School of Communications associate teaching professor Kevin Kelly and adjunct faculty member Jeff Sheets are quoted in this article about faith-based commercials produced over the years by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU filmmakers.
By Kara Mason, published in the Universe on August 25, 2015
A father plays exuberantly with his sons instead of answering a phone call from his golfing buddy. A Southern California teenager decides to attend seminary rather than go surfing. Olympic champion Missy Franklin says she communicates with God before, during and after her swim competitions.
These three inspiring stories come from faith-based commercials produced over the years by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU filmmakers.
Commercials have been a mainstay for the LDS Church as it circulates its messages about faith, hope, family and missionary work. The work of LDS filmmakers started entering the homes of millions in the early 1970s with Homefront TV and radio spots, which were primarily family focused. According to Stephen B. Allen, managing director of the church’s Missionary Department and former executive producer of the series, the Homefront commercials broke barriers in the television industry.
“It broke down some of the barriers and the misunderstandings about the church,” Allen said in a Mormon Newsroom press release. “And it had an impact on individual lives and changed the ways people parent.”