Alex Dee
When I was 11 years old I went to the movie theater to see The Lord of the Rings. Walking out that day, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I was going to make stories to bring people to Christ.
I had the privilege of growing up in a devout Catholic family and I was blessed with the gift of knowing the truth and beauty of my faith. By the grace of God, my faith never wavered, and neither did my dream to tell stories.
In 2015, I moved out to LA for pilot season. It was a disaster. I made every rookie mistake in the book and got a job bartending to pay the bills. I was your typical wannabe actor in some ways: working on my lines in traffic, running from the set to my shift at the bar and looking for someone that would finally recognize my talent and grit.
But I wasn’t like the rest of Hollywood in one major way: I refused to be in anything vulgar, provocative or downright stupid. The projects kept coming in, and I kept passing them off. Five years went by and God kept working on my heart. I married the girl of my dreams from my small hometown and I wanted to provide for her and lay down my life as a husband and father.
But how could I do this when I kept passing on projects?
I asked God to take my dreams away from me, but He wouldn’t. I asked Him to show me the way, and He did. His way required that I swallow my pride and step behind the scenes to create something beautiful. For the last two years, my wife, my best friend Tanner and I have created Saints Alive: a radio drama podcast for kids on the lives of the saints.
What started out as a side project has become my full time job. After two years of production, Saints Alive has joined the incredible team at Hallow!
I know that my career in storytelling is only just beginning, and I’m grateful everyday for the gift to tell stories that move thousands the same way I was moved as an 11 year old.
God places a call within each of us to Sainthood. And if I’ve learned anything in the last two years, it's that each saint’s journey is unique and nothing short of a wild adventure. He’s asking us to leap, to answer the call He’s placed on our hearts. And when we do that, He’ll do the rest.