content and production for POP.com, the internet start up between Dreamworks and Imagine Entertainment. John has five films slated for production over the next two years including “A Summer for the Gods”, “The Living Room”, “The Ultimate Gift” “Mountain of Fire” and “Seaside” and he has a number of scripts in development including “Through Gates of Splendor – The Elisabeth Elliot Story”.

Charles B Slocum
Chuck has worked in the entertainment industry for almost 20 years in a variety of financial and strategy positions, most recently as Assistant Executive Director for Strategic and Research for the Writer’s Guild of America, West. Prior to the Guild, Chuck worked for Paramount Pictures in television finance, for NBC as a game show judge, and for ABC in audience research. He has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Television/Radio from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. He is pursuing a Masters in Theology and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary. Slocum serves as Chair of Act One.

Tom Shadyac

Jack Shea

Amy Snow

John Tinker
John Tinker started in television as a staff writer on St. Elsewhere in 1982. He was Executive Producer for L.A. Law, Chicago Hope, and The Practice, among others. He received an Emmy award for Best Writing on a Drama Series.

Michael Van Dyck
Michael Van Dyck has been a TV/feature literary agent since 1987, for the past six years with Genesis. He's developed, packaged and sold series and longform projects in all TV arenas, and has staffed over 100 writers/producers on series which currently include, among others, Law & Order: SVU, That 70's Show, Good Morning Miami, Lucky, The District, and American Dreams.

Ken Wales
Veteran filmmaker and actor Ken Wales was executive producer of the award-winning CBS television series Christy. He has produced numerous feature films including The Tamarind Seed, Islands in the Stream, Wild Rovers and The Prodigal. Ken was associate producer of Cagney and Lacey and also co-produced the 8-hour Emmy nominated and Golden Globe winning ABC miniseries John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Ken has an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Greenville College, and is and is the author of the historical novel Sea of Glory.

J. David Williams
J. David Williams has held executive positions at Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia Pictures and MGM, and Executive Produced over thirty films. As Managing Director for Credit Lyonnais Bank N.A. between 1983 and 1989, he personally oversaw the financing of 350 studio and independent motion pictures. He has also acted as Chief Operating Officer of Orion Pictures, Chairman of Legacy Releasing and President of Providence Entertainment. Currently he is the President of FilmCrest, a 20-year-old Motion Picture Venture Capital firm that owns and runs several production and distribution entities, including Legacy Releasing, American Family Movies and Constellation Entertainment. FilmCrest is most recently credited with financing the initial Prints and Advertising budget for Mel Gibson’s THE PASSION and Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR.

Ralph Winter
Ralph Winter has Executive Produced a string of major blockbusters, including I, Robot, X2: X-Men United, X-Men, and Planet of the Apes. His next film is the much-anticipated Fantastic 4, which will be released this July.

Reviews of Act One
Premiere Movie Magazine

Atlantic Monthly

Details Magazine

Newsweek