Andrew Klavan warned us.
The author and Daily Wire podcaster told the conservative movement not to ignore pop culture. It matters, and it impacts more than just box office receipts or Nielsen ratings.
And conservatives duly ignored him. Now, they’re seeing the light.
The Daily Wire is going Hollywood. Blaze Media introduced “Normal World” along with its first feature film, “Re-Opening.”
Palladium Pictures is prepping both original documentaries and an incubator program to teach aspiring filmmakers to tell stories that Hollywood ignores.
Now, one of the biggest names in conservative politics vows he’s all-in on creating art that speaks to traditional values.
Glenn Beck started the ball rolling via his Blaze Media efforts. And he’s only getting started.
Beck told “The Andrew Klavan Podcast” that he’s moving full steam ahead into Hollywood-style productions.
“We’re just starting to get to the place where we have the assets, the money, the distribution access … to be able to make good, quality movies,” Beck said. “One of the breakthroughs was ‘The Chosen.’ That thing was so well done. It doesn’t feel like a conservative movie typically feels.”
“I’m working on some things with a few movie studios and schools and local theaters to help grow the next generation [of storytellers],” Beck continued, using an analogy to compare what conservatives are currently left with on the cultural front. “I firmly believe we have to stop going to the barrel and instead go to the tree to pick the apples.”
Beck’s vision isn’t for a movie or two, or even for films preaching to the proverbial choir. He’s talking art and, eventually, his legacy.
“This could be, in the end, if we’re able to unlock it, this could be the best thing or the most important thing I may have contributed in my life,” Beck said.
How?
Think apprenticeships, for starters.
“I believe that the best way to learn is to not go to school but to go to really bright people,” Beck said. “You can learn by doing it … I think that is where we need to go.”
None of this was possible just a short time ago. Hollywood controlled all the levers of power. Technology didn’t allow the average artist to create a film credible enough to be made at home.
Much of this has changed, and dramatically so. The landscape also favors a traditional cultural renaissance given the dearth of product aimed at heartland consumers. Significant work has to be done first.
“I have the old Paramount studios in Dallas, but we use them for TV stuff … what if you wanna make movies or comedies? We have to have the ability to do this. All the way from the gaffer to the executive producer and actress, we have to have all of this covered,” Beck said.
“Hollywood is not gonna change,” Klavan said. “We have to build our own place.”
Beck shared how he often invites artists to his ranch to gather, create and inspire one another. One such artist, who had worked for Disney for years, drilled down on the core elements of story.
Not propaganda or talking points. Story.
“These are things the Right never pays attention to, and that’s why we lose,” Beck warned.
The post Glenn Beck Betting Big on Conservative Movies (And More) appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.