MOVIEGUIDE®: Making Big Waves in Hollywood and Around the World
With only a small budget and less than 15 fulltime workers, a small not-for-profit is making big waves in Hollywood and around the globe.
Founded in 1985 by Dr. Ted Baehr, MOVIEGUIDE® is a ministry dedicated to redeeming the values of the entertainment industry according to biblical principles by influencing industry executives and artists to adopt higher standards and by informing and equipping the public about the influence of the mass media.
Each year around Oscar time, MOVIEGUIDE® hosts its Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry in Hollywood.
At this event, which is now approaching its 22nd year, the best family-friendly movies and TV shows of the previous year, as well as the most moral and Christ-centered films for mature audiences, are awarded more than $250,000 in prize money.
MOVIEGUIDE® also sponsors the $50,000 Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by First-Time and Beginning Screenwriters as well as the inaugural $50,000 Chronos Prize for Inspiring Screenplays by Established Filmmakers. Both prizes reward scripts that “increase man’s love or understanding of God.”
MOVIEGUIDE® is able to influence the top studios Dr. Ted Baehr’s presentation of a statistical analysis based on MOVIEGUIDE® reviews. The analysis consistently shows that family-friendly content, and even Christian-friendly and conservative, content can significantly increase a movie’s profitability.
For families, MOVIEGUIDE® reviews nearly every movie released nationally in the United States and alerts families about the positive and negative content in them. The ministry’s website, www.movieguide.org, is the largest faith-based movie review website on the Internet. Each year, the website publishes more than 325 movie, video, and television reviews. It also sends out two weekly e-newsletters to more than 249,000 subscribers, including many families and churches.
MOVIEGUIDE®’s radio program reaches more than 18 million people a month with 60-second weekly, two-minute daily, and five-minute bi-weekly movie review program, making the ministry’s reach one of the largest in the faith-based radio market. It also telecasts a weekly TV show on seven Cable and satellite networks, several Internet TV outlets, and six independent TV stations, plus its own website at www.movieguide.org and YouTube. The Cable, satellite, and local telecasts of the TV program average more than one million viewers in the United States and overseas.
Another important aspect of Movieguide® and its sister organization, the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry is teaching media wisdom to parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, and teachers and students.
Every year in the United States and overseas, Dr. Baehr speaks more than 40 times to various groups on media wisdom, including supporting and using the Movieguide® websites and participating in the Annual Faith & Values Awards and Report to the Entertainment Industry.
Dr. Baehr’s speaking tours have become so popular that we now have affiliated organizations and partners in Japan, German, Russia, South Korea, Australia, and India.
Movieguide® is about to offer a six-week course in media wisdom for churches and family groups. Five times a year, however, Dr. Baehr teaches an intense four-day workshop on filmmaking, including scriptwriting.
Finally, almost every day, Dr. Baehr is in contact with top studio and television executives, producers, stars, writers, and other artists helping them reach the Christian or family audience and helping them craft better, more successful movies and television programs and adopt higher standards reflecting Christian, biblical principles.
Over the years, our ministry has had impressive results.
When Movieguide started in 1985, only 6% of the movies were aimed at families; today, more than 35% of the movies released in theaters are aimed at families. Those family-friendly movies grossed an average 200% better than movies aimed at the adult marketplace.
Also, in 1991, the year before we started analyzing box office statistics for the Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala, the number of major movies with at least some Christian-friendly content was only 27. Last year, in 2012, the number totaled 165 such movies, an increase of 511 percent!
Furthermore, since the Awards Gala began, the average domestic earnings of movies with strong Christian content and values have increased from $21.14 million per movie to $90.78 million, a 329 percent increase. And, that doesn’t include what such movies earn overseas or on home video!
The effectiveness of this ministry cannot be denied. In fact, it’s extremely impressive and quite astounding, even if we do say so ourselves.
MOVIEGUIDE® is clearly creating a shining culture of truth and beauty in an industry often tarnished by extreme violence and depraved behavior. It has proven worthy of your support.
Please help us continue to redeem the mass media of entertainment by going to: https://www.movieguide.org/donate
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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