Christian Retailing

CBA proposes new business model for member retailers Print Email
Written by Ginny McCabe   
Wednesday, 29 June 2016 08:57 AM America/New_York

SamaritanMovie-Unite2016CBA and Content Road Media have joined in a strategic partnership to provide exclusive protects and maximum market for CBA member retailers. This new initiative was rolled out at Unite 2016 during three showings of the pilot product, The Samaritan, a feature documentary with Col. Oliver North and Eddie Roush.

Content Road Media will select the products and manage the overall process, and CBA expects retailers to benefit from increased traffic and sales across multiple product categories.

“One stone can create a landslide, but it needs one stone to start,” CBA President Curtis Riskey said at the Tuesday screening. “This to me, is a no-brainer. It’s a golden opportunity for all of us.”

The program allows Christian retailers to have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Kevin McAfee (End of the Spear, Last Ounce of Courage) directed The Samaritan, which touches on a variety of themes, including oppression, freedom and sacrifice among persecuted Christians in Communist-controlled Romania.

Riskey, Roush and McAfee shared a passion and insight for what’s in store for the Christian community.

“I think it’s a powerful message. In my mind, I started thinking, Who’s the right audience, and who are the people that need to see it? said Mark Griffin, owner, J. Farvers Christian Bookstore and Gifts, a CBA-member store that plans to participate in the program.

In considering the program, Griffin asked himself, “How do you expose them to the message?” and “How do you let them see what the content is?”

“I see this as a great opportunity to bring some exclusive content in. I’ve just got to make sure I make the right ties to the right people,” Griffin said, as he considers hosting a movie screening for local pastors.

The first project from Content Road Media will help to set the tone for the program. It was also announced during the screenings that CCM United would be the first music-related endeavor.

Another movie highlight at the show was an exclusive, 20-minute Ben-Hur preview that followed the Sunday Worship Him! service. The preview included comments from Roma Downey, executive producer of the film and president of LightWorkers Media.

McAfee, founder of the Golden Rule Association and GR Advisors president/CEO, introduced the preview.

The Passion of The Christ was being worked on when I was doing End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor, when I was with the Hobby Lobby Corporation as their CEO, and I’ll never forget Mel Gibson talking about that film and trying to get people to come to it,” McAfee said. “When I saw the film, I was immediately impacted, and I said this is going to be enormous, it’s going to be wonderful. I can tell you that the second-biggest motion picture in faith-based films, behind The Passion of The Christ, I believe will be this movie.”

Ben-Hur is based on the 1880 classic novel penned by Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The abbreviated screening featured the epic chariot race and showed the interaction between Jesus and Ben-Hur. The exclusive screening included interviews with Downey, Mark Burnett and actor Morgan Freeman, who stars in the movie with Jack Huston. Previously, LightWorkers Media produced Son of God and The Bible.