Today, we’re diving into the world of faith-based entertainment with the incredibly talented Wilson Hickman, the brain behind “The Lost Healer.” This podcast is all about how Wilson is shaking things up in the genre, blending fantasy with spiritual warfare in a way that’s both entertaining and meaningful. Imagine a vibrant world where Princess Kiva and her brother, Prince Rien, embark on a quest to find a legendary relic, all while navigating the struggles of hope and faith in a kingdom overshadowed by darkness. Wilson believes that storytelling can shape culture, and he’s on a mission to create compelling content that resonates with everyone—not just the faithful. So grab your popcorn, sit back, and get ready to hear how creativity and faith collide in this exciting journey!

Takeaways:

• The podcast features Wilson Hickman, a visionary storyteller redefining faith-based entertainment with his work.
• The Lost Healer, an award-winning proof of concept, explores themes of spiritual warfare through a fantasy lens.
• Wilson emphasizes the importance of grounding one's identity in God rather than creative work to avoid disappointment.
• The narrative of The Lost Healer reflects the real-world struggles of sharing faith with family, highlighting the importance of patience.

Links referenced in this episode:

• thelosthealer.com
• helossealerseries

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Lost Healer
• International Christian Film Festival

Today's guest is a visionary storyteller whose work is redefining what faith based entertainment can look like. Wilson Hickman is a creative force behind the Lost Healer, an award winning proof of concept episode for a Christian themed fantasy TV series.

Inspired by real world spiritual warfare, the Lost Healer transports viewers to a vivid imaginative world, one that is not only entertains but also equips audiences to navigate their own spiritual battles.

Wilson, who believes in the power of storytelling to shape culture, he's on a mission to create compelling God honoring entertainment that resonates with a broad audience. Wilson, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you. Great to be here.

Good to have you on. So I'm going to ask you my favorite question. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Oh, well, the best piece of advice I've ever received, I don't know if you could call it advice so much as a, a accurate description of reality, but by far the best urging that I've ever been given is to turn from sin and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. That's the best advice I've ever been given.

But in terms of perhaps filmmaking, the best advice is actually closely related to that, which is if you're going to be a filmmaker who's seeking to use your gifts for God's glory, as you should, because God's the one who gives us all of our gifts and it's our responsibility to choose to use them for his glory and for the furtherance of his gospel. But the advice I would give and that I've been given is to never let your gifts or the work you're doing for God become an idol.

And it's very easy for that to happen because if you're doing something for the Lord, it's very easy to think, oh well, the ends justify the means. I can throw all of my energy into this. I can direct, derive all of my meaning and fulfillment from this because, well, it's in the service of God.

It's like just close enough to God that it can seem like it's the real thing, but it's actually not where your identity and your well being come from. Because like any idol, it'll disappoint you. Your writer's block comes and goes. Inspiration comes and goes.

You may have days where you're having a difficult time putting a team together or getting the logistics in order for a shoot. And on those days, if your identity and your wellbeing is grounded in your creative work, then you're going to come crashing down.

But if your Identity is grounded in God. He's unchanging. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, Tay forevermore. So that's the best advice I would give as a, as a creative that I've received.

I love that because it works for preaching as well.

If you're a pastor and you do that, you can put all your self worth in your career, in your job and your church and your ministry and the same thing happens. I mean, those things are very, very true. That's a great. I love that. I meant to borrow that, write that down and use that later.

So let's get to the heart of what we came to have you about. Let's talk about what inspired the Lost Healer.

So the Lost Healer is a live action Christian themed fantasy series. And it basically was inspired by two things. First of all, it was inspired by the wait for Jesus.

We're waiting for Christ's return and how believers are to conduct ourselves as we wait.

But rather than make a film that was kind of directly talking about those events set in modern times or even in some imaginary future time, I wanted to make a fantasy series.

Because fantasy as a genre just has such a unique power to explore the unbiblical proportions, the themes of good versus evil, and the necessity of looking to someone or something greater than ourselves for meaning and purpose.

It really has an ability to sweep us out of the real world and carry us to something higher, something that we long for in the real world, but only occasionally catch glimpses of.

I think fantasy is excellent for stretching our imaginations to have bigger categories in which to put things like the glory of God and our significance in his plan. And so I wanted to do the fantasy genre, but what actually inspired this particular story was coming up with the main characters.

Because whenever I write a story, I always try to start with the characters. It's very important for me to have characters that come alive and feel like real people.

