YouTube Transcript [“as is”, unedited]

0:00
so here’s the fact the chosen has become
0:02
one of the most popular shows in the
0:04
world by every measure it’s been viewed
0:06
coming up on half a billion times we’re
0:08
in every single country translated over
0:10
60 languages uh last year Roku released
0:14
their top five most searched programs or
0:16
movies on the entire system and we were
0:19
number five right up there with
0:20
Yellowstone and SpongeBob SquarePants
0:22
all this stuff and yet
0:25
because we’re free it’s a struggle for
0:28
us to be funded all these other projects
0:29
that you hear about all these other
0:31
projects that are as successful or more
0:33
successful than us are done by big
0:35
streamers big platforms big networks big
0:37
studios who have billions and billions
0:39
and billions of dollars at their
0:41
disposal so when those shows or movies
0:43
first come out they’re not making money
0:45
just yet because it costs a lot of money
0:47
to make those shows and then they sell
0:48
advertising or they sell us they sell a
0:51
subscription or if you watch on cable
0:53
you know you’re watching it you know
0:54
you’re paying 150 bucks a month or
0:56
whatever and all that ends up going to
0:57
these production companies and Studios
0:59
they can afford to pump a lot of money
1:01
in even before the show is making money
1:04
but we can’t do that we don’t have those
1:06
kinds of resources we don’t have uh all
1:09
the billions at our disposal to be able
1:10
to invest early on before the show has
1:13
even been become profitable and as you
1:16
probably know the money that comes in
1:18
for the show is going right back to the
1:20
show we have to finance the next season
1:21
it’s not like we can just stop and and
1:24
sit back and enjoy the fruits of our
1:26
labor you know obviously everyone has
1:28
salaries and everyone’s we’re doing fine
1:30
but the show itself won’t happen if
1:33
we’re not putting the money that’s
1:34
coming in right back into the show and
1:36
here’s another fact at least 95 percent
1:39
of the viewers who watch this show never
1:42
contribute anything they don’t pay for
1:44
it whether if they’re paying for it on
1:46
you know buying it on a DVD or if they
1:49
have the opportunity to donate to the
1:50
come and see Foundation they don’t now
1:52
this is not a complaint I’m not making
1:54
you feel guilty I’m thrilled
1:57
I’m thrilled
1:58
because that means that I mean if this
2:00
show wasn’t free you might not be able
2:02
to watch it and so the people who do
2:03
donate or who do purchase gifts one of
2:06
the reasons that that happens is so that
2:08
you can watch it for free so I’m
2:09
thrilled but I do want to say if this
2:12
season has impacted you I want to remind
2:14
you of the fact that if you were
2:15
watching this on say Amazon or iTunes or
2:18
something like that where they
2:19
oftentimes will sell episodes one at a
2:21
time these eight episodes that we did
2:23
that if you were to pay two dollars and
2:26
fifty cents for each episode which I
2:27
think is reasonable Fair full season
2:30
would be twenty dollars that’s what a
2:32
full season that’s what season three
2:34
would typically cost you now if you were
2:36
watching an Amazon or iTunes it’s
2:37
probably a little bit more than that 24
2:38
or whatever let’s just let’s just round
2:39
off
2:40
twenty dollars well I wanna show you
2:43
something
2:44
um
2:45
[Music]
2:48
we got this about a month ago
2:51
December there’s a
2:53
there’s a there’s a little sticker on it
2:54
I don’t think I don’t think you do this
2:56
it’s a Christmas tree it says to The
2:57
Chosen from Judy Judy’s an older woman
3:00
uh and she wrote this really lovely
3:03
letter I’m not going to read you the
3:04
whole letter and she said I’m sorry and
3:06
sad it isn’t more for this blessed
3:08
Blessed Mission all I have access to at
3:10
this time
3:11
but I do intend to list in funeral
3:13
donations so poor Judy is already
3:15
talking about if I ever have a funeral
3:16
I’ll tell them to donate a God willing
3:18
and blessing Judy read this and here’s
3:21
what’s in in this envelope
3:24
twenty dollars
3:26
she sent twenty dollars cash I know that
3:28
she wants us to put this to the come and
3:30
see Foundation which I will and this 20
3:33
bill right here
3:34
means as much to me if not more
3:37
then
3:39
a few of the folks who over the last you
3:42
know couple months have given way more
3:44
you know we’ve heard we’ve had some six
3:45
figure donations and and there are some
3:47
of seven figure donations this and I’m
3:51
sure they would agree it means Justice
3:53
more he’s doing what she can but let’s
3:55
just say 10 percent
3:57
ten percent of the people who’ve watched
3:59
it just one out of ten of the people
4:01
who’ve watched it
4:02
did what Jody did
4:04
twenty dollars
4:06
for the cost of one season
4:08
we would actually be funded
4:10
for the rest of our Four Seasons forever
4:13
and you wouldn’t hear from me again
4:14
about financing future episodes and
4:16
Seasons just ten percent
4:18
right now it’s like in a little less
4:20
than five percent of people who give
4:21
something now of course there are some
4:24
people who give more than twenty dollars
4:25
and some people who give less I’m just
4:26
saying just think of it this way if by
4:29
some chance ten percent of the people
4:30
who watch the show or have seen the show
4:32
in some way just did this that would
4:34
Finance the production of the rest of
4:36
the Four Seasons some of this is
