New Broadcast Outlet!

I am happy to announce that I just signed an agreement to broadcast and stream episodes of Peculiar on another Christian network. More info to come, but wanted to share the news.

I am so proud of the work we did on this show. We haven’t made an episode since 2013, but people can still see the show on stations across America and online. This new outlet will allow even more people to watch a broadcast and stream on demand.

We had no money, and just a crazy idea that we could do it. The product of that work is still impacting people.

We need more shows on Christian TV. People are hungry for the content.

One Year Ago

One year ago the DVD of Peculiar Season 1 went on sale.

Something’s Coming

July 16th marks the one year anniversary of the release of Peculiar Season 1 on DVD. Hard to believe it’s been a year!

So next week I will have an announcement to celebrate the day. Stay tuned!

Ever Wonder How We Were Able to Make the Show Happen?

Once in a while when I am talking to people about how we made Peculiar happen I start getting incredulous looks. It is hard to believe that a group of volunteers could create 10 episodes of an award winning Christian sitcom. The story is fairly long. The whys and the hows are fairly interesting.

Since I got the question so often, I actually wrote a short ebook about it all. You can get that at the Kindle store.

Sometimes I am amazed at it all. Mainly, the reason the show got done is because we kept at it until it was done. That’s really the root of everything else.

If you are thinking about trying to make your own show, then understand that it won’t be easy. It will cost more than you think. But you can do it.

Actor Highlight: Michael Shippy

Michael Shippy – Jason

What should we know about you?
Let’s not mince words: I am a geek, through and through. I love Star Wars and am a Stormtrooper in the 501st Legion (TK-4802, reporting!). I have been very happily married for almost twelve years, and we have one daughter and a son who is schedule for arrival in June. Since moving to Florida I have officially been bitten by the Disney bug and would gladly spend 19 hours a day there if I could (I do need to get in my 5 hours of beauty sleep).

What do you do when you aren’t playing a part on Peculiar?
You will probably find me doing one of four things: (1) working as a CG artist, which is my “real job”; (2) spending time with my family doing whatever comes to mind that day; (3) doing something at First Baptist Church of Orlando, be it Life Groups, drama, volunteering in the media ministry, etc.; (4) playing an MMORPG once everyone else has gone to bed.

What’s your favorite scene on the show?
The confrontation with the Shirt Guys. I’m friends with all three of those actors, so being in that scene with them was a great time. It’s the stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor that really made the scene so memorable. I don’t think I laughed harder at any other point in the production!

Aside from yours, who is your favorite character, and why?
Joe the Wizard. The mystery. The intimidation. The hat. Everything.

Why did you want to be a part of the show?
The premise of the show sounded great to me, and I am good friends with many of the cast and crew. Plus, I have never done any acting outside of stage productions, so I was curious to see how the process worked for the small screen.

Why should people watch?
There’s very little on television or the Internet these days that you can watch that fits the dual criteria of being entertaining and edifying. Peculiar is one of those rare gems.

Upcoming eBook About How We Made the Show

Did you know I am writing an eBook about how we made the show? It’s called Peculiar Programming. Check out the new website promoting it:
http://peculiarprogramming.wordpress.com/

Above: Draft of the book cover.

Special 10 days of Peculiar Event on the Facebook Page

Christmas comes early this year! Starting on Dec. 22 enjoy 10 days of Peculiar on the Facebook page.

Special posts of extras and episodes that are not normally available online! make sure you become a fan, and watch for the posts in your timeline!

In anticipation of the event, here’s a look at the Preview Project, a proof od concept video for the show. One of these 3 scenes actually made it into the pilot.

Actor Highlight: Melanie Turner

Melanie Turner-Jamie

What should we know about you?
Let’s see… my middle name is Brook with no “e”. I have an older brother and two parents who have been happily married for 43 years. My favorite color is purple. I love pizza, veggies and pastries. Fairly safe to say I enjoy food of all kinds. Grateful that the Lord pursued me, I accepted him as my Lord and savior when I was 13. My life has never been the same since. He is still molding me and making me more life himself every day. I am a work in progress.

