John Gowan gives a master class in every aspect of television production from lighting to labeling tapes, from casting to editing. No detail of the journey is omitted from conception to post-production, from music to marketing. And he achieves all this with a true simplicity, a genuine lightness of touch and a complete absence of patronization. The 58 pages that begin this book could easily be made into a small booklet in their own right. They represent the best and most profound exposition of the Christian calling in mass media that I have ever encountered. I believe every Christian considering working in television would richly benefit from reading them. Gowan shows a unique understanding of the television medium, of the audience, and of the standard of excellence required to engage that audience. This is a remarkable book that can benefit anyone, no matter what level of the industry they are engaged in. It is a film school in 226 short pages. And it will change many people's understanding of what God is calling them to do forever. Bart Gavigan, screenwriter and film producer
About the Author: John Gowan first appeared as an actor and singer in various productions on the first TV station in Ecuador, HCJB's La Ventana de los Andes. Upon graduating from Biola College (now Biola University) in communications and theater, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California. He then taught theater at Westmont College where he directed numerous stage productions, including his own adaptation of Shelley's Frankenstein. Upon joining the television department of missionary broadcaster HCJB Global, John directed and edited various television series while teaching acting and TV production in the Christian Center of Communications. In 1989 he directed and edited the award-winning feature TV movie Canción de Navidad, a Latin American adaptation of Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. It premiered internationally on the Telemundo network. John supervised the Spanish dubbing for a variety of TV series from North America and European ministries including Family Films, Grizzly Adams Productions, Day of Discovery, EO International, Focus on the Family, In Touch Ministries and Love Worth Finding. He translated and directed the Spanish dubbing of several episodes of Big Idea Productions' "Veggietales", personally providing the Spanish voices for Mr. Nezzer and Mr. Lunt. In 2004 John was a translator and intercultural consultant for the filming of Every Tribe Entertainment's End of the Spear, training Embera Indians from Panama to act the roles of the Aucas from Ecuador who killed five missionaries in 1956. He appears in the film as Major Nurnberg, who led the rescue team that discovered the slain missionaries' bodies. John currently resides in Guatemala, from where he advises and trains various Christian ministries in the field of television production and broadcasting.