Major studios, investors back new faith-based film studio
Jesus Revolution producer Jon Erwin has teamed up with former YouTube and Netflix Executive, Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten to launch The Wonder Project, a faith-based studio focused on creating faith-based, values-orientated content that is family-friendly. The Chosen creator, Dallas Jenkins has also signed on as special advisor to the studio. The venture has already raised $75MM in seed funding / Series A funding from major studios including, Sovereign’s Capital, Lionsgate, Powerhouse Capital, United Talent Agency, and Jason Blum, among others.
Erwin’s success in the faith-based film industry is really second to none at this point. Films including, American Underdog, I Can Only Imagine, I Still Believe, and Mom’s Night Out, among others have taken the genre of Christian movies to a whole new level. Now with the help of Hoogstraten as CEO of the new studio with a track record of streaming innovation at Netflix and YouTube, the sky may really be the limit.
Both Erwin and Hoogstraten shared with Deadline that their passion is to create content that serves a massive audience with quality content.
“The dream of The WONDER Project is to create a trusted brand that serves the faith and values audience globally with movies and TV shows they didn’t know were possible,” Erwin told Deadline. “We will achieve this by giving the creatives dedicated to this audience (including myself) a level of freedom and resources they’ve never had before. This level of talent combined with the power of the stories we are developing is really inspiring! I can’t wait for the audience to experience the things we are working on.”
Hoogstraten shared that her goal is to give the world hope again with meaningful content to entertain and inspire American families.
“I believe entertainment sits upstream from culture. And today, the world needs a way to find common ground again,” Hoogstraten told Deadline. “Here at The WONDER Project, our goal is to flood the world with hope. I am convinced we can make a difference by telling stories that restore hope in things worth believing in – family, community, God, and America. We will do this at scale for a global audience that seeks faith and values-driven entertainment. And we will give the audience a brand they can call their own.”
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