Phil Vischer’s Video
Phil Vischer–original creator of Big Idea and Veggie Tales–has a new venture in production. Based on the introductory video (embedded below), Jelly Telly aims to be a web-based video network for christian kids. It appears Jelly Telly will have a subscription model where each user chooses how much they will pay.
I don’t think this is a bad idea per say
I have to admit, I have a few reservations (questions, at the very least) about the video. First let me say, I think Phil is an extremely talented individual. My oldest daughter grew up on Veggie Tales in the late 90s and, while BIG Idea took somewhat of a sad turn, I think the the entire endeavor benefited a lot of families.
I also have no problems with choose your own price model for arts/media. It has already proved viable by Radiohead and other businesses are experimenting with it.
Entrepreneurship versus ministry
My primary question is this: is Jelly Telly a business venture, or is it a ministry? Yes, a christian entrepreneur will have many opportunities to glorify God and minister to others. Someone else called to full-time ministry may support themselves by working (recall that Paul made tents). But those are scenarios where one complements the other. I’ll explore this more in a later post, but I personally don’t feel a new, focused endeavor by a believer can be both.
If Jelly Telly is a ministry, I would stop worrying about Nickelodean and the Disney Channel (he mentions them frequently in the video). There would be no reason to even consider competing with them.
If Jelly Tell is a business, I hope Phil has plans to reach the tween and teen demographic. Most of the samples in the video appear to target the 2-11 crowd. Big companies know how to market to kids. Girls especially gravitate to themes above their age group. Tweens watch shows about teens. Teens read Vogue and watch The Hills (shudder). Hannah Montana may be set in high school, but 16 year-old girls aren’t watching it.
Finally on the business front, I hope video isn’t the only move in the Jelly Telly playbook. Internet use among kids is meeting or exceeding television use in the US and UK. I doubt that time is spent merely watching online videos. Social networks, games, and communication is my guess.
Whatever Jelly Telly wants to be, I hope they make wise decisions and grow organically. My prayers go out to Phil and the team.
Is The Reason for God this Generation’s Mere Christianity?
I recently finished reading Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Although it was not what I expected, I thought the book was fantastic.
I was reminded of how influential Mere Christianity and More Than a Carpenter were early in my own life as a believer. I wonder if Keller’s book could become the Mere Christianity of this (and future) generation. I think Keller does a good job presenting Christ at a time when relativism and postmodern thought are so pervasive. I could be wrong, but I don’t think More Than a Carpenter would be as influential if it were published today (at least not in the United States).
What do you think? Have you read the book? Do different cultures and periods in history require different approaches to apologetics?
Here We Go
Welcome to the new blog. I apologize for the delayed launch–I decided at the last minute to use WordPress for this site and had to migrate it from a different system.
If you’d like to know more about me or this site, you can find some info on the about page. Otherwise, add me to your RSS reader. If you plan to be a regular reader, I ask only 2 things of you: participate and pray.
I can’t believe I just alliterated something. Not a good start.