Birmingham Native Jon Erwin walks about the House of David

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Alabama's Morning News. I'm jat and joining us now is
a filmmaker and a Birmingham native as well. John Irwin
is here, John, welcome in, Thanks for being here.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Thanks so much, man. I missed my homes in Alabama
and Role Tide. I hope it's okay for me to
say that, but thanks, thanks for thanks for having me on.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yeah, they got a big game this weekend, Oklahoma's at
Brian Denny. So yeah, let's get another win for sure,
Role tied. So, John, You're the force behind House of David,
now in its second season on Prime Video. One of
obviously Bible's most famous stories. But David and Goliath, but
this comes from a kind of a different angle, doesn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, you know what's interesting is just the story that
I've wanted to tell my entire career. My dad bought
me a camera with money he didn't have when I
was sixteen. We went to Israel together and just filmed
some of the ancient sites and went to Jerusalem and
went to King David's tomb, and I just I fell
in love with the story. I was awestruck by this character.
And you know, everyone knows the term David and Goliath

(00:58):
and nobody really knows the story, and so the idea
of really exploring that story through an epic TV show
was such a cool privilege. And I'm just very very
grateful for the success of the films, many of which
we filmed in Birmingham. I can only imagine, and you know,
it's really given us this moment where we can put

(01:21):
the Bible on a massive stage. And the show has
been wildly successful. The finale of season one was number
one on prime video, and there's been forty four million
people all over the world who've seen the show, and
so it really is a dream come true. And I'm
very very grateful and I cannot wait for people to
see the finale of season two. It's my favorite episode

(01:41):
in the series thus far. And it's just been a
dream project.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
All right, don't tell me about the finale. Don't tell
me about anything of it. We started a couple of
episodes and then life happened, so I got to get
back into this. Where was it filmed? Where did you
do all the filming? Was it everywhere? Different places?

Speaker 2 (01:56):
So we film House of David and Greece and talk
about biblical history. I mean, we were filling in like Corinth,
you know, going to David story in Torince, but all
over Greece, and it's just an incredible country and so
much history there, and the landscapes of Greece are so
vast and beautiful and iconic, and there's castles on mountains everywhere,

(02:21):
and so it just felt like the perfect place to
film House with David.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
So when you got started, go back to sixteen, when
you've got that first camera, take us from there to
where you are. Now, what sparked you to really get
into this? And I mean, gosh, you've been extremely successful,
award winning director and writer, producer and obviously an incredible
program here with David The House of David rather in
season one and now you know, season two is about

(02:45):
ready to wrap up. What was your journey, like, you know,
getting to this point from when you started?

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, you know, my career started at the University of Alabama. Actually,
when I was fifteen years old, a cameraman got sick
and I was apprenticing for another cameraman and I got
to neglect to inform them of my age and take
that guy's place, and I had d time of my life.
And then I think called me about the next day

(03:13):
or something next week that are you a freelance camera
operator in Alabama? Because it was the game at Auburn
and I said yes. I didn't really know what that meant,
but my dad bought me a camera. I was sixteen,
and then, you know, I just fell in love with
the industry very early, and and the privilege of creating
and entertaining people, and you know, one slow, small step

(03:34):
at a time. And then my brother and I started
doing a ton of music videos and then movies, and
then we had this movie that we did in Alabama
that that was really a breakout for us, I can
only imagine. And that led to a career in Hollywood
and and then to where we are today with you know,
working with Prime Video on not only on House of David,
but on a channel called Wonder Project. The same way

(03:56):
you'd add HBO to Prime, you can add Wonder And
it's just, you know, the thing that I needed in
my home. It's it's a it's a place where we
can curate content for that that I love for the
audience and then make originals like House of David that
no one else will make. And and so it really
has been a total dream come true, and the group

(04:16):
I have to thank for it is the audience. Like
everything is so shocked the industry, you know, there's just
a lot of us and and we want great content
that inspires us and uh and that we can watch
with our families. And so the work has been so successful.
It's just it's just allowed us to keep growing and
and then to grow into something like House of David,

(04:37):
which I've wanted to do since I was a teenager.
But it's such an epic story, you know, you want
to put the story on a big as big a
stage as the story itself. And and so I'm just
I'm very grateful to anyone who has seen the movies
or watch the show. You're the reason why we get
to do this. And it's our privilege every day to
wake up and and entertain you and and entertain you

(04:58):
with meaningful stories. I I loved.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
I can only imagine it's hard to believe that that
song you know by Mercy Me is at almost twenty
six years old and unbelievable, man, crazy, unbelievable really, and
why did impact the song in that movie? I loved
watching the movie, which I thought that was one of
the better projects I've seen and I can't wait to
dive back into the House of David with you. So

(05:21):
season three, you're going to be working on that. Do
you ever get back to Birmingham working.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
On it right now?

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (05:27):
You know what, Yeah, coming down there for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
You know, my wife's family is still there, and I
love Look, I love Alabama. It's just one of the great,
the great places in America. And you know it's just
my home. So work in the entertainment industry, but my
home is still in Alabama.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
All right, Well, hang on just a second. I really
appreciate you being here. My producer wants to talk to
you for just a quick second. But so much going
on in your world. Congratulations, and let's not thank you
so much forget how many people you've impacted for the
Kingdom in your work as well too, So praise God
in that area so much.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, Joe doing it together. You know, it's a relationship
with everyone's forwarding to work, so I'm grateful.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Well jump on it. If you have not seen House
of David yet, Prime Video season two is about to
wrap up. You talk about a series to Binge, This
is certainly going to be one of those good ones.
Talking with John Irwin, the creator of that show and
season three right around the corner. John, thanks again for
being with me.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
Thank you,