Jon Erwin, Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten Launch Faith-Based Indie Studio The Wonder Project; Jason Blum, Lionsgate, UTA Among Backers

Veteran producer Jon Erwin and former Netflix and YouTube exec Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten have announced the launch of The Wonder Project, a new independent studio that will cater to faith and values-oriented audiences.

Founded by Chief Content Officer Erwin and overseen by CEO Hoogstraten, The Wonder Project will look to create premium film and TV content for what they see as a huge audience that has traditionally been underserved by the entertainment industry. They’ll aim to build on the marked success in this arena of such recent titles as The Chosen and The Sound of Freedom, as well as older works like The Passion of the Christ, Heaven is for Real, I Can Only Imagine, War Room, Miracles from Heaven, and Soul Surfer, as they build their global audience.

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More than $75 million in seed and Series A funding was raised ahead of launch from such major players as Sovereign’s Capital, Lionsgate, Powerhouse Capital, United Talent Agency, and Jason Blum, to name just a few. Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the enormously popular faith-based series The Chosen, is a large shareholder in the company and will serve as a special advisor, also exec producing some of its content. Further creator partnerships will be announced down the line.

A faith-based entertainment pioneer, Erwin has had a highly successful track record with titles like Jesus Revolution, American Underdog, and I Can Only Imagine. A further boon to the company is Hoogstraten’s proven track record of building successful online and streaming strategies at global platforms.

“The dream of The WONDER Project is to create a trusted brand that serves the faith and values audience globally with movies and TV shows they didn’t know were possible,” said Erwin. “We will achieve this by giving the creatives dedicated to this audience (including myself) a level of freedom and resources they’ve never had before. This level of talent combined with the power of the stories we are developing is really inspiring! I can’t wait for the audience to experience the things we are working on.”

“I believe entertainment sits upstream from culture. And today, the world needs a way to find common ground again,” added Hoogstraten. “Here at The WONDER Project, our goal is to flood the world with hope. I am convinced we can make a difference by telling stories that restore hope in things worth believing in – family, community, God, and America. We will do this at scale for a global audience that seeks faith and values-driven entertainment. And we will give the audience a brand they can call their own.”

Moelis & Company, LLC and NextGen Capital acted as placement agents for the Series A funding, with Eisner LLP acting as legal advisor to the company.

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