When Christy Neal sponsored a competition for teenagers to submit ideas for a new television show, she had no idea how inspiring the result would be. Neal, the founder and CEO of Choose Different Media, asked young Christian creatives (aged 11-21) to submit a 3-minute video of what their own television show would look like if they could produce their own show. “We partnered with Christian Television Network to create The Shakedown, our contest for youth to get involved in Christian faith-based media,” Neal said.
The result? Blain Poynor and his idea for a show called “Small Town Testimonies.” Poynor, a 15 year-old from Eagleville, won the contest with his idea to tell stories from his small hometown that give evidence of faith, miracles, and God’s grace. The show runs every Monday night from Oct. 6 to Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. ET on Christian Television Network; the episodes can also be watched on the “Choose Different TV” channel on YouTube.
Poynor won $20,000 toward production costs from Choose Different Media, and was also awarded a college scholarship from WHTN/CTN in Nashville. Neal said that Poynor–who she describes as “so composed and talented at his age”–has a passion to share “large God stories from his small town.”
“He’s from Eagleville, which is about 900 in population, and he loves his town,” she said. “He thought that people needed to know about Eagleville, and they need to know about God. He wanted to do interviews in different parts of the town, and we thought it would be cool since he’s a teenager interviewing adults. He wants to spread the message of the Good News.”
Poynor said that his idea came originally from a strong testimony he shared with his uncle and cousin–and from knowing the importance of sharing testimonies. “I was taught about sharing testimonies at a young age, through those being shared at church,” Poynor said. “When I heard about the contest, I just thought ‘what is something interesting to me that would interest other people?’ And the answer was testimonies.”
Poynor clarified that it’s not just any testimony–it’s the good ones that never get told. “It’s neat to think about living in a small town where you seem to know everyone, but maybe you don’t quite know their faith story,” he said.
Neal said that Choose Different Media was excited to not just share the “Small Town Testimonies” stories, but also to introduce viewers to Blain. “There’s so much negativity about younger generations, especially in the faith realm and our current media is like a magnifying glass (only highlighting negativity). But we wanted to put a spotlight on Blain and let people meet him,” she said. “There are so many wonderful things out there, including kids with big hearts who love God. He’s charming and refreshing, and he feels like God wants him to reach millions of people for God.”
According to Neal, Poynor and his show fit in perfectly with the mission of Choose Different Media. Her company was founded in 2016 in Nashville with its first foray into media being the book Don’t Ever Tell (a book for women about hope and healing after adultery). An audio book followed and then the podcast “Everyone Has a Voice” was started in 2019. The podcast currently has more than 120 episodes, featuring “inspiring comeback stories with a faith overtone.” (The podcast is available on all podcast platforms.) Choose Different Media also supports other media ministries, and encourages Christian creators in all avenues.
Neal said that she and her husband then felt a nudge from God to enter another area–television. “Small Town Testimonies is our first foray into television, but we also were crazy enough to film another show at the same time,” Neal said.
That show, “LIT86,” is aimed toward men and hosted by her husband, Kevin Burke; the five episodes will air at 6 pm CST from Nov. 18 to Dec. 16 on CTN and “Choose Different TV” on YouTube. The show takes the podcast’s most popular guests and takes them into a field where they blow up something (“we 86 it”) that represents their shame, negative memories, and other issues holding them back.
Neal said that much of the inspiration for LIT86 evolved from her own family’s consumption of television. They got to a point where they couldn’t find shows that didn’t have violence, nudity, and cursing. And that got them asking questions like: Where are the Christian creatives? Where are the Christian reality shows? Where are the high quality Christian shows? Her family canceled their Netflix subscription, and took an inventory of their other streaming services and subscriptions; she challenges Christians to take a similar inventory of their habits. “What are you supporting?” she challenges others to ask. “We decided to start supporting God-honoring media.”
Neal is dedicated to helping other creative Christian individuals–artists, writers, influences, actors, etc.–find their voice. “The harvest is great, and the workers are few,” she said. “We give God all the glory, and we continue to learn and pray that this inspires other people.”
She encourages interested Christians to support the work of Choose Different Media and other Christian media outlets. “If you wonder why Christian media is so antiquated, it’s because it’s not funded,” she explained.
Supporters can partner with Choose Different Media (now a non-profit) by donating on a regular basis as a “Hope Warrior” at
www.ChooseDifferent.org. The company is currently working to crowdfund a second season of “Small Town Testimonies” and to then work on other projects.
“We have a long list of show ideas,” Neal said. “If all of us would take a stand, our vision would be to turn the table on the media and to have Christian creatives be abundant in the industry.”
— Cheryl Wray is a freelance writer, former sports reporter, book author, and coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference. She also writes about Southern sports, travel, and culture at www.cherylwray.substack.com.
