In this enlightening episode of The Calling, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson welcomes Jess Stainbrook to discuss how he has successfully integrated his faith into a flourishing media career. Discover how Jess has navigated the challenges of the media industry, remained true to his calling, and continues to inspire others through his work with the Faith and Sports Programming Network.
Welcome, everyone, to The Calling’s radio show to all the dreamers. I’m your radio host, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson, founder and CEO of The Calling, and it is such an honor to be with all of you today. You know, at The Calling, we have realized that so many people are afraid to go after the dreams that Jesus has placed inside each of our hearts because they are afraid to fail. And that is just plain wrong because if God has given us a dream, And we’re not living it out. We are wasting it. And we do not want to die with regret. That’s why at The Calling, we love to inspire, empower, and equip people to, after God’s calling on their lives, treat the best kind of eternal legacy possible to have immediate impact on ourselves and our families. And we let you do this through so many different avenues, through custom tools, workshops, seminars, conferences, but especially through this radio show where we’re able to bring on world-renowned guests to share how they’re going after their God-given dreams and how you can do the same. You guys, we are in for such a treat. I am so honored. to be able to announce that we have the one and only Jess Stainbrook on with us. Jess, welcome to the show.
JESS STAINBROOK :
Well, thanks for letting me join. It’s my honor and pleasure.
CHRYSANDRA :
We are so honored to have you and just your name rings a bell in so many different places and avenues to so many hearts tuning in. But just to be able to get a better picture of where they may have been able to hear your name from or seen you or hear you. Can you just share a little bit about your background and some of the leadership roles that you have held thus far?
JESS STAINBROOK :
Yeah, my goodness, depending on who your audience is, they may have seen some of my materials through our FSPN Faith and Sports Programming Network. We are usually at the Super Bowl. We’ve been to the last 19 Super Bowls doing interviews with players. And that would be myself and my crew. And a lot of times I’ll do the stand-ups as well. And then our programs actually broadcast on TV. various networks, both secular and Christian networks. And then a lot of people may have seen some of our stuff out there, whether it’s online. I mean, most of the times if you hear an interview with a player and he’s talking about Jesus, that’s probably one of our guys or us having that conversation. Right. You may also, if you’re a college student, you may have me as a professor at Colorado Christian University. I head up their digital media program over there and I have a bunch of students that are really doing a great job in media and kind of the things that you’re doing there.
CHRYSANDRA :
We love it. And just to add, I mean, just the resume goes on and on and on, including something that we may have heard of, an Emmy or two. Can you just share a little bit about that story?
JESS STAINBROOK :
Yes, I actually, you know, my wife and I moved here to Colorado in 1996. to build a TV station from the ground up. And we did that. And we actually, yes, I have eight Emmy Awards, 34 Emmy nominations. I also, you know, in 2006, I kind of made an intentional move of what I call from success to significance. And so that was an opportunity to kind of launch the ministry stuff that I’m doing now, as well as I work with the Invisible Disabilities Association, basically advocating and raising awareness for people living with disabilities.
CHRYSANDRA :
That is incredible, Jess. We’re so excited to dive in the background of all of these stories and avenues of how you got involved in entertainment and how the Lord was knocking on your heart. Can you just share, going back to the very beginning of your earliest memories of can you just share how God was just starting to intertwine these threads in your heart for you to have this fabric of what you’re doing today? Will you just take us back to that time?
JESS STAINBROOK :
Yeah, my goodness. Wow. Well, I know you and I have had a conversation previously about this a little bit. But I actually went to school at Temple University in Philadelphia. And, I mean, I played soccer to start and then eventually rolled into the media stuff. I was always a communications major.
