Faith and Family
Filmmakers Bootcamp
Actors ● Screenwriters ● Producers
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Are you hungry to learn and grow in your craft?
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Ever feel that your one trip a year to a film conference just isn't enough?
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Want to connect with others in the film industry that you wouldn't normally get to meet?
January 25, 2026
Take a giant leap as a filmmaker in one day!
1
Elevate Your
Craft
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Three workshop sessions with Nine workshops to choose from
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Learn from Professionals in the industry (Includes Q & A time)
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Practical training you can apply to your craft and advance your career
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Access to all nine workshops videos after the event
Meet New
Collaborators
2
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Organized networking sessions make it easy for everyone
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Connect with old friends and build new relationships
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Meet people from all across the industry and across the country
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This industry is all about relationships
Connect in
Community
3
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Devotional time, prayer, and a day with like-minded professionals
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Virtual Lounge and prayer room open all day
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Celebrate your peers at the FAFF Screenwriting Awards presentation
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Online group for attendees after event for videos, questions & interaction
Actors Workshops
Nathan Gamble
12:00 pm (Central time)
Acting Like an Actor
Learning How to Say "Yes" when Casting Says "No"
Acting is a truly silly profession. You mean you're gonna pay me to act like someone I'm not? On paper it sounds like incentivized schizophrenia, but in reality it's a beautiful gig on listening, empathizing, and fellowshipping with the world. Nathan Gamble has been acting since before he was born. This is not a joke. It's in his DNA, but he simultaneously can't stand this ridiculous industry. In this workshop, Nathan will showcase his tips and tricks on how to break into a seemingly impenetrable career, while sporting a good head on your shoulders so that the nasty claws of rejection don't sink into your skin to the point you start believing you're a fraud. When you partner a love of acting with a firm root in the identity God has designed you to live out, truly remarkable things will happen.
(90 minute workshop)
Nathan Gamble is an actor who got his start at a young age growing up in a theater family and landing his first film role at seven years old in Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. He was also blessed to work with some incredible filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight and Frank Darabont in The Mist. Nathan is also well known for playing Sawyer Nelson in Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2, a role that connected him with audiences around the world.
With a mix of big-budget films, heartfelt stories, and years of on-set experience, Nathan continues to develop his craft and explore new creative challenges.
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John Goad
3:00 pm (Central time)
Voice Acting 101
Voice Acting is more than "Having a 'good' voice"... it's actually a great way for actors to expand their potential for gigs. I have been performing VO in commercials, live radio, Audiobooks, trailers and more for over 40 years as a way to supplement my on-screen/stage acting. In this workshop, I intend to dispel some myths, calm fears and give some practical steps to creating a VO reel, how to set up a "Studio" (it doesn't cost as much as you think), and some tools/skills that would benefit any actor.
(90 minute workshop)
John Goad is an actor, voice actor and actor coach with over 40 years experience in theater, film, television, commercials and audiobooks. John is a much sought-after Coach for actors, being featured at ICFF and other film conferences. He focuses his talents solely in the faith-based industry currently. John lives in Houston, TX and is the proud father of 8 children. He serves in his church as an integral part of their media ministry.
6:00 pm (Central time)
Act SMART:
Career Strategy for Performers*
Take control of your creative career with clarity and purpose! Learn to set SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely — and turn them into action. In this workshop, you’ll discover how to market yourself, find the right opportunities, set fair rates, and manage your career like a pro. Walk away with a clear plan, confidence, and the tools to grow your acting business on your terms! (*applicable to all actors - with specific resources for voice talent)
(90 minute workshop)
Catherine Gaffney is a versatile actress, teacher, and voice over talent who narrates audiobooks from her home studio in Central Kentucky. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she has been performing professionally on stage, at the mic and on camera for over 35 years. Catherine holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and an M.F.A. in Acting & Directing, combining her artistic expertise with a passion for storytelling and education. Along with her talented writer/professor husband, Sean, they harness the power of the spoken and written word to spark authentic connections.
