Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 11/13/23

“It’s about the adventures of King David when he was a boy.” That’s basically the elevator pitch for Young David. The five-episode animated adventure premiered Friday on Minno, a streaming service that provides faith-themed content for kids. Erick Goss, company’s co-founder and CEO, spoke with me about the show’s journey to the screen.

JWK: How did the concept of Young David come about?

Erick Goss: So, Minno is a Christian children’s media and technology company. We have a streaming service through our kids app that is available on all the major platforms. We founded the company in 2019. The name Minno is actually based on the Greek word for abide – from John 15 where Jesus (says) “If you abide in Me, I abide in you.” It’s (about) what we can do to help kids and their parents experience Jesus every day through media and technology.

When we started the company in 2019 we were originally licensing content. In 2021 we recognized that there really is just a dearth of high-quality Christian children’s media. Most people know about Veggie Tales but there are just not that many properties that really communicate excellence. Honestly, when you talk to most Christian parents today and you start talking Christian children’s media the first thing they start thinking is “Well, it can’t be good. It must be mediocre.”…As a company we recognized that there was a huge need for both both quality content (and) quantity of content. So, we made the decision to move forward doing originals.

One of the ideas that was presented to us was the David movie that’s being done by Slingshot Productions. We recognized that that was too big for us. We weren’t in a position where we could invest in a movie at that time but we were knocked out by the demo that Slingshot had put together, specifically the (work of the) animation company Sunrise Animation. We recognized that it would be just amazing to be able to do something like this for kids.

So, as we were discussing it at the board level, we (said) “You know what? Let’s go ask Slingshot if they’d be willing to do a children’s series on Young David.” Our thinking was David was a man after God’s own heart. What would it mean to actually show how David learned those lessons as a child? What were those experiences that he had as a child that really gave him a closeness with God?

We pitched Slingshot on the idea of a children’s series. They loved the idea. We initiated that series in 2021. So, we have five five-minute episodes of Young David.

As we were working on it, we recognized that Angel Studios had moved with Slingshot on helping fund the David movie. We felt like there was an opportunity to bring our efforts together which we’ve done this year – which brings us to Minno and Angel sort of being joint partners on distributing the Young David series.

JWK: So, there are five five-minute episodes?

EG: Five five-minute episodes. They’ll be release one each month from November to March. The first one is (titled) Warrior, the second will be King, the third will be Shepherd, the fourth will be Poet and the fifth will be Worshiper. We’ll release them on the second Friday of every month.

JWK: What do you hope kids take from the show?

EG: First, I want them to have a good time seeing entertainment from a Christian point of view…As I think about that, I think one of the thing’s that’s so important for kids is spurring a Christian imagination. What does it mean for me as a child to actually live my life with a God who is present? Often times, with children, we teach them a lot of facts. We don’t really teach them what it means to walk with God, that God is with them and that we have the promise of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is with us.

What you’ll see in the first episode is there’s a real sense of David engaging a threat and living with this reality that God is with him. One thing He says in the Warrior episode is to be strong and courageous. (Young David) reflects on that a couple of times in the episode. So, there’s a sense of there’s a God who loves me, who cares for me and is with me as I come up against the adversity of life. That’s really what I hope kids can take from this series – that there’s a reality of walking with God where we know that He’s present. It’s not just a bunch of facts and not just sort of I believe in the Resurrection for the purpose of just being saved – but that there’s a God who really cares about me, is interested in me (in this) life (and) that I can rely on and trust in every moment of my day.
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Don McLean just released a remastered version of his iconic song Jerusalem. The both timely and timeless track is now available for streaming and download on various platforms with all proceeds going to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (@JDC).

Sharing his personal connection to the song, the legendary singer-songwriter, also known for award-winning classics like American Pie and Vincent (Starry, Starry Night), said “I believe in the power of Jerusalem. There is an unknown force of some kind which I personally experienced in that region. This caused me to write the song ‘Jerusalem’ many years ago. I really hope that hearing this will bring some tiny bit of peace to this region.”

To support this initiative and enjoy the remastered version of Jerusalem,” go to orcd.co/DonMcLeanJerusalem2023.
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John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.