Collide Magazine

Producer Spotlight: Gary Molander of Floodgate Productions

COLLIDE Staff - Originally posted Friday, June 27, 2008 -

Not only is Gary Molander a regular COLLIDE columnist; he’s also a talented producer of media resources for churches through his company, Floodgate Productions. Molander and his two partners, Jason Rowe and Dave Wilkins, have created some of the best resources released in the last year or two, so this feature is long overdue. For a sampling of Floodgate’s credentials, start with the inspiring video “Gift of Worship.” We’re confident you’ll be just as impressed as we are. Here’s what Molander had to say about Floodgate’s origins, inspiration, and vision.

COLLIDE: What inspired the three of you to start Floodgate?

Gary Molander: In October 2005, the three of us were leading worship at a men’s retreat, and we began talking about what an artistic collaboration might look like. Dave was working in the art department of a large retail chain, Jason was working at a church as their graphics guy, and I was in the middle of pastoral detox after serving as a full-time pastor for 17 years. We had been friends for years, so it was easy for us to begin dreaming. We talked about creating a different kind of business. We began to dream about what a business based on grace might look like. What would it look like to treat each other with grace? When we were able to hire employees, how would daily grace manifest itself with them?

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We immediately agreed that we should all get paid the same, and that we should all have equal input. We agreed that we would never have any established office hours, that we would never look over each other’s shoulders, and that we would grant complete trust. We agreed that stirring the Church with the aroma of Christ was primary, and that our own finances would be secondary. We agreed to give money away to people in need, and we agreed to do this on a regular basis—even during seasons when we wouldn’t get paid ourselves. We agreed we would fulfill God’s dreams for us each day by listening hard to the cry of our desires and passions. We agreed we would close down the office to see movies in the middle of our workdays. We agreed our friends and families would always take precedence over any job. We agreed there would never be job descriptions, and we would never create a mission statement. And this is the team God has created. We launched in February 2006.

Most people think I’m the guy in charge because I’m the “face” of Floodgate. That’s not the case at all. Every decision we make is brought to the table, discussed, and either decided on unanimously or discarded. Our team is like a relationship among brothers in a family. One brother has a bit more experience, so he’s able to help the others. But at no point are any of the brothers lesser or greater. They are all equal.

COLLIDE: When your team sets out to create a video, what is your goal?

Molander: We use the word “stir” a lot. We know that our films are shown primarily in churches, so we’re trying to create pieces that “stir” the average church attendee. The three of us serve in our own church as worship leaders. Every Sunday, we look at people who need stirring. Every morning we wake up and look at people in the mirror who need stirring.

With that in mind, our goal is never to preach. In our industry, videos that preach don’t serve churches well. We’d rather bring up a topic that touches the emotions of the viewer, then just let it hang there for the pastor to resolve. People respond much better to God’s voice that way.

COLLIDE: Several of your recent releases have been very popular among churches. Why do you think that is?

Molander: I think it’s very helpful for filmmakers to serve in a church and have a close relationship with their senior pastor. We have that kind of relationship with our church and with Joe, our senior pastor. Our videos come out of serving in our local church. Honestly, we’ve never produced a film that didn’t start in our own church, either as a simple observation (“Welcome to Our Church”) or a frustration (“The Gift of Worship”).

I always tell younger filmmakers to make their senior pastor their new best friend. I believe filmmakers should volunteer their services to their church, offering them one custom video every 4-6 weeks. We can’t serve the global church unless we’re first serving our local church.

COLLIDE: In particular, a lot of people love “Gift of Worship.” Did you know that video had the potential to impact a large audience?

Molander: When we found out that we could get Jeremy Riddle’s “Sweetly Broken” license, we jumped on it. We started with that incredible song and created a video around it. In rare instances, a song is so good that you just make a video because of the song.

People ask us how long it took to make “The Gift of Worship”; I tell them it took 17 years—the amount of time I was a paid pastor in a local church. This video is everything I believe about worship rolled up into three minutes.

When we released “The Gift of Worship” we had no idea what it would become. I thought some worship leaders would pick it up and drop it into the middle of their worship sets. I never thought senior pastors would be interested.

COLLIDE: What’s your vision for the future of Floodgate?

Molander: We’ve dumped a lot of money into professional video equipment, so you’ll see some professional quality footage come out of our corner of the world. But more important, we see Floodgate becoming large enough to be the umbrella company for anything God calls us to do. Jason wants to launch a recording studio for young musicians looking to break into the industry, as well as create artwork for the music industry. Dave wants to challenge the world of fine art with Christian thought. I want to build wells in third-world countries. We talk about doing a full-length feature film. We see Floodgate managing and financing these things, and more.

To find out more about Floodgate Productions, visit www.floodgateproductions.com.