A book begot a movie, a movie begot a community, and a community may beget a movement.
That is the hope of
St. Petersburg-based
33 Hope, LLC, a three-person core team with a three-pronged approach to marketing a message of hope.
Tampa native Edward Flom wrote a Biblically-based book entitled
Thirty Three: The Story of Hope
that chronicles the years immediately following Christ's crucifixion.
Flom says he was inspired by a child's reaction to seeing
The Passion of the Christ,
According to Flom, the boy asked his father, "But Daddy, what happened
next?'" Flom helped answer through the book, published in January 2010.
The
child is the son of Flom's friend Kirk Berendes, who helped Flom get
the word out about the book. William Whitacre, an entertainment attorney
and investor, came aboard as the third member of the core team. Movie
Producer/Writer Cristobal Krusen of
Messenger Films
wrote a screenplay based on the book, and Nashville music producer Dale
Oliver produced its theme song, which is recorded by Christian band
Jupiter Wind. Berendes launched a
website and is hoping to build a social media campaign in support of the book and movie and the message they contain. Rich Hayes of
Digital Lightbridge in
New Port Richey created its logo.
"Think
'Faithbook,' " explains Berendes."It is our intent to attract a
community of like-hearted individuals to this online environment to
serve as the vanguard for the book and a pre-marketing push for future
books and movies in the same genre and time period."
All
involved agree the movement is about hope. "Both the book and the movie
are positive reflections of hope in a time when the world really needed
it," says Berendes."In the same way, we believe our message can lead
people today to a place where anything is possible."
Writer:
Missy KavanaughSources: Kirk Berendes, 33 Hope; Edward Flom,
Thirty Three: The Story of Hope
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