Interview With Mitch Hudson
Writer and director Mitch Hudson joins the Know Why Podcast to talk about The Promised Land—a brand new comedy series based on the Bible. Unlike any faith-based entertainment you’ve seen before, The Promised Land tells the story of Moses in the style of shows like The Office and Parks & Recreation. In this episode, Mitch, who’s also an assistant director on the hit series The Chosen, discusses how renewing his faith renewed his creativity, and shares how adapting biblical stories for TV has inspired a deeper understanding of God, people, and life. He also shares advice for young adults interested in pursuing a career in film. Don’t sleep on this episode!
Creating Honestly
While raised in a Christian home, Mitch told Know Why it wasn’t until adulthood that he decided to make faith a serious part of his life. After rededicating his life to God, Mitch said creative ideas started flowing. While he used to hesitate to tell faith-based stories, Mitch now believes it makes sense for him to create faith-based art because it’s “honest.”
“Creativity generally comes from a very honest place,” he told Know Why. “The fullness of my personality needs to express itself creatively, and that is not full unless it’s also including my faith.”
Telling Bible Stories on TV
Working on faith-based TV shows like The Chosen and now The Promised Land has helped Mitch gain a new understanding of many stories and people in the Bible, often motivating him to explore Scripture for himself even more, he told Know Why.
“It reminds you that the Bible is full of stories about people,” he said. “And God continues to use people. As we see these stories, it’s like, alright, if he used all these characters and they made all these mistakes, I bet he can also use us too.”
Is Exodus Funny?
The Promised Land is based on the story of Moses and the events of the biblical book of Exodus. Mitch said when writing episodes for The Promised Land, he found humor in details, such as character’s reactions, or imagining how they might feel about a situation.
“The Bible is full of stories about people.”
Mitch Hudson
“A lot of the stories that are in the Bible aren’t funny,” he told Know Why. “I’m not trying to make serious stories funny. When we get to serious stories in the Bible, we’re going to treat them seriously in the story of Moses. But there are some of the details … that when I dig into them a little bit deeper and think them through, that’s where I find some of the humor.”
Advice
Mitch recommends film school for anyone interested in a career in the film industry—if possible. “A lot of the connections I have that I made in film school with other students helped me stay in the loop on other projects that were happening,” he said.
But if film school isn’t an option, Mitch suggests finding ways to get on a film set to get any experience possible. Most states have a film office, he said. You can contact that office to find information about working or interning on sets. “There’s no bad learning, especially when you don’t have connections right at the beginning,” he said. He also advised taking any job on set, no matter what role you want to work in the future, because the experience will help you build community.
More Resources
- Watch the pilot episode of The Promised Land
- Visit The Promised Land website
- Follow The Promised Land series on Facebook or Instagram