4:37
uncomfortable for me to talk about
4:38
because it sounds like I’m trying to
4:40
raise money and I didn’t set out when I
4:42
first started making the chosen I wasn’t
4:44
thinking I was going to have to be
4:45
raising money it’s just the way that
4:46
this you know model works and when we
4:48
decided back in 2020 to make the show
4:50
totally free part of it was going to be
4:52
well we’re not going to be doing
4:52
commercials but we are going to uh you
4:55
know I guess I’m just going to have to
4:56
talk about this sometimes and talk about
4:57
how can give I have a few things that I
5:01
want to say that are very important do
5:03
not give
5:04
the following is true do not give if you
5:07
can’t afford it I don’t want you to if
5:09
you’re watching this somewhere and you
5:10
cannot afford to give to the come and
5:12
see Foundation I do not want you to I do
5:15
not want you to give money that you
5:17
cannot afford to to to to lose quote
5:20
unquote wherever you’re watching this
5:21
wherever your status is if you can
5:22
afford it I don’t want you to if you
5:24
don’t want to give I don’t want you to
5:26
like if you don’t trust the future
5:27
episodes for example let’s say you’re
5:29
waiting until we’re all done we’re done
5:30
with all seven seasons and you just want
5:32
to wait until that point before you give
5:34
anything because you’re not sure if you
5:35
can trust that we’re going to steep keep
5:36
being faithful to the Bible or we’re
5:38
going to keep making good episodes then
5:39
don’t give wait until we’re done with
5:41
the Seven Seasons another reason to not
5:43
give if this season disappointed you or
5:45
it didn’t impact you the episode you
5:47
just saw didn’t impact you in some way
5:49
or disappointed you in some way don’t
5:51
give don’t give to the come and see
5:52
Foundation I don’t want you to it’s fine
5:53
just enjoy the free show if you’ve
5:55
already given your Loaves and fish
5:56
you’ve already given your contribution
5:57
and you’re thinking you know what I’ve
5:59
given quite a bit I’ve done my my two
6:02
fish and Five Loaves and it’s time for
6:04
others to participate that’s fine too
6:06
that’s great thank you I’m not asking
6:08
you to keep doing more if you don’t want
6:10
to or if you can’t or if at some point
6:11
you’re like okay I’ve done way more than
6:13
20 and I at some point it’s time for
6:15
others to step up to that’s fine too but
6:17
if you can if this show blessed you in
6:19
some way if this season blessed you in
6:21
some way if it impacted you in some way
6:23
and if you’re able to and if you have
6:25
the desire to then yes I’m outright
6:27
saying please do but I want to read you
6:29
this note that I got so on this one came
6:31
from someone who is older uh far from
6:35
their funeral this one came from the
6:38
opposite end of the spectrum I want to
6:40
read this to you this is another reason
6:41
why we do this and another reason why
6:43
the show is free dear Dallas Jenkins
6:46
my name is Eloise
6:47
I’m a 12 year old girl by and if when
6:50
you read this I will be in Germany that
6:52
is why I am writing when I’m writing
6:54
just in case
6:55
before Arkansas however I lived in
6:57
Hawaii in case you’re wondering I’m a
6:59
military child
7:00
I was in the sixth grade and studying
7:02
world history
7:03
in the world as you know there are many
7:05
religions so as I dove deeper into the
7:07
study of them I started to question my
7:09
faith I was going to a Lutheran School
7:11
which meant that I was constantly
7:12
reminded of this
7:14
I started to cry at night
7:16
I wanted so bad to believe
7:18
I had been faithful all my life and was
7:20
even learning about communion I could
7:22
feel the light in my life slipping away
7:24
was I going to go to hell
7:26
my life was miserable but then my
7:28
teacher twice a week
7:30
started to put on the chosen
7:32
from episode one I was hooked I kept on
7:36
watching and watching
7:37
I showed it to my parents
7:39
see people spread the word and talked
7:42
about it with everyone I about the
7:44
second season on DVD with my own money
7:49
one day I picked up the Bible
7:51
and I started to read a chapter a day of
7:53
the of the New Testament
7:56
and it changed my life
7:58
I’m now on the book of Acts taking
8:00
communion doing prayer journals
8:02
highlighting the Bible and spreading the
8:03
word of God to everyone I have watched
8:05
both seasons one and two about 12 times
8:08
each and have literally never gotten
8:11
tired of it
8:12
it is funny biblically accurate
8:14
emotional and inspiring Bravo
8:19
thank you so all in all what I’m trying
8:23
to say here is thank you
8:25
God used this to save me the Lord
8:28
created everyone for thousands of
8:30
reasons
8:31
I believe I’m one of the reasons for you
8:33
thank you again so much
8:35
I’ll be praying for you and all of those
8:37
working with and in the show
8:39
God bless you
8:40
from your saved friend Eloise
8:45
um
8:48
she talks about thing
8:51
I think that’s for you too
8:52
I mean I make the show I bring my Loaves
8:55
and fish but I’m one of hundreds of
8:57
people who do that the show doesn’t
8:59
exist if if it’s not for our cast and
9:02
our crew
9:04
people who build sets all the way down
9:06
to people who are just volunteering so I
9:10
hope that you will consider
9:12
please consider
9:14
join joining Judy
9:16
and joining Eloise you give your Loaves
9:20
and fish we’ll give ours and together
9:22
we’ll watch
9:23
God feed five thousand
9:25
foreign