Grammy Nominee Adam Anders Finds Purpose in Faith-Based Films, Says ‘God’s Been Molding Me’
- Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Nov 25, 2024
The Grammy-nominated music producer who is best known for the hit television series Glee says he feels led by God to make entertainment that shines a light in a dark culture, with a 2023 faith-based project marking a turning point in his career. Adam Anders received Grammy nominations in 2011 and 2012 for Glee and in 2013 for Rock of Ages, yet in 2023, he stepped into the faith-based genre with the musical Journey to Bethlehem, which he wrote and directed. The film follows the biblical story of Mary and Joseph.
"My life changed completely with this movie, and I'm on a completely different track," Anders told Crosswalk Headlines.
Glee aired on Fox from 2009 to 2015, winning six Primetime Emmys with Anders serving as executive music producer. Anders also produced music for faith-based projects such as The Passion (2016) and Son of God (2014).
"My faith guides everything I do," Anders said. "I've lived in L.A. for 20 years, making movies out there, learning the craft, and trying to be salt and light."
Journey to Bethlehem marked his debut as a theatrical film director.
"We need movies that shine a light in this darkness," he said. "It's really rewarding to see how many non-believers have found this movie saying it changed their lives. And that's why I did it."
This summer, the song We Become We from Journey to Bethlehem went viral on TikTok.
"People are like, 'I have to go see this movie. I'm an atheist. I'm gonna go see it anyway.'"
Anders was raised in a family of faith.
"My parents were in ministry full time and traveling the world in missions and music ministry, and it really shaped my mission in life, and that's why I'm a little bit more evangelistic -- rather than making content just for Christians, I'm like, no, I want to reach outside of the church and reach the mainstream," he said. "And that's why I was living in Hollywood, making content there, and learning there. And that was really why I chose that."
Anders is working on two future projects, one a thriller and the other a musical. He's also celebrating the impact of Journey to Bethlehem, which was nominated for a Dove Award.
"I had the idea [for the movie] 17 years ago because I was at home at Christmas with family. I'm like, 'Why is there nothing we can watch as a family that points us to why we celebrate Christmas?' So God kind of planted that idea a long time ago, and then it took me 17 years to actually bring it to fruition. I had to learn how to make a movie.
"... Anytime you take a biblical story, it's a hornet's nest, and a lot of people may attack you for it, but God gave me this vision. I had to stick to it," Anders added. "And the vision was to make this a movie that whether you are a believer or not, you can sit down -- grandparents, parents, kids -- and watch it, enjoy it, whether you believe it or not, and be pointed to the gospel. And we accomplished it. And music is such a powerful force to do that, to penetrate and get past defenses. So that's why I wanted to make it a musical, too, because great music will pull people in, and we've seen that.
Journey to Bethlehem, he said, made a "huge" impact on his life.
"When I was on set directing this movie, I knew I had found my calling," he said. "Because my whole career has been music. I've been very blessed with a great career, and to take a big shift and walk away from that career, to take a risk like this, I didn't know if it was going to be good. I didn't know if I could do it. And for it to turn up the way it did, and for me to know so clearly, this is what I meant to do. And it took me 40-something years to find it was pretty amazing. God's been molding me, teaching me how to do this."
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Adam Anders
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.
