Bill Abbott On Future of GAC Family: ‘We Want To Be Relentlessly Family-Friendly’
By Movieguide® Staff
GAC Family CEO and founder Bill Abbott recently shared his motivation to create the family-friendly channel in a competitive landscape of streaming content.
After 20 years with Crown Media, Abbott left the Hallmark empire and created GAC Family. Abbott discussed the new streaming network on the latest episode of “Up Next with John Contratti.”
“There’s so much need for family content in the market and in this space,” Abbott told Contratti. “It’s pretty scary, quite frankly, the amount of content that’s out there, the vast majority of it is salacious and is not appropriate for any member of the family, really. From my point of view, it’s pretty easy, open space, and something I really am passionate about.”
Read More: Former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott Launches GAC Family to Create Wholesome Original Content
Abbott revealed that GAC Family partnered with Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA), the production company behind many movies for Hallmark and Netflix.
“We’ve partnered with MPCA, who was Hallmarks leading producer for the last eight years, producing their highest rated, highest quality content,” he said. “They’ve come over to work with us.”
“They’re really smart, they get the space and they produce WHEN CALLS THE HEART, and they’ve done a lot of movies for Netflix and others,” he added. “So we’re happy to be working with them and excited about the slate for 2022.”
Abbott noted that GAC Family’s library includes a lot of classic sitcoms like FULL HOUSE due to its family-friendly content.
“If you look at the last 20 years, it would be really hard to find a show that you can watch in its entirety with your family, and not have some point that would make you uncomfortable,” he explained. “As we looked and curated the list, you really have to go back far in time to find things that are feel good, positive and 24/7, family-friendly.”
“We want to be the leader and family television,” he continued. “We think that we’ve assembled a terrific team, not only at our networks, but also on the talent side; people who are well known to the audience and the audience loves.”
Abbott said that while GAC Family will continue to focus on Christmas movies and romantic comedies, they want to balance quality with moral content.
“We think the romcom genre gets a bad name to a degree, by a quantity over quality philosophy that I think some channels have,” he said. “Just because something’s a romcom doesn’t mean that it has a lot of heart, emotion, and a romantic story. Some of them missed the mark, just because they’re rushed and there isn’t the amount of time spent in creating a quality offering.”
“We want to be relentlessly family-friendly, we want to be consistent, and we want to be high quality,” he added. “If we do those three things, I think that we’ll deliver on the promise and will be the leader in the space.”
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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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