Episode 10 – Interview with Rich Swingle

Written by Rhett Simkins on December 18, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 10 – Interview with Rich Swingle

Be encouraged as Rich Swingle shares the joys he has experienced while leaning on the Lord for over two decades as a performer.

Rich has been immersed in the life of Eric Liddell since 2000 when Liddell’s niece Peggy Judge gave him a tour of the Eric Liddell Centre in Edinburgh, where he pored through family photos and out-of-print biographies. The Edinburgh Fringe performances were in the lunch room where Eric Liddell ate his meals at the University of Edinburgh. It was transformed into a theatre space, and it was 100m from Liddell’s dorm room and 100m from McEwan Hall, where Liddell graduated. Rich’s performances have also taken him to Le Stade de Colombes in Paris, where Liddell broke the world record, and to Tientsin, China, and a track Liddell designed, the home where he lived and a church where he preached. He’s interviewed people that remember Liddell on four continents, including all three of Liddell’s daughters, two of his wife’s siblings, one of his students, and numerous people who were interned with him in China. Rich was a writer for the documentary Olympic Hero in China: The Eric Liddell Story, for which he recorded the English narration.

Rich has lived in New York City since 1993, where he’s acted in a number of productions, film, radio, and CD-ROM. He has been featured in eight movies: the lead role of Frederich Lehman in Indescribable, the featured role of Claud in the award-winning A Christmas Snow, the principal role of Coach Sean Ryan in For the Glory, and the featured role of Sheriff Hanson in the award-winning Pawn’s Move, the featured role of a land speculator in Alone Yet Not Alone, Hollywood director Forrest Woods in The Screenwriters, a quirky clerk in Christmas Grace, and a lead in the short film Settled. He performed as The Apostle Paul for CD and DVD in God of Hope. He played the narrator and all other roles in Paradise Lost, which was featured at the International Double Reed Conference. He provided the voice of Peter Cooper, the subject of a documentary by award-winning Gardner Documentary Group. For the Beginners Bible video series, distributed by Sony Wonder, he did 20 roles including Jesus, Adam, and the Serpent. He recorded two projects related to the September 11th attacks: Crossing Barriers and Stage Shadows. He has performed voice-overs and on-screen roles in several commercials. He originated the roles of Simonides and Pontius Pilate in the musical Judah Ben-Hurin Singapore, and he performed five poems by George Herbert at The Kennedy Center.

He worked with John Kirby (acting coach on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, DéJà Vu, Count of Monte Cristo) to co-direct Tartuffe and Our Town, during which he performed the role of the Stage Manager, and The Miracle Worker as a part of The MasterWorks Festival, where Rich directs the theatre program.

Rich’s shorter works have shared the stage with numerous musicians including Margaret Becker, Bob Carlisle, The Martins and Fernando Ortega.

Rich was on the planning committee for Media and Arts at the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa, and he is on the board of Christians in Theatre Arts, through which he was selected as a leader and Featured Dramatist for CITA to the Nations, a trip to Jordan and Israel in which he taught, directed, performed and organized others to do the same for students in Amman, Jordan. Then they performed biblical sketches where they took place in Jordan and Israel.

Rich is a Freedom Finder for Graceworks, helping presenters in a variety of fields overcome stage fright and connect with their audiences through seminars and project coaching.

He has performed and/or taught workshops in over 40 colleges and universities, including his alma mater, George Fox University (rated the number one Christian college in the US by Forbes and US News and World Report), University of Memphis, Namseoul University in Korea, Singapore Bible College, and Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary in the Philippines. Each spring he teaches a workshop at Princeton University. Rich also spoke at the Ivy League Congress on Faith and Action, hosted by the Harvard University chapter of Christian Union.

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Episode 09 – Interview with Jurgen Beck

Written by Rhett Simkins on December 11, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 09 – Interview with Jurgen Beck

Music, Missions, and Movies. Jurgen Beck shares how a transformation in his life brought about a journey across the world and back again where God shaped him and worked through him.

Award-winning composer Jurgen Beck was born in Germany in 1962 and began his musical journey early in his life. His passion and interest in music was directed toward training on the trumpet (Fluegelhorn), while at the same time picking up other instruments such as guitar, piano, and bass. His passion for harmonic structure stems from his early years of musical training and playing in a brass choir in Germany.

Growing up in a country that has provided some of the most renowned composers in history, his love for music found further expression when he started writing all songs and lyrics for his band that went on to garner a growing following and essentially resulted in a recording contract and concert tours.

Having received a full scholarship, he moved to the USA in 1987 to continue his music studies at a Christian college in Dallas, Texas. It was during that time that he began producing music for independent artists, allowing him to refine his skills not only as a composer, but all aspects of music arrangement, recording, mixing, and mastering audio.

His love for film music essentially resulted in a natural transition from writing and producing music to writing for film. Recognizing the unique aspects of composing for film, he studied with renowned composer Leon Willett, who has been instrumental in furthering his understanding of harmony and musical structure. He also studied writing for orchestral instruments with Stephen Hill.

