Production company broadcasts ‘positive stories about the faith’ in southeast Michigan

Northville — Flip through local stations during the morning and early afternoon, and what do you find?

Reruns of Friends; a segment on Chuck Norris’ newest exercise machine; a feature on the Holy Catholic Church improving people’s lives; maybe a commercial about that vegetable dicer you need in order to make your kitchen “complete.”

Wait, what was the third one?

Yes, that’s right. Looking to create and tell “positive stories about the faith,” a local production company is out to evangelize through a well-tested medium: television.

Two years ago, local producer Thomas Byrne started Catholic Legacy of Michigan with the hope of telling local stories about the faith, encouraging Catholics to explore their traditions and showing non-Catholics how beautiful the Church can be.

Byrne’s television experience includes working for William Beaumont Hospital, where he was hired in 1987 to start the Children’s Miracle Network in Detroit on TV 50. The job included producing content for the Easter Seals Telethon, a local infomercial that raised money for children with disabilities.

To prepare for the task, Byrne studied infomercials for hours on end, analyzing what makes the 30-minute commercials work.

“It’s about repeating the message,” said Byrne, a member of St. Cornelius Parish in Dryden. “You can’t just have one message and be it, people won’t get it. But if you keep pressing message, over time, more people will think about your product.”

Well, Byrne thought, if it works for Chuck Norris, why not have it work for the Catholic Church?

“The idea was to get active Catholics more active, motivate non-active Catholics and non-Catholics to try,” said Byrne, who launched Catholic Legacy of Michigan in June 2014. “We have a great product, just need to market it.”

Catholic Legacy of Michigan has already produced two programs on various vocations, including Holy Cross Children’s Services, the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan and the Knights of Columbus.

The Catholic Legacy team, which includes Emmy Award-winning 30-year veteran producer Norm Fankell, just finished a series of program about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit featuring Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda and superintendent Brian Dougherty, Ph.D.

“As the producer, I’ve found my job is very easy, because the people we interview have such a strong Catholic faith, which comes across in our interviews,” Fankell said. “To add interest, I try to capture a visual message to support the interviews.”

The program on archdiocesan schools, the company’s third, is set to air in May on independent Detroit stations. The first two programs aired on local stations during paid programming blocks, as well as in the Flint, Grand Rapids and Lansing markets.

“There is a hunger out there for news and stories from a Catholic perspective,” Byrne said. “There isn’t enough in terms of TV promotion about the positive things going on in the faith. In general media, it’s mostly negative. With Pope Francis, it’s been positive things; but this gets down to evangelization, pushing for who we are as Catholics and how we can promote the faith.”

Catholic Legacy of Michigan is still in its infancy, and the program is supported by sponsors such as Alliance Catholic Credit Union, Carrier Corporation, Lesnau Printing, the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan and the Blue Water Vicariate, as well as donations from parishioners and visitors to the program’s website, www.catholiclegacymi.com, where examples of the group’s work can be seen.

Starting every program with the saying, “Proud to be Catholic,” or “Blessed to be Catholic,” Byrne hopes Catholic Legacy of Michigan can be a game-changer in Catholic broadcasting.

“The quality of production to make it interesting is so important,” Byrne said. “We want to bring in the millions of non-active Catholics and millions of non-Catholics to the faith. That’s the goal of Catholic Legacy. It won’t happen overnight, but if we get on the air, keep getting sponsors and donors, keeping telling the positive stories Catholics have to offer, we will be successful.”

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Catholic Legacy of Michigan

To view Catholic Legacy of Michigan’s videos, find out more or to donate, visit www.catholiclegacymi.com.