JESS STAINBROOK :
And actually, I was signed up to fly jets for the Navy. That’s where I was headed. Yeah. Because, you know, Temple had an interesting thing where you couldn’t get your hands on the gear at the highest level until you were a senior. And so I’m like, oh, my gosh, I just want to do this. And so I didn’t actually think I was going to make it, you know. I mean, actually, I remember one of the first classes at Temple, you know, they had that big 500 people class, you know, where somebody’s talking about mass media and all that stuff. And the guy said, you know, look around you, only two of you will make it in this industry. And of course, being a wise guy kid from Philly, I stood up and I wondered who the other one is. You know, he said, that’s a bold statement. But actually, here I am. Right. Yeah. Well, it was interesting because the fall semester of my senior year at Temple, I actually had an internship at the phone company. which everybody thought was a joke because everybody else got TV station, radio station internships. And, uh, but the phone company, they taught me everything. And that was the time of divestiture. And so when my internship was over, I mean, you’re not old enough to remember what that is. So that’s okay. Some people, the boomers, we’ll go Google it. Yeah. Right. Go look up divestiture. It’s basically when all the baby bells, uh, you know, merged into bigger things and had to split from the long distance carriers, which became AT&T and Lucent. And then the bell research went another way and all the baby bells got together. And so the day that my internship was over, the phone company said, you’re really good at this. Would you like a full-time job? And I’m like, heck yeah. And so they said, well, we can’t hire you for the company, but if you start your own company, we will hire you. And so I did. The next day, I started my own company, and it literally took off. And within a very short time, I mean, we were the biggest provider to Bell Atlantic for all of their media stuff. And then we started doing a bunch of other corporate things. And then before you knew it, we were doing broadcast work, MTV, ESPN, all kinds of things on the East Coast. And then it started… Including other things like NFL training camps or the Olympics or, I mean, Grand Prix racing in NASCAR. And it just kept going and going and going. And it pretty much yanked me out of school. And I don’t know if you know this, that if you don’t finish school in 10 years, they wipe out all your credits.
CHRYSANDRA :
I didn’t know that. I don’t think that is common knowledge. Nobody knows that.
JESS STAINBROOK :
And most people finish way before then. But yeah, I remember it was the summer of my 10th year and I called in to say, hey, I heard this thing was going on and happened to be one of the kids that was in my screenplay writing class that day. work for the school now and he goes wow let’s well what do you do i said dude i need 15 credits and i’ll meet him by august which is like july right and let’s go now yeah yeah well and he said well what do you do and i said well i work for pacific east and he goes oh my gosh the guy’s with a really great internship i’m like yeah that’s us and he goes what do you do there i said well i own it And I’m like, Oh my gosh. So he goes, dude, let me call you back. Literally calls back. He goes, Hey, 10 bucks of credit. you send us the check. We’ll give you a life experience. You’re graduating. I’m like, wow. I said, could I, could I send you 300 bucks and get the master’s too? Don’t, don’t push it. Okay. So yeah, that was basically my launch into the industry. Um, and it really just kept going from there. So
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, that is, I mean, some of those companies that you just listed, Jess, just at the tip of your tongue from NASCAR to the Olympics to the list goes on and on, are just dreams in most of our minds. Just even attending, let alone broadcasting them, meeting the entertainers. Can you just… You know, one memory in particular that might stand out to you. Can you share what that was like and almost a surreal moment where you fell out of body that this was really your God given destiny?
JESS STAINBROOK :
Yeah, there’s a lot of those stories. I mean, you know, it’s funny because everybody thinks because I have all of these football NFL shows that I’m a big fan of football, and I’m really not. I mean, I don’t know a lot about it. I grew up as a soccer person, so there’s already that kind of, you know, tension happening. But I will say that as I started to get to know the people that I would interview, and a lot of people say that The reason they feel like my shows are so engaged team is because I don’t, I’m not in awe of the people as players. Like I don’t walk into a thing and go, Oh my gosh, it’s Peyton Manning. I don’t know if I can even speak. No, he’s just another guy. And he happens to play football, which I don’t know much about. So I’m going to go interview him. Like I would interview anybody. Exactly. I mean, back in the day when we were doing stuff for entertainment tonight, you