Marketing and TV program producers John Dye and Rod Gustafson visited BYU-Idaho to introduce the Faith in Media Initiative to students.
According to their website, “The Faith in Media Initiative is a non-profit that connects and provides resources to a global network of media, content creators, faith leaders and community members to ensure accurate, balanced, representation of all faiths in news and entertainment.”
Both Dye and Gustafson said they love seeing the promise of the next generation and seeing them rise to the occasion.
“We want to make sure that there is a faith in media convergence,” Gustafson said. “We want more and more accurate representation of faith in media. And so, I think being able to work on the faith end of the things and with the youth and hopefully when I’m retired in 20 or 30 years and I remember some of the students that I worked with, we see them in these places and spaces of influence in media, I think it’s that promise that makes me excited to go to work every day.”
Gustafson and Dye said the initiative is under Deseret Management Corporation, which is a for-profit arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They added that the organization wants to not only help the Church’s image in modern media but help the image and representation of all faiths.
“Media sometimes, when it shows faith and belief systems and sets, there’s a lot of myth and misperception,” Dye said. “There’s clicks for controversy. It doesn’t always represent the faith institutions in the best light or accuracy.”
Both are new to working with the organization and working to meet with people across the United States.
“We call ourselves sponges this year, just meeting people in New York, DC, LA and meeting young people, finding where young people want to be,” Dye said. “Eventually, at least the way I see it, right now will be the connective tissue between people in the media and people wanting to go into media and making that connection.”
To learn and hear more from Dye and Gustafson, listen to the full interview on BYU-Idaho Radio’s podcast on Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.