The actress, who also serves as an executive at Great American Family, says the network’s movies differ from those on other channels because they’re not shy about celebrating faith and country.
Candace Cameron Bure, the chief content officer at Great American Family, told Christian Headlines that she was “thrilled” with the growth of the network in 2023 -- when it was TV's fastest-growing channel for 12 consecutive months -- and is excited about its future. Great American Family launched in 2021 as a rival of the Hallmark Channel.
“Our network really focuses on faith, family, and country. And that's what sets us apart,” Bure told Christian Headlines. “So you'll see that not every movie that we have talked about faith in a super-prominent way, but there are mentions of it. And unlike many other movies out there that will always focus on all the other aspects and the commercial aspects of Christmas -- we definitely have that in our movies -- we will bring you back to prayer before meal times or talking about [the fact] that Jesus is the reason for the season.”
Great American Family wants to incorporate faith “in all of our movies without hitting you over the head,” she said.
“We recognize there are lots of people who come to our channel and watch our movies that may be of a different faith, that that may not have faith at all, but we hope that you get a little -- a tinge -- of what faith in God means to us at the network and within our movies.”
The network embraces patriotism, she added.
“We love our country,” she said, noting that her 2023 holiday movie, My Christmas Hero, spotlighted the military.
“I was so grateful to produce that movie and star in it,” she said. “ … And that, again, is what our network is all about -- being proud Americans.
“I mean, that's what our network is named after -- it's Great American Family,” she added, laughing.
This month, Great American Family announced the network's first-ever original series, County Rescue, which spotlights a group of EMTs. It will premiere on Great American Pure Flix on Feb. 16 and on Great American Family on Feb. 17. Great American Pure Flix is the network’s streaming service.
Great American Family said a mystery franchise will launch in the coming weeks. Additionally, two new original series -- Destination Heaven and Shadrach -- will launch this year on Great American Pure Flix. Season 2 of the original series Going Home premiered Jan. 5 on Great American Pure Flix.
Meanwhile, Great American Media said it “will produce a record number of original movies across the company's services in 2024,” the announcement said.
Last year, the network had 20 new original movies for its Great American Christmas event.
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“We're so thrilled with everyone that has tuned in and found our channel,” Bure said. “... It is challenging to get people to seek out a new channel, subscribe to it, and then get on the train to support it. So we're so thankful for everyone who has found us. I think it is so fast growing because of our content.”
"Our movies, they're so heartwarming,” she added. “They are for the family, and they bring you back to a time and place, whether present or past, thinking of memories with loved ones -- that just makes you feel good. We don't have an agenda in our network. We simply want to entertain people with wonderful high-quality content.”
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Gabriel Olsen/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
