HOLYWOOD STUDIOS

HOLYWOOD STUDIOS is a Chrisian film and media company started in 1983 by Dr. Clifford E. Turner. Ahead of its time, Holywood Studios was birthed from a vision that God gave Apostle Turner of the "L" in Hollywood falling off of the famous Hollywood sign and leaving the word--HOLYWOOD. Having had an interest in filmmaking since childhood, and understanding the power of media, Dr. Turner decided to use drama to minister to his congregation and his television audience through various Holywood Studios productions. It wasn't long before Gospel Theatre was birthed, termed a Christian Saturday night live, that aired on Saturday nights in Chicago on TV 38. Gospel Theatre, way ahead of its time, depicted the realities, struggles, ironies, and lessons learned in both secular and Christian life. Gospel theatre sketches covered a wide variety of topics including promiscuity, church culture, hypocrisy, and peer pressure. Gospel Theatre took Chicago by storm and was one the highest rated program on TV 38. Those drama presentations, now entitled Gospel Theater Classics, have been digitized and remastered and continue to minister to thousands yearly. The most acclaimed Holywood Studios production began in 1990, a drama series entitled, The Awakening. The Awakening started as a mere two-part skit for television. The series followed the perils of a young inner city teenager, Marquita Perry, and her struggles with premarital sex, drugs, peer pressure, and gang violence. This real life presentation was well received and took the viewing audience by storm. Calls and letters poured in by viewers asking for more. Dr. Turner obliged and the show ran seven seasons with over 150 episodes! The Awakening became the longest running Christian mini-series ever produced. During its sophomore season, The Awakening drew more viewers than the Arsenio Hall Show that aired during the same primetime slot in Chicago on Saturday nights. Not only was the show a ratings sweeper, The Awakening also won the 1991 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement for Entertainment Programs for a Series. The Awakening also received four Angel Awards for Best Religious Series and Best Producer. An estimated 100 million people have seen and experienced the Awakening in the US and abroad. The Awakening viewing audiences spanned from New York to Los Angeles and even Japan, and Israel. Now, over 30 years later, Holywood Studios still has the same mission: to produce wholesome, relevant, and timely productions that will teach, minister and influence the viewer positively. Holywood studios has a library of hundreds of productions that cover a wide range of topics. The messages that are depicted in all of the Holywood Studio productions are timeless, and will always minister to a broad range of cultures, religions, classes and nationalities. Holywood studios is Real Life on Reel. Some of its most recent projects include THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY AWAKENING REUNION SHOW, and 'THE MAKING OF THE AWAKENING" documentary that is currently in production, hosted by Roland Martin.