Creative Christians

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Film Scholar Dr. Philip Hohle started teaching video production & communication courses at Concordia Lutheran College in Austin, Texas in the 1980’s.  Host Tim Ristow was one of his students in his Introduction to Media class.     

Hohle went on to form his own production company, Parabolic Productions, in 1991 and has produced hundreds of videos over 20+ years in video production.  Parabolic eventually became the preferred video production company for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in St. Louis.  Today, Hohle continues to maintain his company, now rebranded as Parbolic Media, as a marketing, public relations and academic support firm.

Hohle returned to academics, got his Ph.D. and became a film scholar.  Hohle has written 3 books: Lenses: Ten Ways to Interpret the Movies You Love (and some you hated) in 2018; Leading from the Bottom: When a Beloved Organization Breaks Your Heart that same year; and Cinema and Religion: The Filmmaker’s Prayer in 2019.  He’s also written a chapter in the book Movies from the Mountaintop:100+ Films that Express God, Explore Faith and Enlighten Church by Cody Benjamin released in 2022.  Each of these books is available on Amazon.com.

Today, Dr. Hohle teaches speech communication at Mary Hardin-Baylor University in Belton, Texas.

This episode is the second half of a two-part interview with Dr. Hohle.  The first half focused on his experiences as a filmmaker while this part focuses on his academic career in film analysis.

For more information about Dr. Hohle visit parabolicmedia.com.

Send Tim a Text Message.

Filmmaker Philip Hohle started producing videos and films at Concordia Lutheran College in Austin, Texas in the 1980’s.  He also taught communications classes at the college and host Tim Ristow was one of his students in his Introduction to Media class.    

Hohle went on to form his own production company, Parabolic Productions, in 1991.  Parabolic eventually became the preferred video production company for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in St. Louis.  Hohle started producing the event and post-gathering videos for the National Youth Gatherings of the Lutheran church for many years. The gatherings were massive ministry events taking place every 3 years (and took that long to plan) and hosted in a different city around the country each year.

Hohle eventually returned to academics, got his Ph.D. and became a film scholar.  Hohle has written 3 books: Lenses: Ten Ways to Interpret the Movies You Love (and some you hated) in 2018; Leading from the Bottom: When a Beloved Organization Breaks Your Heart that same year; and Cinema and Religion: The Filmmaker’s Prayer in 2019.  He’s also written a chapter in the book Movies from the Mountaintop:100+ Films that Express God, Explore Faith and Enlighten Church by Cody Benjamin released in 2022.

Today, Dr. Hohle teaches speech communication at Mary Hardin-Baylor University in Belton, Texas.

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Tim welcomes author Dr. Kurt Senske to the show to discuss his calling and his writing.  Dr. Senske has written four books: "The Wine and the Word: Savor & Serve" (2014), "The Calling: Live a Life of Significance" (2010),  "Personal Values" (2004), and "Executive Values" (2003).  Senske has a fifth book arriving in 2023, tentatively titled "The CEO and the Board: The Art of Governance as a Competitive Advantage".  Senske served as CEO of Upbring (formerly Lutheran Social Services) for 23 years.  

Prior to working at Upbring, Kurt served as Assistant to the President at Concordia University Texas. He also practiced law in Chicago with several law firms.  He has also served as a senior staff member and policy advisor for government leaders at local, state, and national levels for both the Republican and Democratic Parties.

He has also served on many boards as both chair and board member.  Senske is Founder and Principal CEO for Board Services, a consulting firm that specializes in working with mission-oriented organizational leaders and boards around issues of governance, strategy, organizational structure, succession planning, coaching, and mergers and acquisitions.

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Tim continues his interview with his friend and VoiceOver artist Monte Reid from Sweden.  Hear some of Monte's creative character voices and learn about some of the most unusual places & spaces where Monte has had to record voicoevers.   Monte discusses some of his experiences on film sets and in video productions, both as an actor and voice talent.  Hear a sample song from Monte as he discusses why he is so passionate about singing.  In addition, Tim asks Monte about his book, "Speak from the Heart", about public speaking, which is available on Amazon.com.  Monte shares inspiring thoughts about remembering who we are here to serve through our work as creatives and ultimately through our lives as Christians.  Part two of a two-part episode.

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In this episode, host Tim Ristow talks with his friend and voice talent Monte Reid from Sweden.  Monte has recorded his voice for thousands of film trailers, documentaries and productions.  He's also an actor, singer, writer and former youth minister.  Get to know Monte, including how he and Tim first met; hear stories from some of Monte's voiceover career and a sample of his voice work; hear a wonderful story about how Monte met his wife, Marica; learn how he went from Texas to Colorado and ultimately ended up in Sweden;  hear about one of Monte's first acting gigs; Monte also discusses his process for working, some of the unique audio gear he uses for voice work and the importance of his Christian faith being an integral part of decision making in his work life.  Part one of a two-part episode.

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Host Tim Ristow gets to know the creative side of author & pastor, Mike Newman.  Ristow delves into Newman's approach to writing and how he approaches the creative process.  Newman also reflects on how sharing aspects of his personal story is an important asset in connecting with readers, talks about dealing with pain and loss in his own personal history, and examines how his faith informs his writing.  Newman has written a dozen books, including "Harrison Town", "There Is No God - Or Is There?", "Hope When Your Heart Breaks" and "Getting Through Grief" among others.   He serves as president of the Texas District of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) church body.