Don’t be caught being defined by outside brands and labels — When we are young, we want to wear the right clothes, drive the right cars, be near the right people. This can often be suffocating. I’ve learned that the purer I am in being my own true self, the greater the chance will be that I am surrounded by all of the things that make me so.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Ide, co-founder, Grace-Based Films.
Director Brian Ide has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years as a producer/director. He co-founded Hollywood-based Grace-Based Films, a 501(c)3 revolutionary film production company with Steven Fleenor. Its mission is to tell compelling stories through film that meet 21st-century audiences exactly where they are in the messiness of life, emboldening them in their belovedness by revealing the complexity of living a life in hope and faith.
A Case for Love is his premiere feature-length documentary. After producing and directing his last feature film, This Day Forward, he traveled the U.S., presenting the movie in religious institutions, theaters, and community centers while discussing the film’s message and experiencing its impact on audiences. Following that tour, the Lutheran Church of Australia called him to their communities to do the same. The film’s website has 50 pages of responses to that tour.
Before founding Grace-Based Films, he directed Clear Lake, WI and the recent faith-based short film Reconcile, which has been viewed and used in 47 countries. A three-time national judge for the Polly Bond Awards, he has spoken to colleges, faith centers, and film programs nationwide about the intersection of film and faith, and is drawn to stories that focus on what unites us rather than what divides.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
Sure! I grew up in Iowa and Missouri. When I was in high school, I hurt by back, so basketball was no longer an option. That caused me to try theater, which changed my life. At that same time, I got a job at our local movie theater and the world of cinema and its ability to make the imaginary-real, grabbed a hold of me and never let go. Growing up in Iowa in the 90s, nobody spoke about film school and there were no mentors available to me to help guide my career. So, my film school was in experimenting. I moved to Dallas for a year before being pulled to Los Angeles. Over the last 25 years, I’ve slowly learned the nuances of what makes the entertainment industry tick, and I ended up finding my way to the work that I do now.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Just one mistake story?!? Man, it feels like I’ve had a million. I was on a film set in the middle of the night while in college where an intense scene was building filmed in the middle of nowhere. I was a lowly volunteer production assistant, and my job was to sit in the car at the top of the hill and make sure no traffic came. Somehow, I set the car alarm off which echoed throughout the entire valley, and I couldn’t figure out how to disarm it. Needless to say, the crew was not happy :).
More in the spirit of what you are exploring, when I lived in Des Moines, I was desperate to try and get my name known to the decision makers. So a buddy and I went out and bought 50 large pizzas and put our headshot inside each box. Then we delivered them to every casting person and producer we could find. Our agent was not happy, but it taught me very early that I couldn’t wait around for things to miraculously happen for me. I needed to make my own way.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I’ve been blessed to have traveled all over the country for my work, spending time with thousands of people. I’ve filmed famous actors, politicians and religious leaders. All were interesting and kind to me, which I am grateful for. That said, the people and stories that have really impacted my life were the ordinary people who I spent time with along the way. People who were dying or hurting in some profound way. People who would see one of our films and then feel vulnerable enough to share their own story. People who were desperate to be heard and acknowledged. Those are the people that I create my films for. Now I make sure that every project I do, I go back on the road and spend time in unexpected places with unexpected people.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
Of course, as a religious person, my first response is Jesus Christ, but that is a pretty high bar. In more recent times, I am a HUGE revolutionary war fan. What the individuals in that period risked and built is a miracle. This messy, complicated country that we live in now is also the place where we are free to dream, share our own thoughts, innovate and attempt to change our lives in whichever way we choose. This is possible because of what they tackled 250 years ago.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
While I believe that media has been used to do harm, I also believe that it can be used to do good. That is where Grace-Based Films (www.gracebasedfilms.org) comes in. Because we are funded entirely by donors and not the studios or investors, we get to tell stories that we believe can help the world. All of our films focus in some way on bringing people together, usually by telling hopeful but also challenging life stories. This is especially the case in our new documentary A Case for Love, which is a story about a journey across American exploring what unselfish love means in our divided world. We get to be a voice of finding common ground when many of the national platers benefit from keeping us divided.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
A Case for Love was offered to us, so that was very much my “aha moment”. A dear friend was connected to Bishop Michael Curry whose message is the inspiration for this film and asked us if we would be interested in exploring what this could be. We jumped at the opportunity. Of course, choosing to take action and then getting to the finish line are two very different things. What kept me going was a deep desire to not just be a victim to the societal ills, but rather to use whatever gifts I might have to be an agent of good. From there, it was a journey of trusting that the right people and the right stories would come together to create something special.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
The beauty of this work is that people’s lives are impacted by the ‘making’ of the film, not just the end result. While filming across America, when we pulled over to the side of the road and asked random people their thoughts, I repeatedly experienced a reaction that said: “You want to know what I think? Nobody ever asks what I think.” In those few moments, they felt heard and valued in a world that typically ‘tells’ them what they should be thinking. I’ve also been blessed to have been with audiences across America who have seen the end result. Many of them saw themselves in the stories that were showcased and that also gave them a sense of being seen. Our film is not about perfect people or easy lives, rather it showcases the beauty and challenges of complex lives. It is easy for us to feel very alone when we are navigating challenging situations and there is a sense of validation that comes with someone like you being vulnerable enough to share their story on camera.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Yes! Selfishly, the first thing is to tell others about the film: www.acaseforlovemovie.com. Not because the film is perfect, but because it does create a safe space for others to feel safe enough to tell their story.