Producing Workshops
Tyler Sansom
12:00 pm (Central time)
Producing is Leadership
Building Teams that Want to Follow
● Culture on set
● Handling conflict
● Trust, clarity, and communication
● Why some producers always get rehired
Full description is coming soon
(90 minute workshop)
Tyler Sansom is a dynamic pastor, filmmaker, and speaker passionate about connecting faith and culture in meaningful ways. He serves as the lead pastor of First Capital Christian Church in Corydon, Indiana, where he combines his creative talents and spiritual insights to inspire others. Tyler has directed and produced impactful faith-based films including I Can, A Father's Fight, and most recently, Learning You, and is about to become a published author. His innovative approach to ministry bridges the gap between traditional church settings and modern storytelling, helping people experience the transformative power of faith.
George Escobar
3:00 pm (Central time)
Producing with Purpose
From Idea to Audience
Producing is not about titles, permission, or chasing money. It’s about taking responsibility for a story and carrying it, intelligently and ethically, from idea to audience.
In this intensive workshop, veteran producer and filmmaker George D. Escobar (AFI) breaks down producing the way it actually works in the real world: as a practical, decision-driven discipline that blends story judgment, logistics, leadership, financing, and modern technology (including AI) into one coherent role.
Drawing from over two decades of experience with feature films, documentaries, faith-based projects, and independent studio-building, this course strips producing down to its essentials: what must be decided, in what order, and why.
This is not theory. This is the producer’s job as it’s lived.
(90 minute workshop)
George Escobar is an award-winning writer, director, and producer of seven faith-based feature films and over a dozen documentaries, including the Oscar-nominated “Alone Yet Not Alone.” His films: “Come What May” and “The World We Make” have been distributed by Sony, Amazon Prime, Netflix, PureFlix, and others. He has won screenwriting awards from: Kairos Pro Award, Content Media, ScreenCraft, and Coverfly’s Red List. He has taught over 3,500 students in filmmaking from a Christian worldview. Escobar is now writing the “Prairie Winds” streaming series for 3 Days Studios, and producing the feature film, “Missileman" with Academy-nominee Terry Rossio as executive producer. Escobar served as Executive Producer for Focus on the Family, VP of Product Development at Discovery, and Executive Director at AOL/TimeWarner. He is a producing graduate at the American Film Institute.
Margot Ransom
6:00 pm (Central time)
Smooth Production Accounting using Quickbooks
Learn to create and use a streamlined and logical system for tracking both the health of your production and the health of your company. Topics include:
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Setting up your Quickbooks account
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Working with Budgets and Cost Reports
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The best way to pay bills for easy integration.
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Dealing with credit card transactions for easy integration
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Best practices for payroll integration.
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A brief touch on film tax incentives
You will leave the workshop with a basic understanding of how to set up an audit-ready production, or an entire company in Quickbooks.
(90 minute workshop)
Margot Ransom is the CEO and Founder of Prod Co Accountants. With over 25 years of accounting experience in production finance, Margot understands business and accounting systems. She knows what information owners and producers need to manage the business or project effectively. She has spent her career bringing smooth, predictable financial operations to production companies, film and TV projects. An effective communicator, she can cut through the sometimes complex and mysterious world of accounting and translate it to simple English. Maybe even make it - dare we say - fun?
Screenwriting Workshops
Sean Gaffney
12:00 pm (Central time)
Image Systems in Screenwriting
Deepen the way you use image systems through language and metaphor to deepen your storytelling. Too often writers leave the images to the designers or director; we will see how image elements can be baked into the DNA of screenplays. The course will also include Biblical uses of image systems to support the ancient and ongoing tradition of the power of the image.
(90 minute workshop)
Sean Gaffney authored well over two hundred produced plays, features, videos, animation projects, YouTube series episodes, short films and books (including for Big Idea and SuperBook). He was Story Administrator for Warner Bros. Features. Gaffney currently is a Professor in Media and Screenwriting at Asbury University. He received his BFA from Drake University, his MFA from Columbia University, and studied with Act One: Writing for Hollywood. He has a new book on the intersection of scriptwriting and theology: Meta Story: What Marvel & the Messiah Can Teach Us about Great Storytelling.