know, they would have East coast showings and premieres of different movies. So I interviewed Mark Harmon. I interviewed Holly Mandel. I interviewed, I mean, the list goes on of all these different people, but I will say that once I started doing what I would call intentionally faith based programming, having these deep conversations about our faith and Jesus and all that, um, That was something that was really powerful and that I really enjoyed. I mean, so you look at the people that I’ve talked with and spent time with, you know, Coach Tony Dungy, right? He won the Super Bowl 41, you know, the first, you know, African-American coach to win it. And then, you know, things just kept going. And then we start to get to know the teams. And, you know, I mean, there’s a lot of teams that are… Kind of overtly Christian, if you will. And there’s other teams that you wouldn’t think that they’d have any Christian presence, and yet there’s a big Christian presence. They’re doing Bible studies, and there’s a whole host of people that are doing different things. I mean, the thing you don’t see on TV very often is when the guys are on their knees after the game, right? They form a big circle from both sides. Well, the NFL tends to cut away from that, and they’re off in another direction. Well, that’s usually when we step in, right? We want to have those conversations with those people. So, yeah, the people that you think of from a faith-based standpoint, you know, we’ve talked to so many of them, but when you meet some of them, you’re just like, wow, this is really amazing. I mean, and they’re people just like you and me, right? Right. But they happen to be good at something, just like you’re good at something and I’m good at something. And so, you know, it is interesting. I mean, you know, it happened to me in the university setting as well. You know, the first year that I was working, they had like a faculty retreat, right? And they’re introducing all these people and I’m like, oh my gosh. And I felt like this big. It was just like, oh my gosh, I’m this tiny person because this person’s a doctor and a CPA and he’s got his MBA and he’s got this and he’s got that. And they’re just going on with these lists and lists and lists. Well, then they introduced me and I’m thinking, man, I can’t even compare in this room. I mean, I’m full of, I’m in a room filled with academics, these really smart people. Well, they announced me. And like you said, he’s got eight Emmy awards. He’s got 50 Kelly’s. He’s got this, he’s got that. And so we’re standing in line for lunch. And this guy, one of the professors comes home with, again, has this huge list of letters behind his name. And he goes, And he’s like, wow, dude, can I just sit with you? Like, what? It kind of flips the tables of, you know, we’re really good at what we do. I think God has made everybody good at something. And you have to realize that if you’re in that stream and you’re following his lead, well, you are the best then, right? Because you’ve been called and you’re doing this thing. So here we are. But yeah, it’s really been interesting.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, Jess, we have so much to be able to dive into, so many questions. We need to take a short break, but everyone, you are listening to the one and only Jess Stainbrook. We’ll be right back. Twist and shout with Lee & Co. They are the premier oldies band delivering the rock and roll vibes you’ve been missing. Great songs, great memories. Book them at LeeAndCo.com. Hi guys, this is Chrysandra Brunson, host of To All The Dreamers. I am so happy to introduce personal training, nutritional guidance, and behavioral change coaching. Healthy, happy, and heavenly for your wellness, spirit, soul, and body. Contact Mimi Kroger at healthyhappyandheavenly.com.
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CHRYSANDRA :
At Ignite Brilliance Coaching, you will get 34 years of science teaching, a decade of university-level instruction, and over 10 years of instructional coaching to empower educators with the tools, mindset, and confidence to thrive. Contact Ignite Brilliance Coaching on Facebook. Thank you. We are back. Thank you for listening to all the dreamers radio show. I’m your host, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson, founder of the calling. And we have the one and only Jess Stainbrook. Jess, thank you so much for coming on and being a part of this show. And you were just sharing before break that you, you know, you were just very humbled to be in a room with, you know, all these doctors and academics and, But they were in awe of your background and what God has done through you, especially not just having one Emmy, but several, let alone several Emmy nominations, but also just knowing that there is a whole platform of a faith-based company that you started. And we just love these stories. Jess, can you just share on this journey of pursuing this dream that What was one of the biggest giants that you had to overcome during this season and seasons of going after and persevering through to your true God-given calling and not settling?
