GAF CEO Bill Abbott Says ‘Faith and Family’ Set Network’s Movies Apart
By Movieguide® Contributor
Great American Media CEO Bill Abbott is sharing what makes his network’s Christmas movies unique.
“I would put our Christmas movies up against anybody else’s,” Abbott said. “They may all end in a kiss, but they are different, and they are not going to be the same experience over two hours because they’re not going to incorporate the spirit of the season, which is faith and family, and those elements that are so important — and so much a part of the fabric of Christmas.”
The CEO noted that Great American Family offers viewers “positive and uplifting” content that they can “sit and enjoy themselves and not worry about life” while watching.
“We’ve worked really hard at our character development, at our locations, wardrobe, music, relationships, connections — all the things that make a great movie,” Abbot explained.
He and network star Danica McKellar recently celebrated the premiere of A ROYAL DATE FOR CHRISTMAS.
“Starting off on THE WONDER YEARS, I have had the pleasure of doing projects that are truly good-natured and wholesome, and I feel like I got to continue that in large part had to do with this guy, Bill Abbott, first on the Hallmark Channel, and now of course I followed him to Great American Family Channel,” McKellar explained.
The actress added that GAF’s movies “make you feel good.”
“They’re about a simpler time almost. It shows you the best in human nature, these movies,” McKellar said. “I believe they’re more than that because they model aspirational behavior, and you feel so good while you’re watching them, and that feeling lasts. I think that we’re actually making a good impact on the world.”
When asked about his creative contributions to this year’s Christmas programming, Abbott told Deadline, “Basically everything on the channel this year was not my idea.”
“The reality of working with a really talented team is that they drive the bus and have come up with some wonderful concepts,” he said. “I’m hesitant to mention any particular project because someone, somewhere will be able to identify what it was. But I have no shortage of bad ideas and the team here has no shortage of good ones, fortunately.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Abbott’s plans for Great American Family:
“A lot of our content, while not original, is original to a lot of people this year and I think the ratings are showing that,” Great American Family CEO and President Bill Abbott said. “We’re up triple digits from where we were last year and overall, we feel very good about the progress we’ve made.”
“It’s comfort food,” he continued, referring to their Christmas content. “It’s the type of content that stands the test of time because you may know what’s going to happen, but it’s how you get there. It’s the journey that makes it interesting and makes it fun.”
Abbott called making Christmas movies “a little bit of an art form” when it comes to balancing new, original content with keeping stories consistent and relatable.
“It’s definitely a discipline staying true to who you are and true to the brand you’re building. That will be what drives our success in the long run,” he concluded.