And if you do that correctly, then the story will kind of tell itself because the characters are believably and authentically reacting to what happens to them, and they're making decisions that further their growth. So I started out wanting to write a story about a brother and a sister, because I'm best friends with my sister in real life.

And so I often tell stories that center on the unique bond of siblings. And the two characters I came up with were Princess Kiva and Prince Rien. So the story of the Lost Healer basically grows from those two characters.

Princess Kiva.

Her and her brother have grown up without either of their parents because their Father was assassinated, and then their kingdom was invaded when they were only children. And now they've grown up under this oppressive regime led by this villain called the High King.

And he basically wants to set Ryan up as a puppet king and suppress the people.

And Princess Kiva still holds onto the hope that their father left them with, which is that this prophecy that states if this lost relic called the Healer is found, then their land will be freed from its enemies and there will be peace throughout the realms. So she wants to finish her father's work and find and find the Healer.

But unfortunately, most of her people have lost hope and lost faith in the prophecy, including her brother. He's kind of going along with the High King's agenda in order to maintain this false peace. Now, he has good intentions.

He wants to protect Khiva, the only family he has left. But Khiva is recognizing that the High King and his armies are a force of evil that can't be compromised with. We need to be set free from them.

And so that kind of mirrors some of the spiritual warfare that we experience as believers, but it's also inspired by the difficulty we as believers sometimes have in reaching our family members with the gospel, because we don't want to say the wrong thing and actually drive them further away from Jesus.

So if you watch the proof of concept for the lost healer, what keeps happening is Princess Kiva has this amulet that points to the healer's location, and she wants to share the discovery of this amulet with her brother.

And she keeps trying to, but then various political pressures and distractions keep pulling him away, and she always feels like it's never the right time and he won't understand.

And that kind of reflects some of the real world struggles that Christians have as we're attempting to, you know, share the gospel with family members and just live out our faith consistently.

I love that. And I'm curious as you.

As you describe this as such a beautiful, complex story which is kind of reflective of life, how do you balance the fantasy elements of that with real life spiritual truths?

Well, that is actually the other reason why I love fantasy as a genre, because it really. Because of the escapism it provides.

It's very, very hard for fantasy to feel preachy just in and of itself, because at a glance, it bears so little resemblance to the world in which we actually live. And so it's a bit more difficult, I think, to look at fantasy and say, oh, this is meant to be. This is meant to be, telling me to think this way.

And this is meant to be telling me to think this other way. And so there's that advantage right there. Fantasy just expands your imagination.

It kind of encourages you to feel rather than to think, as all cinema should to an extent. But I think fantasy is especially potent at that. And then in the writing process, the way that I balance the two is.

I'm not even sure if balance is the correct term, because as a Christian writing from a Christian worldview, the characters and the themes that emerge from the story, they're not told to the audience. They're just. They happen naturally in the course of the story. I think those inevitably flow from the worldview of the writer.

And while I just explained to you some of the struggles that I intended to convey in the. In the series, I will confess that a great many of the Christian parallels that have emerged in the writing happened completely spontaneously.

Like, I look back and say, oh, this character kind of resembles this stage of the faith journey. Like, there's, for example, there's a young knight in the series who's actually on the opposing side. He's on the High King's side, but he's.

He sees Kiba searching for the healer, and he gets inspired by her faith, and he begins slowly changing sides. Only after I wrote that character did I start to think he kind of resembles the.

The pharisee in Mark 12 who questions Jesus and isn't ready to commit to him yet. But Jesus says, you're not far from the kingdom. I didn't sit down with that verse in my head to write that character out.

But nonetheless, after the fact, I realized, oh, that kind of resembles him. And he's. He's kind of the seeker character, someone who's. Who's not ready to commit to following the truth. But he's open to it and he'. Curious.

And that reflects a lot of people in real life as well. I feel like they maybe have heard the gospel but aren't quite sure how to respond to it yet.

And then, of course, there's the parallel with the Alkalites, who are the invading empire. They're the villains. They kind of represent people who are openly hostile to the Christian message.

But again, it's more about the universally recognizable themes of good versus evil and how that ultimately points to God. But basically, a lot of it emerges organically and a lot of it is subtextual for people to watch and rewatch the series and discover for themselves.

As a Christian filmmaker, what are some of the challenges you've discovered in bringing this proof of concept to the screen?

Well, some of the biggest challenges, I think, are just being an independent filmmaker and someone who's the difficult. The logistical challenges. There's the creative side of filmmaking, there's the business side of filmmaking.