What do you do when you aren’t on the set of Peculiar?
I love to dance. So you may find me swing dancing or ballroom dancing or just dancing goofy around the house. I also enjoy reading, spending time with family and friends, having game nights and watching movies.

What’s your favorite scene on the show?
Hmmm…that’s a tough one. Maybe the scene with Joe the Wizard. It’s Hilarious and of course I love the musical number we did as well!

Aside from yours, who is your favorite character?
Brenda. The character that Macy West played in episode 4 & 5. She was so fun. She was always trying to do the right thing but it didn’t quite come out right most of the time. Funny and adorable.

Why did you want to be a part of the show?
I was curious about it. I wanted to know how TV worked differently than stage productions. Also, I wanted to support Christian TV in any way that I could.

Why should people watch?
People should watch because it covers some great topics that families and groups of young people should be talking about and it does it in a light hearted way. It’s enjoyable to watch and fun to see the characters develop and interact with each other. Entertaining and educational!

Watch Melanie in the first semester on DVD and in the 2nd semester online.

Actor Highlight: Josh Kessler

We had a couple of the actors in the show answer a few questions for you. Here’s some from Josh Kessler who plays Blake Goodman.

Josh Kessler- Blake Goodman

What do you do when not on set with Peculiar?

When I’m not filming Peculiar I’m a pretty busy guy, lol. I’m an actor at Universal about three days a week. I’m currently a full time student at Reformation Bible College in Sanford where I take classes three days a week as well. On top of that, I lead worship on Wednesday nights for a youth group in Apopka and for a church in Ocoee on Sundays.

What’s your favorite scene from the show?

My favorite scene has to be the Jason flash where he and Blake are in a therapist setting and Jason is crying on the couch while Blake is telling him to “get his big boy pants on.” I was on the verge of cracking up (you can probably tell if you watch me closely) almost every take. Too much fun!

Besides the one you play, who is your favorite character?

I would say the Coach is my favorite character. For me personally, my father never led anything spiritual or taught me how to be a man. Maybe that’s too personal, but that’s why I appreciate the character of the coach.

Why did you want to be a part of Peculiar?

I see a real opportunity for change to take place in Christian television through this show because I think the show targets a completely ignored age group (younger to middle age adults). Also within its own genre, I don’t believe there is anything comedy related that handles the topics Peculiar tackles. I just see so many opportunities to reach people with this show.

Why should people watch?

People need to watch for several reasons. But if I had to boil it down I would say watch it because we need your help. The only way to change Christian television is if we can get people behind us. It’s difficult for us to get the word out any other way than for people to watch and then tell their friends. It’s pretty obvious that most of Christian TV is geared toward the older generation. So if Christians want new content geared toward younger generations, we need them to watch the show and then tell their friends to watch.

Watch Josh in the first semester on DVD and in the 2nd semester online.

2014 NRB Media Award for Best Creative TV Programming

Peculiar has been selected to receive a 2014 National Religious Broadcasters Media Award for Best Creative TV Programming!

It’s a great honor. A couple of dozen people got together and caught a vision for a show, and figured out how to get it done and on the air. Thanks to everyone involved and to everyone who supported us!

NRB announced the winners today. We are listed at the bottom of the TV section.

In addition to a short description about why the show should win, Judges reviewed one of the episodes. Episode 7: Arguments with the “Best of Things” music video seemed like a good choice.

Criteria for the award:
“The Best Creative Television Programming award recipient will demonstrate a unique vision and perspective of an important current issue and/or theme. The program shall be episodic in nature. The recipient will demonstrate the highest standards of quality, creativity, and innovation. The program shall engage the culture as an effective witness from a Christian perspective and will have demonstrated a compelling use of the medium from artistic and technical standpoints. The program must be long-form (at least 20 minutes in length).”