Jaclyn Whitt & Sean Gaffney
3:00 pm (Central time)
From True Life to Screenplay
Learn the strategies for writing screenplays based on a true story.
Around 20% of all movies made in recent years have been based on, or inspired by, true stories. Films released in the faith space have an even higher percentage. The majority of Jaclyn's commissioned work as a screenwriter is writing scripts based on true events. Writing these types of scripts comes with very specific challenges. Beyond just figuring out how to fit a story that played out over 2 decades into a script for a 2 hour film, working with the person whose life inspired the story also requires specific skills. Come learn the strategies for how to craft a great script and how to work with non-writers.
(90 minute workshop)
Jaclyn Whitt is a multi-award winning screenwriter in both short and long format, garnering 10 first-place awards in National and International screenwriting competitions. As a script consultant, screenwriters seek out her input during their editing process to strengthen their characters and storylines and tighten their scripts. Producers have sent other screenwriters to Jaclyn to help improve, focus, and re-write their screenplays. Her realistic dialogue, unique characters, and non-verbal communication within scripts have been frequently noted and praised. Jaclyn is the Co-director and Education Coordinator for the Faith and Family Filmmakers Association
Sean Gaffney authored well over two hundred produced plays, features, videos, animation projects, YouTube series episodes, short films and books (including for Big Idea and SuperBook). He was Story Administrator for Warner Bros. Features. Gaffney currently is a Professor in Media and Screenwriting at Asbury University. He received his BFA from Drake University, his MFA from Columbia University, and studied with Act One: Writing for Hollywood. He has a new book on the intersection of scriptwriting and theology: Meta Story: What Marvel & the Messiah Can Teach Us about Great Storytelling.
Jaclyn Whitt
6:00 pm (Central time)
Writing an Emotional Rollercoaster
If you want to write a memorable story, you’ll need to make an emotional impact. Learn how to structure your feature screenplay by understanding how to craft a compelling and satisfying emotional journey for the audience.
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Learn the journey for the hero
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Learn the journey for the audience
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Learn how to hit the highs
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Learn what makes people cry
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Learn how to pace the journey no matter the genre
(90 minute workshop)
Jaclyn Whitt is a multi-award winning screenwriter in both short and long format, garnering 10 first-place awards in National and International screenwriting competitions. As a script consultant, screenwriters seek out her input during their editing process to strengthen their characters and storylines and tighten their scripts. Producers have sent other screenwriters to Jaclyn to help improve, focus, and re-write their screenplays. Her realistic dialogue, unique characters, and non-verbal communication within scripts have been frequently noted and praised. Jaclyn is the Co-director and Education Coordinator for the Faith and Family Filmmakers Association
Schedule
Winter Bootcamp
January 25, 2026
(Central time)
11:00 - 7:30
Virtual Lounge and Prayer Room (All Day)
11:30 - 12:00
Welcome and Organized Networking
Networking
Workshop Session One
12:00 - 1:30
Acting
Workshop 1
Workshop 2
Producing
Screenwriting
Workshop 3
1:30 - 2:45
BREAK (Virtual Lounge and Prayer Room Open)
2:45 - 3:00
Organized Networking
Networking
3:00 - 4:30
Workshop Session Two
Workshop 4
Acting
Workshop 5
Producing
Workshop 6
Screenwriting
4:30 - 5:30
BREAK (Virtual Lounge and Prayer Room Open)
Workshop Session Three
6:00 - 7:30
Workshop 7
Acting
Workshop 8
Producing
Workshop 9
Screenwriting
5:30 - 6:00
Networking
Awards Presentation
Screenwriting Awards and Organized Networking
Closing Announcements and Prayer (All Other Rooms Closed)
(Central time)