Christian filmmaker Dallas Jenkins participated in a question-and-answer session following the conference. forum on October 29, inspiring students to seek careers in the entertainment world while maintaining their faith.

Jenkins is the creator, producer, director and writer of the international hit series “The Chosen.” He has directed and produced more than a dozen feature and short films for companies such as Universal, Pure Flix, Hallmark Channel and Amazon. Most recently, he directed “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” which is scheduled to be released in November 2024.

Sheri Dew, vice president of Deseret Management Corporation and chief executive officer of Deseret Book Company. hosted the event, sharing how their partnership helped Jenkins gain access to the film on a Jerusalem set owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dew shared this experience and said Jenkins was the first creator outside the Church to use the Jerusalem set in Goshen, Utah, but it was approved after much discussion with Elder Ballard and Elder Holland.

“Heaven wanted this set to be used this way,” Jenkins said.

After the short story about how the church came to work for “The Elect,” Jenkins and Dew opened up to the crowd to ask any questions they had about being a believer in Jesus in the entertainment industry.

As students asked, Jenkins would respond with advice, tips, and personal experiences he felt connected to. Logan Gardner, an advertising major at BYU focusing on photography, asked Jenkins how he continues to persist in the industry despite uncertainty and instability.

“I believe there is a difference between a dream or a goal and a calling,” Jenkins said. “In a dream you don’t know whether it’s real or not, whereas in reality you just know, and it’s the same with a calling.”

He said he knew that “The Chosen” were what he was called to create, and that calling looked different for each individual.

Another student, Bryan Barba, also working at BYU radio, asked Jenkins what he thought of listeners and how he dealt with their opinions and misunderstandings. Jenkins responded: “I don’t take the audience into account at all. I don’t think about it, I just point to Jesus. You will never be measured by the end results, but by your connection to Christ.”

Jenkins concluded the meeting by describing how “The Chosen” changed him and brought him closer to Jesus.

“Over the last five years I have learned that Jesus is a sincere God. “He knows us,” he said.