Jurgen is a creative composer who loves to explore the multi-faceted aspects of music and how it affects the listener. This gives him a unique ability adding music to picture that engages the viewer’s emotive abilities to absorb the story. Whether it is composing for feature films, documentaries, commercials, or digital media, his passion is to bring whatever medium he writes for to life by adding a unique blend of electronic and orchestral elements.

Jurgen, his wife Shawn, their daughter Arianna, and their two dogs, Gracie and Molly, reside in northern Texas.

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Episode 08 – Interview with Joseph & Stacie Graber

Written by Rhett Simkins on December 4, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 08 – Interview with Joseph & Stacie Graber

Hear the story of how God brought together a husband and wife through their mutual interest and calling as Christian filmmakers. Joseph and Stacie Graber recount the joys and struggles, both on and off set, of ‘Indescribable’ and their latest film ‘Breaking the Silence’.

As a pastor, artist, and filmmaker, Joseph J Graber is passionate about telling stories and using film for advancing the Kingdom of Christ. Joseph is currently pastoring at Living Water Fellowship in Denver Colorado. In 2011, Joseph and his wife, Stacie, founded the Thorn Crown Project in order to produce films, host film festivals, and provide practical training for beginning filmmakers.

Joseph was the writer and producer for the feature film Indescribable that was released in April 2013. Currently he is producing Breaking the Silence, a story from his Old Order Amish childhood. This docudrama traces the origins of the Graber family and uncovers an Amish legacy that has been hidden for centuries.

Since 1998, Joseph has traveled throughout the US and Mexico as a gospel chalk art evangelist. During those years he gained valuable experience in storytelling and learned much about the effectiveness of audio/visual presentations in communicating truth. He also discovered the need for quality promos to inform supporting churches about the missionaries environment and outreach. In 2013, Joseph and Stacie spent three weeks in Peru filming a promo for the Christian School of the Andes and the mission work of Gary and Amelia Tebbe.

Fueled by a passion for teaching, Stacie began directing and producing plays for children in 2006. Stacie’s enthusiasm and direction led to successful and creative productions despite tight funds and inexperienced actors. Her desire to teach young people found new channels when she began producing films starting with Bessie in 2009. She launched TeamVision, a class for beginning filmmakers, as well as a film festival for young filmmakers.

She has taught at numerous film events, including TeamVision, Filmmaker’s Academy, and DCFM Workshops. She met and married Joseph Graber as they co-produced their feature film, Indescribable in 2011 (starring Rich Swingle and Seth Pruski). She is currently living in Colorado where she raises their two sons and assists Joseph as he pastors a church and works on a documentary about the Amish.

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Episode 06 – Interview with Chad Burns

Written by Rhett Simkins on November 27, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 07 – Interview with Chad Burns

A record setting action adventure film directed by a man with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering? Get a glimpse into the heart and mind of Chad Burns as he shares insights from his journey along the path of Christian independent filmmaking.

Chad Burns, director of Beyond the Mask, is also the award-winning director and co-producer of Burns Family Studios’ first feature film, Pendragon: Sword of His Father. Chad was homeschooled from K-12 and went on to complete his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Illinois in the spring of 2011. Chad, his wife Angie, and their infant daughter Eve live in Edwardsville, Illinois.

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Episode 06 – Interview with Nathan Ashton

Written by Rhett Simkins on November 20, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 06 – Interview with Nathan Ashton

Why should every filmmaker understand the basics of sound design and Foley? Learn a few important tips from Nathan Ashton as he details his journey as an audio engineer and a follower of Jesus Christ.

Nathan Ashton has served the creative community for 18 years as an audio producer. He began his career with audio drama and has expanded from there to work on documentaries, Christian television, and SAG films.

Nathan specializes in using sound effects and Foley to create realistic environments. He recently worked as the Sound Designer for the Burn’s Family Studio film, Beyond the Mask. For nine years Nathan taught audio production at Oral Roberts University. During this time he developed curriculum for a new Music Technology degree and an affinity for working with young people. He continues to mentor new audio engineers through in-home internships and project collaborations.

Recently Nathan spent four years as Producer for an international television program. In this capacity he traveled the world and coordinated documentary video production on four continents. While always content with a hamburger, Nathan finds great pleasure in connecting with people over a meal of local cuisine. Connecting on an individual level helps him share their unique stories with the world.

Nathan now lives in Cleveland, Tennessee, with his wife Lydia and their three children. When not working with audio, he delights in making his kids smile (or occasionally groan) by singing silly songs, inventing “Papa Jokes”, and by reading to them. Nathan enjoys traveling and met his wife in Sweden—Yes, it’s true; Swedes are beautiful! Lydia is an accomplished composer of music for network television and often serves as an extra set of ears on Nathan’s film projects. Together they work in the mission field of media while encouraging Christians to become intentional media creators.

