Dispatches from Hollywood

by Leslie Foster

What does it mean to be an Adventist filmmaker trying to make it in Hollywood? I've been exploring that question rather personally for the last six months and I'm still not sure I can answer that question, but I have been discovering some useful clues and tools along the way. If there is one clue I've picked up, it's that being an Adventist filmmaker isn't so much about finding a soapbox and clinging to it as fiercely as possible as it is about learning to listen to God's whispers and representing yourself as skillfully and honorably as possible. And if there's one tool I've found more valuable than others, it is in having a community in which you can be nurtured.

I have a few friends who have forged their way here over the last few years on their own, and I am in complete awe. I'm quite willing to admit that I would have given up without my church family here. I've never quite clicked with a church community, so this is a first for me and a pretty welcome change.

This community has been essential in helping me figure out some of the clues as to what my role is in this industry. I have a group of friends to keep me accountable and people who are helping me hear God's softest whispers. I may not know quite where I'm headed yet, but I have the confidence that through the oddest twist and turns of my journey, I have someplace that I can call home.

As this journey continues, I'll keep you updated with stories from my experience and stories of other travelers on similar paths. I'm excited about where we're headed; Adventism is entering an interesting frontier as more of us enter the film world, and I'm curious to see how we change that frontier and how it will change us.