JESS STAINBROOK :
Oh, that’s a really good question. You know, it’s interesting as a personality that, again, God has given me. I mean, if you go through, you know, like the Wagner House spiritual gifts test, my list is pretty big with a lot of really strong categories. And what I would say like evangelism, faith, missionary, knowledge, teaching, you know, that kind of stuff. And so while I don’t mind being the front and center person, I really do like producing content that impacts people’s lives. And it’s interesting because as I first became a believer and I was already involved in this industry, you know, it was. pretty typical when you would go to a church for this overarching principle to kind of be admitted through the relationships that you have is that you know the best thing you can do as a Christian is be a pastor I’m like well shoot that’s not going to happen and then they’re like well the second best thing is a missionary I’m like well I could do that I mean you know and I got involved in missions very quickly because who doesn’t want the guy on their team that can get People in and out of foreign countries with lots of equipment. I mean, I’ve been doing that my whole career, right? Right. And so God really used that as an opportunity to train me and watch the other spiritual side of things that were going on. But one of the things that I felt like the Lord and the Holy Spirit was infusing into me and imparting to me is to say, I have placed you in a particular place. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And yet that’s where God has me. And I’m supposed to have these conversations. And it’s the way I actually teach at CCU as well. You know, I tell my digital media students is that you don’t always have the ability to just step onto a set as a newcomer and start preaching the gospel. I said, actually, that’s probably the best way to get blackballed. You actually have to show that you’re really good at something. So my job as a teacher or a mentor for you as students is to make you excellent. You have to be really great at this thing. And I actually, I mean, I get lots of phone calls, right? People are like, oh my God, you have all these enemies. Can I just talk to you? I’m like, yeah, sure. Well, how’d you do it? What’s the secret? And I’m like, well, you know, I met this guy. And they’re like, whoa, who’s the guy? I said, wait a second, you wrote a book. What’s that book? It’s a bestseller. Wait, wait. Oh, it’s the Bible. You know? I’m like, well, who’s the guy? I’m like, well, the guy’s Jesus. They’re like, what? Well, before you know it, I’m in this conversation, right? Right. And I call that the 1 Peter 3.15 moment. You’re doing a job as well as you can, and then somebody asks you why. Yeah. So 1 Peter 3.15 is, oh, we share the reason you You have your hope, right? And the beliefs that you have with grace and mercy. So that’s the place that I think we are as far as evangelizing people is to say, where does God have you and what is it that you’re doing? And be really good at your thing that he’s called you to so that people will ask you why and want to know what it is that drives you, right? I mean, I look at some of my jobs that I’ve had and… I’ll say straight up. I mean, I have mostly worked for myself. I’ve been a freelancer most of my career. I have worked for some places and frankly, I know I’m a horrible employee because I push every boundary there is. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t know.
CHRYSANDRA :
I think we’re kindred spirits, Jess.
JESS STAINBROOK :
You have that too?
CHRYSANDRA :
Yep. Yep.
JESS STAINBROOK :
So, so it, it, It works really well for me because I’m usually trying. I mean, I know I’m an entrepreneur. I know I’m a builder. I’m not a maintainer, right? I build pilot shows. So they can get going. And then I hand it to the team that then makes those shows over and over again. Right. So there’s a lot of things like that that happen. Well, my point was going to say there have been a few opportunities where I’ve been in some positions to be able to launch Bible studies in the midst of an organization. And one of them was for the county government down here where I live, as well as the sheriff’s department. And if you look, now I haven’t been in those places for 20 plus years, and yet the Bible studies still go. They’re still going. And so there are some legacy things that I think you create and that you move into that God has called you. And you may not be there forever, but these things continue to grow. Look at it as you’re planting seeds, right? The Chinese proverb is, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is right now, right?
CHRYSANDRA :
Exactly.
JESS STAINBROOK :
Yeah, so that’s what we should be doing.
CHRYSANDRA :
Just for any scene, I mean, you know, Jesus really does it to your point. We’re each here for such a time as this, as Esther says, and to be able to see life as a TV series, a movie, and to know that every place that we go, God has us there for a reason. And if we’re able to ask the right questions and in your experience, what have you seen to be able to make life the fullest? It seems like showing up and being ready to serve and to ask the right questions. What would you say has been the secret sauce, whether that was at the Olympics or in a prison or, you know, just being able to capitalize on that moment? What would you say is the wisdom?