Another thing is to seek out whatever it is in life that makes sense for you to make the world better. For most of us, this is going to be something small like holding the door or sharing a smile. That sounds trivial, but it creates ripple effects that we will never realize.
Finally, support those organizations who are in the trenches doing critical work for social good. That might be in social bridge-building or interfaith or racial justice, climate or sexual identity work. These groups are often led by remarkable people and create real change with very limited resources. Sharing your creative, financial, logistical gifts with them can magnify that impact.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1). Don’t be limited by other people’s opinions of you — the world needs people to try new things and explore the fringes of the norm. I’ve tried to do this my entire life and it isn’t easy, but it is so worthwhile. I’m still rocked when someone says something critical about me or my work, but I am getting better about staying focused on the greater good rather than those opinions.
2) Make sure that you are always driving by your ‘why’ — There are so many outside influences that are pulling us to help serve their ‘why’ that it can be very difficult to stay grounded in where we put our energy. If we do this long enough, it is easy to become hopeless. For me, this now drives everything that I do. The entertainment business is incredibly difficult, and the rules are changing every day. The odds are stacked against me to find any real success, so rather than playing by the industry’s rules, I am guided by my own. The clearer that I am about understanding and then communicating my ‘why’ the more that others around me are drawn towards helping me achieve it.
3). Make sure the world is a little better because you woke up today — Life is short and I’ve learned through people that I care deeply about that none of us are guaranteed to be here tomorrow. This was especially clear to me on my last film when we told a true story about a worship leader, father of three young girls who was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 38. He has since passed. To spend years working on a project like that and being intimately connected to his family, you can’t help but be reminded of this fact. Make the most of today in some small way.
4) Leaders are not perfect — Early in my journey I gave enormous power to casting directors, producers, potential funders, corporate officers and more, because they had power over my career. I eventually learned that they are all navigating the same insecurities in life that I am, they just cover it well with their titles. Ultimately, most of them wanted me to be successful because it makes them more successful. Their lives were better if I was good. We all win when we all win.
5). Don’t be caught being defined by outside brands and labels — When we are young, we want to wear the right clothes, drive the right cars, be near the right people. This can often be suffocating. I’ve learned that the purer I am in being my own true self, the greater the chance will be that I am surrounded by all of the things that make me so.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
It genuinely feels good to do it! There doesn’t have to be a separation from how you make money and how you benefit others. Doing good doesn’t have to be something that is some sort of altruistic activity in the future. Intentionally seeking out opportunities to impact others in some small way creates habits that lead toward greater opportunities. Those opportunities are often able to translate directly into things that benefit you in traditional ways.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
So many, it is hard to choose! That said, I would have to say Mackenzie Scott, which probably sounds self-serving. I choose her because one of the greatest barriers that I see in doing good through film is that the industry is built to benefit those who make them money, no matter the social cost. Collaborating with someone whose has the natural ability to change that model while seeking different outcomes could lead to remarkable impact. Film has that power to cut through age, geography, income, race and technology. It stirs people in ways that are wholly unique, and it lives forever so its impact can be generational. That is what I love about it.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I’ve been blessed to have had many. That said, I am deeply impacted by a quote from my recent interview with Pete Buttigieg. We were talking about social media conflict, but his response translates way beyond that. He said that it is important to remember in that conflict that God loves you and the person you are dealing with, equally. Whoa, that is true and so difficult to live out.
How can our readers follow you online?
IMDb: https://www.imhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm2764905/?ref_=ext_shr_lnkdb.com/title/tt14116090/
Website: www.gracebasedfilms.org
Facebook (socials): https://www.facebook.com/ACaseForLove
Instagram (socials): https://instagram.com/acaseforlovemovie
TikTok (socials): https://tiktok.com/@acaseforlovemovie
X (announcements): https://twitter.com/acaseforlove
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Grace-BasedFilms
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Brian Ide of Grace-Based Films Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.