I absolutely love the creative side of filmmaking. It's what. It's what, you know, God has. Has really blessed me.

To have a natural hunger for the business side is necessary, just as important, but it is. Is a challenge in many ways, because you. Once you write a script, you have to find actors. You have to put together a team.

You have to, in my case, find a dialect coach so that the actors can be, you know, sound like they belong in this medieval fantasy world and their accents will be consistent. All these logistical concerns, you have to find shooting locations, you have to find someone to make the costumes, then when all that's done.

And by the way, you also have to find a way to market the series after the proof of concept is even made. So you have to be looking ahead.

At film festivals, social media services, those types of logistical challenges are certainly some of the bigger hurdles.

One challenge in particular that I remember in pre production, going back to the dialect coach, is we had this deal in place where she would coach the actors, but she said, we specifically need this many weeks before we shoot in order to get them consistently doing the accents. And so there was this time window in which I had to have the entire cast, at least the entire cast who had speaking roles done.

But I was still in the middle of casting the episode, putting out casting calls, and finding major roles.

And so I was like, okay, if we don't hit that deadline and I don't have everybody cast, then this deal might potentially fall through with the dialogue coach. So I was putting. I had an audition for General Graham, who's the villain, and he was great. It was awesome.

But then that same day, a role that I had already cast, the actor had to drop out. And so I was like, okay, so I just cast an actor. But then I lost another one.

And this was, mind you, three days before the first dialect coaching session was supposed to happen. Three days, it was on a Tuesday. The session was supposed to be on a Friday. And that was certainly challenging and difficult, but.

But by God's grace, I was able to reach out to the dialect coach and ask, hey, the one role that dropped out was blessedly only had a few lines, so he wasn't like a heavy speaking role. And so I said, okay, can we start with everybody else? And then let him be a bit of a latecomer to the process. And blessedly she said yes.

And so I was able to cast him, I think, two weeks later and then get everybody into the dialect sessions. But in the moment, it was a. It was a definitely one of those moments where you're like, okay, this really can only proceed if it's God's will.

Because I was working with so many people for the first time and wasn't quite sure what the outcome would be. But that's how God tests and grows our faith through the process.

And there are so many instances like that where what looked like a setback ended up being a setup for something greater. And I'm very grateful to the Lord for that.

That's an amazing story. And God's timing is always just right.

Exactly.

Yeah. So as you think about the impact the Los Heros is having on viewers, kind of tell us what you're experiencing so far, what you've heard.

Okay. So that's actually been a huge blessing because it's in the episode right now, is in its film festival circuit.

It's received seven award nominations across the film festivals. It's been in and won one of the awards at International Christian Film Festival in Florida. Earlier this year, it won best TV series.

And that was probably one of the most validating moments for me in terms of recognizing that there's an audience for the series and that people can appreciate the story and the fantasy element of it. And then, of course, in the marketing phase now, several podcasts that I've done and others that I've spoken with through our social media marketing.

It's been incredible to see that there really is a hunger for this type of storytelling. And I'm just excited and blessed that the Lord has given me this story and has allowed me to it to be carried this far.

And I'm just excited to continue reaching more fantasy fans out there. Not just people who specifically want Christian fantasy, but fantasy fans in general.

And I'm excited for the conversations this can start and how this can be a launching point for discussing some of the spiritual themes that are woven into the story.

I love that. That's so good that you got that kind of earlier claim in what you're doing. That's really exciting for you.

Thank you.

So tell us about the world building. Give us a behind the scenes look at the lost healer. What are people going to experience as you take them on this journey?

Okay.

Without giving us all the story.

Yeah, that's the challenging part. I was like, okay, what do I say? What do I leave out? Okay, I suppose it's safe to touch on everything that's in the Proof of Concept episode. So I'm.

When I am finished with this, I encourage anyone listening to go to thelosthealer.com and watch the Proof of Concept episode because it'll make more sense there. And then there'll also be some world building information on the website.

But basically, the lost Healer is set in a fantasy world where this kingdom called Niver has a prophecy left by the Craftsman of the world, who's basically the savior of this world and also the maker of it. He's been ruling this kingdom, but he's since vanished thousands of years ago.

And he left behind a prophecy that states that if this relic that he had created called the Healer is found, then it will bring an era of peace and wars will cease between all kingdoms. So the Healer is supposedly hidden in these woods outside of the Kingdom of Never. And these woods are called the Arkwoods.

And they've unfortunately developed a reputation for death and despair because before this, before this Proof of Concept episode begins.

