Christian TV producer skips Hollywood, turns to crowdfunding instead
"The Chosen" director Dallas Jenkins talks about how he bypassed Hollywood by turning to crowdfunding.
Christian TV and film projects can sometimes have trouble getting their voices heard in Hollywood, according to conservative director Dallas Jenkins.
With that in mind and wanting to make multi-season TV show called "The Chosen" which tells the story of Jesus Christ, Jenkins decided to turn to crowdfunding to support his project's budget.
"To be honest the idea came from the fact that I didn't necessarily want to put this in the hands of Hollywood," Jenkins told “Making Money with Charles Payne” on Monday.
Another aspect was he wanted to ensure the story stayed true to the Biblical narrative.
I'm someone that believes in the Bible. I'm someone who wanted to get it right.
Jenkins said he and his production partners anticipated only collecting about $800 from the crowdfunding attempt, but it "went viral," and they ended up raising about $10 million from about 15,000 investors, who can expect up to a 120 percent return on their investments, according to The Washington Times.
Making ‘The Chosen’ has personal elements attached to it as well.
He said by going directly to the people, he avoids spending too much time on why these types of projects are trying to find their place in the market.
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All four episodes of “The Chosen” can be watched on its own app in the app store.