Franklin DeVon - Produced by faith : enjoy real success without losing your true self

PRODUCED BY FAITH

Howard Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Copyright 2011 by DeVon Franklin

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof
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First Howard Books hardcover edition May 2011

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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Franklin, DeVon.
Produced by faith: enjoy real success without losing your true self /
DeVon Franklin with Tim Vandehey.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. SuccessReligious aspectsChristianity.
2. Motion picture industryMiscellanea. I. Vandehey, Tim. II. Title.
BV4598.3.F73 2011
248.4'86732dc22
2010045978

ISBN 978-1-4391-7103-5
ISBN 978-4516-1270-7 (ebook)

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1995. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.

All rights reserved. Scriptures marked The Message are taken from The Message, 1994 by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress, all rights reserved. Scriptures marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version.

This book is dedicated
to the memory of
my father, Donald Ray Franklin I;
my grandparents, Anita and James Camell;
and my great-grandparents, Ida and Percival Phillips.

I also dedicate this book to all of you
who have struggled with holding on to your faith.
This is one of lifes most challenging pursuits.
I understand you, and I applaud you for not giving up hope.
This is my tribute to you.

http://www.studionow.com/ams/share/7b2d4a44a2ec1/
PREFACE

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:56 NKJV

I was deep in the heart of Beijing, Peoples Republic of China, in the summer of 2009. For the first time in my career, I was the lead studio executive on a feature filmthe remake of The Karate Kid, starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith.

Its important to understand that Beijingthe ancient capital of Chinais huge. The urban area alone contains about 13 million residents; thats four cities of Los Angeles. Beijing is also complex on a Byzantine scale, and with the producers, entire crew, and cast there, we had ventured far into some of the oldest parts of the city, into ancient neighborhoods called hutongs where the living style was more communal and we could find the character and feel we were looking for.

Getting cast, crew, and equipment there was a major undertaking, the shots were taking a long, long time to set up and complete, and as I stood there, we were running out of daylight.

Sunset is usually panic time for a film crew. Unless youre shooting night scenes, you try to work in every last shot you can, using reflectors to capture every last bit of natural light. The crew was working as quickly as they could to maximize what was a very expensive day of production. But I had other concerns. I glanced at my watch, shot a look at the disappearing sun, and knew that even though I was the sole representative for Columbia Pictures on set, I had to leave.

I had no choice. That is, I didnt give myself a choice.

Fortunately, the producers knew that I would be making my way back to the hotel. It wasnt a surprise to anybody. I pulled one of the production assistants aside, told him I would be catching a taxi, left the production in the capable hands of the producers and director, and disappeared into the streets of Beijing. It was an act that might have been ridiculed if I hadnt set a precedent years before and remained committed to it. Leaving set on the first movie youre runningshooting halfway around the worldisnt advisable if you want a long prosperous career in Hollywood.

But I didnt lose my job.

In fact, my departure didnt make a ripple in the days shoot. I was able to attend to something infinitely more important: keeping a promise to God that I made many years before.

I was born thirty-two years ago and raised as a Seventh-day Adventist. Among other things, that means I celebrate the Sabbath. So from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, I unplug from my hectic life as a Columbia film executive. No work. I dont check e-mail or roll calls. I break the fourth commandment of the movie businessThou shalt never turn off thy BlackBerryand turn off my BlackBerry.

The Sabbath is my time with the Lord, my time to unwind from the pressures of work, heal, and reflect on the many blessings in my life and the career path that has led me here. On Friday nights I study my Bible, pray, spend quiet hours in communion with God, and make plans with family for church and fellowship on Saturday.

Unless I happen to be in Beijing. In that case, Ill read Scripture, watch the incredible metropolis slowly come to life, and pray that the dailies look good. Normally I would go to church, but in China most of the Christian churches are underground and I had no idea how to go about finding them. So I settled for reading the Bible and spending time in private communion with Godmy own personal church in the midst of one of the worlds busiest cities.

The next morning, I decided that didnt want to spend the entire Sabbath in my hotel room. I ended up going to a park right outside the Olympic Village where I could sit under Gods sky, watch the birds, listen to gospel music, and read the Word. As I was going through Romans, the idea came to me for this book. Just like that, clear as day.

* * *

YOU MAY FIND IT impossible that a Hollywood studio executive is also a devout Christian. But its not a contradiction. In reality, my business is not very different from your own. There are opportunities, politics, unspoken expectations, and a set of rules for advancement that are very different from the Lords rules. No matter what line of work you find yourself in, you may feel that being a Christian is holding you back. You may feel caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, if you dont toe the company line and put your career first, can you still call yourself a company man or woman? On the other, if you ignore the Word and set aside the precepts of your faith when its convenient, can you still call yourself a Christian? Sometimes, it feels like were walking on a tightrope and below us theres no net, just a big, dark abyss.