Learn more about Nathan Ashton:

Website: www.nathanashton.tv Facebook: www.facebook.com/nathan.ashton.37 IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm1954844/

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Episode 05 – Interview with George Escobar

Written by Rhett Simkins on November 13, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 05 – Interview with George Escobar

What does art history have to do with filmmaking? George Escobar describes the path that led him to a renewed focus as a media creator, the heart behind Advent Film Group, and some insightful thoughts about how to improve your skills in the various disciplines of film production.

George Escobar is a filmmaker of feature films and documentaries. He directed THE ISAIAH 9:10 JUDGMENT which was Amazon’s No. 1 Faith DVD for 75 weeks. It was based on the New York Times Bestseller THE HARBINGER by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. Escobar also co-wrote/co-directed and was a producer of ALONE YET NOT ALONE, which garnered a controversial 2014 Oscar Nomination for Best Original Song. His latest film includes HERO, released by Capitol Distribution. Previously he directed and produced COME WHAT MAY, distributed by Provident Films. Other recent documentaries Escobar directed for WND Films include: BLOOD MOONS, THE RABBI WHO FOUND MESSIAH and TRAPPED IN HITLER’S HELL, which is being made into narrative feature. He also co-produced END TIMES EYEWITNESS with Joel Richardson and Joseph Farah. Escobar’s latest feature documentary, THE HARBINGER MAN, was released Fall 2015. He also executive produced the upcoming feature film, THE SCREENWRITERS, slated for release in Spring 2016.

Escobar was a producing fellow at the American Film Institute. He is Vice President of WND Films and TV and co-founder of Advent Film Group. Since 2007, Advent has trained over 2,000 filmmakers across the country through workshops, seminars, lectures, and during the actual production of Advent’s feature films. Advent’s mission is to train and raise up the next generation of filmmakers. Previously Escobar was Vice President of Product Development for Discovery, Executive Director at AOL/Time Warner, and Vice President for Tele-TV. He holds seven U.S. patents for interactive design and technologies. Escobar and his wife of 28 years homeschooled their three grown sons and live near Washington, D.C. He is a regular speaker at many Christian film festivals, schools, and homeschool conferences.

Learn more about George Escobar:

Website: www.adventfilmgroup.com

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Episode 04 – Interview with Brett Varvel

Written by Rhett Simkins on November 6, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 04 – Interview with Brett Varvel

From his early aspirations of screen acting as a child to directing The War Within and beyond, Brett Varvel describes the call God has placed on his heart to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ through film.

Brett has been making movies since he was a teenager. In 2008 he directed and starred in The Board, and God used the creation of this film to call Brett into full-time ministry. God gave him a vision to create a non-profit film production company. In 2010 he was able to see that vision come to life by starting House of Grace Films. His most recent feature “The War Within” was a big winner at the 2014 Christian Worldview Film Festival and is available in Christian bookstores and online. Brett now embarks on his next feature film entitled, “Disciples in the Moonlight,” set to be in production in 2016.

Brett’s most passionate and comfortable in the Director’s chair, but also loves to write, produce, and act in films as well. He is an Emmy award winning director and a two-time David Letterman Scholarship winner. Brett’s ambition and passion in life is to share the precious gospel of Christ through film.

He resides in Indianapolis with his wife Christina and their two children.

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Episode 03 – Interview with Rebekah Cook

Written by Rhett Simkins on October 30, 2015. Posted in Podcast

Episode 03 – Interview with Rebekah Cook

Rebekah Cook shares the unique perspective that she gained while growing up on the mission field and how it has given her a deeper understanding of how to be an ambassador for Christ through film.

Rebekah Cook is an actress, coach, casting director, and script supervisor who has been serving the independent Christian film industry since 2009. Born overseas and educated at home with her four siblings, she lived in Spain for over nineteen years before moving stateside to pursue a God-given passion for screen acting.

Since her start apprenticing with Advent Film Group, she has worked in ten different states as cast and/or crew for sixteen feature film productions, the first of which was “Alone Yet Not Alone.” Her first lead role was as Virginia Page for “In His Steps,” a modern adaptation of the acclaimed 19th century novel by the same title. Her casting director credits include “The Screenwriters,” “Polycarp,” and “Disciples In The Moonlight,” and she was the script supervisor for “The Screenwriters,” “Surrender,” “Love Covers All,” “Princess Cut,” “Wanted,” “Badge of Faith,” and “Champion.”

Participating in the casting and production process from both sides has given her unique insights into the industry that have enabled her mentor other rising talent through workshops, webinars, individual coaching online, and her blog. Both on and off of film sets, her heartfelt calling is to be an ambassador of Christ and share God’s extravagant love with those around her.

Website: www.actressrebekah.com Twitter: @actressrebekah Facebook: www.facebook.com/actressrebekah IMDb: www.imdb.me/rebekahcook CFDb: www.christianfilmdatabase.com/profile/rebekah-cook/

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