Kappa Studios Reflects on Faith-Driven Vision and Industry Milestone Ahead of 56th Dove Award

Kappa Studios, a Burbank-based post-production company specializing in faith and family entertainment, is celebrating a milestone ahead of the 56th GMA Dove Awards, contributing to six of the 10 nominees in the film and television categories. The studio worked on three of the five Feature Film of the Year nominees-For the One, Reagan, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever-and three of the five Television Series of the Year nominees-God. Family. Football., House of David, and The Chosen.

Founded over 25 years ago, Kappa shifted exclusively to faith-based content in 2016, growing into a full-service post-production hub offering editing, color grading, sound design, VFX, and more. With high-profile projects like The Chosen, Kappa has become a leading force in faith-affirming storytelling, with winners to be announced at the Dove Awards on Oct. 7 and broadcast later on TBN. 

We are honored to chat with Paul Long, Kappa Studios founder and president, for this exclusive interview.

Q: Looking back on Kappa's bold shift in 2016 to exclusively focus on faith and family content, what gave you the conviction that this was the right path, and how has that decision shaped the company's identity today? 

Great question! Here's a link to a 5 minute video that best answers that question: https://www.kappastudios.com/our-story 

Basically, it was the gradual convicting of what we felt was the Spirit of God - with a heavy sense that we were using our time and resources to tear down the culture. This led to a difficult decision to either close our doors permanently or pivot the company to go all-in for the God of the Bible. How did that decision shape our identity today? It defines every aspect of our identity.   

Q: Kappa Studios contributed to six of the 10 Dove Award-nominated projects this year. What do you believe sets Kappa apart in post-production that makes filmmakers want to bring their stories here? 

We sincerely give all glory and thanks to God.  I suppose it begins with radical dependence on Him. Virtually every day we are asking God to bring the people/film makers who we should be serving - and He provides who and when He sees fit. Thankfully the quality of our work is at a high studio level, but that's not necessarily our distinctive - as here in Burbank, CA there are many high-level studios. Our distinctive is probably more at the heart level. It seems many are encouraged because we've taken a very public and vocal stand for Christ here in Los Angeles. I suppose some appreciate our convictions and want to work with us because of that.  

Q: From "The Chosen" to "Reagan" and "God. Family. Football." - Kappa has been involved in projects that look very different from one another stylistically. How do you approach maintaining technical excellence while also honoring the unique voice of each production? 

Great observation and question. Everything we do is custom to the project. And since every project is different, we're always looking for the right combination of skill sets and personalities when building the team. We really try to get to know the film makers. What are their goals? Why are they making this particular project? What would success look like for that project? The more we know the people behind the projects and "why" they are making the project, the better we can determine "what" to do to raise the bar and, God willing, exceed their expectations.  

Q: Faith-based storytelling has grown dramatically in quality and reach over the last decade. How have you seen the industry evolve, and where do you think it's headed next? 

The growth of faith-based film and TV over the past decade has been remarkable. We've had a front row seat watching major media companies (Amazon, Sony, Lionsgate, Fox, etc.) get behind talented Christian content creators - and we're extremely honored to have played a small role in improving the quality of the content. It's hard to tell where it's headed. Ten years ago, we never even dreamed we'd be where we are - so we're content to take it a day at a time - and try to be faithful to God along the way.  One major area we've seen change involves distribution. 10-15 years ago it was far more important to gain support from pastors and Christian influencers. Today, mainly with advances in social media marketing it's easier to connect with end consumers.  We're also seeing many advances in shorter content. For example, a decade ago we never thought about reels or 'verticals,' but now because of the amount of content that is consumed on smart phones, we must be mindful of how people watch our content.  

Q: For younger filmmakers or post-production professionals who want to work in the faith and family space, what advice would you give them about combining craft, conviction, and calling? 

The answer to this question is simple: choose you this day who you will serve. You can't serve God and money. Or God and self. Or God and anything else. That is called idolatry. We have chosen to exclusively work on content that allows us to have a clear conscience before God - based on our understanding of Scripture. To do that requires us to turn down a ton of work and lose a ton of money. So, it really becomes an issue of priorities. What matters most? Making money? Being respected as a film maker?

Being able to make movies full time and not needing to work another job? None of these are necessarily horrible, but you can't serve two masters. So, again, our advice is simple - live wholeheartedly for God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. It's not complicated. That said, while not complicated, it is EXTREMELY difficult! We are idol factories! We are inherently selfish and proud. We fail all the time! But we get up, confess, and get back on track. Basically our advice is make sure you are at a strong Bible teaching church and are in strong fellowship with other mature believers. Be students of the Word of God. Be diligent in prayer. Basically focus on pleasing God... and let Him open the doors. It's a far more joyful way to live!   

Q: As Kappa Studios celebrates this Dove Awards milestone, what are you most excited about in the next chapter of the studio's journey? 

It was crazy seeing the Dove Award nominations announced this year. To see that 6 of the 10 nominations are projects we had the privilege of working on was insane. As far as next chapter for Kappa, this may be a strange answer, but because our personalities are go - go - go... We're trying to do a better job of pausing and being thankful for the grace God has shown. In other words, we're trying not to look too far ahead at next chapters. We do have a few kids oriented projects we are especially excited about - as we have a passion for presenting Christ to the next generation - but for us, our goal is to be faithful to God day by day. We never quite get there, but that's always our target - and when we live for Him we are filled with love, joy and peace - and no earthly award can bring us that.  

 

 

 

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