JESS STAINBROOK :
It’s interesting. I’m going to go back to that pastor conversation that I said, you know, I’m in an industry that you can’t get near. One of the other things that I made clear was, you know, let’s say I did pastor a really great church, 10,000 people a week come. I said, you know, I can make a bad movie and reach 10 million people in a heartbeat. And he was like, whoa. I said, yeah. And media, I mean, you look at where we are today, it’s really interesting because we are in this unique place. I mean, you look at YouVersion as the Bible reading app, right? It just passed one billion with a B. subscribers. So, so we’re near that. I mean, you look in revelation, it says everybody has to be able to hear the word before Jesus will come back. Well, gosh, it sure feels close because I’m almost at a point where I could push a button on my phone and everybody’s going to get the gospel. You know, I mean, you know, my church, if you will, and it’s funny, I said that I would never become a pastor. Well, that actually happened. You know, I went through all this stuff and I got my my master’s degree. And then here I am. I got ordained as a pastor. So that little joke didn’t work anymore. Yeah. Yeah. No, well, you talk about ordinary. I mean, I do. I think you and I talked about it, but I have severe dyslexia. And so in regular academic circles, I’m a horrible person to have because it’s hard to read books. It’s hard to comprehend them. Mm-hmm. But from a creativity standpoint, in the midst of what I do and what I’m called to do and what I’m good at, that’s really how God has blessed me. So it’s interesting. I mean, if we truly believe that God is in control and he has built us a certain way, well, whether we have disabilities or not, we’re still wired the way God wants us to be wired. So I actually see dyslexia as a superpower that allows me to focus and be more creative and do some of the things that are going on there. So, yeah, it’s I really think and you said, what’s the secret sauce? I think the secret sauce is really getting in tune with the Holy Spirit, keeping yourself in the word, understand what’s going on, listening to that still small voice that there’s so many other voices trying to drown us out these days. in the midst of what’s going on. And it’s easy to get lost in that. But if we actually know who God is and how he’s driving our life, well, then we’re on a track, right? I mean, it’s no different than if you turn your GPS on and you’re navigating somewhere and somebody kept screaming in your ear, you’re like, dude, just shut up. I got to pay attention here. That’s what we got to do, right? Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
That’s right. And Jess, we’re coming up to the end of our show. We don’t know where time goes. It goes by so quickly. But we have to ask you, there’s listeners tuning in, one in particular, and they are just afraid to go after what God’s calling them to. They know what it is, but they haven’t found the courage to go after it. What would be your wisdom and encouragement that today is the day to leap out and follow after the Holy Spirit’s guiding?
JESS STAINBROOK :
I think, well, when you truly trust the Holy Spirit to guide you and lead you, there is no better leader. There is no better mentor. There’s no better way to live life. And I’ve been on both sides of those fences. And I just think that you really need to just pay attention to what it is that God is leading you to. And so, I mean, from my standpoint, the way I look at it is it’s okay to go out on a limb. It’s okay to try things. You really do need to get out of your comfort zone. I think for me, because I’ve experienced the faithfulness of God pushing me into these places so many times, I don’t even ask. There’s no second question. I don’t even think about it. I just go. And that’s the thing that I think you have to have enough experience and background in trusting God and watching him fulfill the things he says he will do for you. Trust him enough to just step without thinking about it. And that’s really hard. Because, you know, she’s, I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s worldly things involved. There’s people, you know, as soon as you leave your comfort zone, you’re mucking up a bunch of other people’s comfort zones. It always takes money to do stuff. And you need that. Where’s that going to come from? So there’s all these, and then we have needs that we have as people living on this earth, right? So there’s all these things that still come into play that make us worry and, you know, be concerned and all that stuff. And, you know, God says, don’t fret. Don’t worry. Do not be anxious, right?
CHRYSANDRA :
Amen. I mean, that is a mic drop right there, Jess. And we we can’t wait to have you back. We do know that everyone wants to get in touch with you and be a part of this movement. And just what’s the best way to do that?
JESS STAINBROOK :
Yeah, our website is fspn.net, just like it sounds. And there’s lots of ways to get in touch with us there. Obviously, you can find us on Facebook, FSPN, the Faithless Porch Programming Network. And then we have a little bit of an Instagram presence as well. You’ll see our stuff out there around, especially coming up here in a couple weeks when we’re at the Super Bowl and doing our thing.
CHRYSANDRA :
We can’t wait. Well, Jess, it is truly a humbling honor to be able to have you on and just to have you as a leader of leaders within media and entertainment, but also just in Jesus’s kingdom. We just truly honor you. Challenge everyone to get in touch with Jess today. Remember that God has a unique calling for you to live out as, Paul says in Ephesians 4, 1, as a prisoner of the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Till next time, dreamers, keep dreaming big.
