I N T E RV I E W
Coming to a Device Near Adventist content is now more accessible than ever.
FASTCHAT is a monthly ministry feature/interview for Adventist World. Adventist media is changing exponentially. What started as a single printing press in the nineteenth century, and a few radio and television programs in the twentieth century, has become a plethora of media offerings. Traditional print and broadcast media have been joined by digital offerings hardly imagined a decade ago. Adventist World recently spoke to André Brink, associate editor for digital content, and Jared Thurmon, director of strategy and marketing, about how the church can capitalize on society’s never-ending search for media content.
With so many media offerings out there, what unique content does Adventist media offer? AB: Adventists are unique because of what we believe. Media is an expression of who we are. Our media are unique because of what they reflect about us. This makes the question one that we need to continue asking ourselves to fulfill our mission in our productions. JT: The media landscape is noisy. Adventist media has the opportunity to answer the call to something Ellen White challenged Adventists to do long ago: arrest the attention of people. To do that, we have to identify areas in which we can make sense of the chaos, and do so in a way that is as innovative as possible. AB: The three angels’ messages are our springboard, and there is so much there. For example, the
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Sabbath, Creation, the investigative judgment and all that goes with that in terms of preparing people to meet Jesus at His soon coming, presented in practical ways: lifestyle, relationships, environmental issues, witnessing.
The expression “Adventist media” used to encompass little more than programs such as Voice of Prophecy or It Is Written. What’s the future of Adventist media five years from now? JT: Some innovators have paved the way. I think of the King of Innovation. Ellen White explained why Jesus used parables to teach: “Parable teaching was popular, and commanded the respect and attention, not only of the Jews, but of the people of other nations. No more effective method of instruction could He have employed.”* I see film as the most innovative storytelling method of our day. AB: As things become worse economically, politically, and socially, people will be interested in the Adventist perspective, how Adventists
Adventist World - nad | September 2017
evaluate world events and tie them to biblical prophecy. I see Adventists playing a larger role in film, making use of this powerful medium to convey messages. We have some of the richest stories that need to be told: of adventurous pioneers forging the mission of the church, of heroes during times of war and conflict, of powerful faith that helped people persevere. JT: In five years we will be in a world of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, self-driving cars. We will see more change in the next five years than in the past 20. Our duty is to remain relevant.
How does Adventist Review Ministries hope to satisfy the Internet’s instiable appetite for more and different content? AB: ARtv is all about using the latest technology, not only in delivery but also in the use of new types of media such as 4K, virtual reality, augmented reality, and vertical video. ARtv is the first Adventist media entity to show 4K videos much higher quality than high definition (HD) on its platforms with increasing amounts of our productions in this format. ARtv is also producing virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree videos so that viewers can have a fully immersive experience, thus becoming a part of the story being told. They may find themselves in a tropical rain forest, underwater surrounded by schools of fish, transported back in time to the beginning of the world, to