09/10/2022
Ears to Hear Studios.
The dream of a faith-filled, ambitious young man.
(That young man is me, Stephen Thompson.)
I went to the Center for Creative Media in Texas in pursuit of that dream: the endeavor to make Hollywood (or NYC) my mission field.
I learned a lot out there, and assembled a pretty nice reel. And from what I heard, the next step if I was serious about trying to make it was to move to one of these places.
But when I brought this idea to my mentors and family, they were extremely hesitant. In learning about the industry, I'd also seen firsthand how it sucks the life and ambition and drive out of many young hopefuls and gives them very little in return. Growing up, you see all the rich directors and celebs and the red carpets and the material success of the few who "made it," but then as you research and look into it, you learn of all the ones who tried and never made it. Maybe it was a woman who resisted Weinstein's advances; maybe it was a guy who refused to work on Sunday. I had to consider that while I was trying to impact the industry, they would be trying to impact me.
So for a while I tried freelancing: using online services to connect with people who needed film or graphic design work done. But I wasn't making a living from that, and it wasn't opening more doors or "taking off" as I'd hoped.
So I got a degree (to make a very long story short). Without abandoning my hopes for impactful media, I went to Liberty University, got a bachelor's in computer science, and went to work near home. Paid off my loans and am now looking for my own house.
So, does this mean Ears to Hear is dead?
Maybe, but I believe in resurrections.
When God set David on the path to kingship of Israel, he was out in the fields, tending sheep. He wasn't laying out 5-year-plans or expanding his network. He was connecting with God. I firmly believe that's the best way to end up in God's highest will for your life. Even after David got anointed by Samuel, it was a gradual step-by-step path to the throne. He had victories and setbacks one after another. Through the trials, he did his best to remain faithful in whatever place God had placed him.
So that's what I'm doing now.
I live near home, and go to New Life Ministries, and it seems like the media opportunities follow one right after the other there. I'm praying for God to raise up someone with equal passion to mine-- a Timothy I can train to take my place if God opens a door to the mainstream film industry. I've tried to train others in the past, but there's a self-motivation and ambition and patience that it takes to do what I do, and I have yet to find that person yet.
However, I am getting a bit better at meeting deadlines with each passing year, and I may have a little bandwidth to start producing short films. The EtH YouTube channel has hosted short, fun Discount Bible Story sketches, but I'm talking about legit short films. That's the hope anyway. I've got a few scripts written, and it's just a matter of finding the time and the team to produce them with.
Who knows? Maybe some day, you'll be sitting down in a theater to watch the latest Ears to Hear film, and you can tell your family, "I remember back when they were just getting started."
God bless, y'all!
