Actress and director Candace Cameron Bure will leave Hallmark Channel in 2022, sign with startup Great American Family, and be named chief content officer of a rival company to her former employer. It surprised fans.
Since then, Great American Family has grown rapidly, releasing dozens of original movies and poaching other stars from Hallmark. Danica McKellar. It also launched its own streaming channel, Great American Pure Flix (after merging with Pure Flix).
Crosswalk recently spoke with Bure. Below are his five questions. Her answer has been lightly edited for clarity.
1. Great American Family is the fastest growing network in television for 12 consecutive months. What do you think is driving this growth?
We're so excited for everyone who tunes in and discovers our channel. We understand that this channel may not be the easiest to find right now because we are a new network, we are still growing, and there are so many cable channels to choose from. I think we're growing rapidly because of the content we have. Our film is very heartwarming. These are for family and will transport you back to that time and place, recalling memories with your loved ones, both present and past. It just makes me feel better. Our network has no agenda. We just want to entertain people with great, high-quality content.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Gabriel Olsen/Stringer
2. Is there anything that separates The Great American Family films from those on other platforms?
Our network is focused on faith, family, and country. And that's what sets us apart. So while not all movies talk about faith very prominently, there are some references to faith. And unlike a lot of other movies that always focus on all the other aspects of Christmas and the commercial aspects, our movie definitely has that in it, but also the meal times and Let's go back to the prayer before we talked about Christmas. [the fact] That Jesus is the reason for this season. And we are not afraid of it. We want to incorporate that into every movie without bombarding you with our beliefs. Because we recognize that there are many people who come to our channel and watch our films who have different faiths or even no faith at all. However, I would appreciate it if you could feel even just a little bit of what kind of faith you are. For us, “in God” means inside the network or in the movies. And we love our country. My film “My Christmas Hero” truly honored the military this year. I am very grateful to have been able to produce and appear in that movie. I had never done anything to honor the military. Our network is all about being proud Americans. I mean, that's what our network is named after – it's the Great American Family.
3. Of course you are open about your faith. At what point in your career did you decide to be outspoken about your faith rather than just having it in the background?
My faith has always been very important to me. My films haven't been faith-based films over the years, but if people want to find out who I am on a Candace Cameron Bure level rather than the character I'm playing. It was just a stepping stone.that [on] When I speak on my website and in interviews I am completely honest and authentic and who I am as a Christian woman. And it's always been a part of my life ever since I've been in the business. And I've been in this business for over 40 years. As our country becomes more and more divided over social issues, it's become increasingly important to me as a woman, a mother, and someone in this industry to be able to speak up about the things that matter to me. And that is my Christian faith. So as I got older, it became more important to me to make films with more faith content.
4. You are affiliated with Generous Kids Book Club, a book of the month club for kids. What is it? Why did you want to participate?
It is aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 12 and teaches important values. But it's not just books. Not only will you receive a hardcover book every month, but you'll also get all sorts of fun items like stickers, trading cards, discussion questions and other activities, as well as videos to watch. Online with these animated characters. We teach generosity, empathy, compassion, kindness, giving, and gratitude. These books are actually a collaborative effort of parents and educators who came together to write these great books and teach long-lasting values that change the world.
5. A few years ago, you appeared in For Kings and Country's music video “Joy,” playing a dark and pessimistic character. Of course you are very optimistic. How did you get the role?
I'm friends with Joel and Luke [Smallbone] For quite some time. Then one day Joe called me and said, “Candace, we have a new song coming out. We're shooting a video in LA for a couple of days. Would you happen to come over?” And I didn't even know what I was getting myself into. He told me that I should become a pessimist, which is completely against my nature. I love those people very much. I love their music very much. I love their family. I was so honored to be a part of their music video and to be a part of their lives.
related: Hear from Danica McKellar, America's great family star
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Morgan Lieberman/Stringer
Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His story was published in Baptist Press. Christianity Today, Christian Poecent, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star and of knoxville news sentinel.
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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