But it's alluded to in the dialogue, Princess Kiva of Navarre and her brother Rien, their father, went into the woods in order to try to find the Healer. And unfortunately he was found slain. Later, him and his men were all found dead.

They don't know what happened to them, but they didn't find the Healer. They didn't find anything. They just were brought back dead. And so the woods have now, in the prophecy, have kind of become a source of despair.

Especially because shortly after this happened, the Alka Knight Empire, led by the High King, then invaded Never and said, no, you're not waiting for any, any divine King to return. Our king, our human king, the High King. He's the king and we're going to take you down as we've taken down all these other nations.

And so that's been the childhood of Kiva and Rien. Is their father teaching them to hope in this prophecy, only to then end up giving his life for it.

Now, Kiva suspects that the High King and his men were responsible for her father's death, but can't prove it. And now we fast forward to when Kiva and Rien are in their late teens.

Rhian is feeling the crushing burden of the recent death of their mother, who lived a few years after the invasion, only to die later and also the death of his father, because he isn't certain what kind of king he's supposed to be. The High King is ruling and wants to put Ryne on the throne as like this figurehead this puppet.

And Rian understands that, but he, at the same point in time, feels that he needs to go along with the High King's wishes in order to maintain peace, even though his conscience nags at him that it's not the right thing to do. And meanwhile, Princess Kiva is wanting to take up their father's work and actually find the healer so the prophecy can be fulfilled.

And as she starts doing that, she unintentionally attracts the attention of Arryn, who's a knight who patrols the Arkwoods for the High King, him and several other enemy soldiers. And he begins to see her living out her faith in her father's work and the prophecy. And he is intrigued by what she's finding.

And he begins slowly turning against the cruel masters that have kind of forced him into this servitude.

And so that sets up his character arc for the rest of the series, as well as Kiva trying to reach her brother and her people with the truth of what's happening.

And basically, it's just a struggle of good versus evil, amplified by the fantasy genre, but hopefully meant to encourage us and inspire us to recognize our own participation in the real world battle between good and evil.

Wow. Sounds fascinating. So where can people get access to the series and learn more about the Lost Healer?

Yeah, so TheLostHealer.com is the best place our website. You can watch the episode there and you can also sign up for our email newsletter.

If you become an insider, you'll get exclusive behind the scenes content and series updates as we continue our film festival circuit. Also, follow us on social media, Facebook and Instagram. It's helossealerseries.

Cool. This is great. So this project seemed like it's starting to take off. Is there something else that's in the works with you?

I'm sure as a creative type, there's always a next project you're thinking about.

Oh yeah. And in this case, the next project would be the whole first season of the Lost Healer.

This proof of concept has been an amazing blessing to work on, but there's so much more about the story that I didn't share and I can't share yet. But there are more.

There are more scripts being written for future seasons, and I'm currently seeking an executive producer to help bring season one to life. And I've strategically written season one to require not a very high budget.

And the reason for that is because I want to tell a high quality story without demanding a bunch of, you know, crazy visual effects of giant armies crashing together. Lord Willing the series will eventually expand to that scale.

But this first season is largely Princess Kiva and other heroes on the run in the forest being chased by these enemy soldiers. And so it's very character driven and meant to engage us more so with the characters than with, you know, giant armies at first.

So there's, that's another aspect of the, of the, of the creative thought that's gone into this is that I'm wanting to write something, a fantasy story that also has very intricate character development before it goes for grand scale.

So anyone out there with a big pockets can contact you to totally fund the back of this. Right?

Well, I would certainly be open to that. Yeah.

I'm curious, Wilson, as you think about the journey you're on and what you've accomplished so far, what advice do you have for people like yourself who have an imaginative spirit, want to put together high quality Christian content? What words of wisdom do you have for them?

Okay, I have to, I have to lead with this as always because it really is the most important piece of advice and it's, and it bookends nicely with, with what I said at the beginning, which is never allow your creative work to be and to become an idol.

Never, never anchor your self worth and your sense of emotional well being in anything that you are doing, whether it's creative work or anything else. Because like all idols, it will disappoint you. You will not always be successful at your creative endeavors. They will not always be going well.

And even when they are going well, they're ultimately going to leave you feeling hollow if you've invested the well being of your soul into them and your identity in them. Instead, you need to find your identity and your self worth in Christ because He's unchanging.

And then anything you do in service to him will be in its proper tier of importance as you recognize that your value ultimately comes from God. And that's unchanging.

So that's the first, that's the first piece of advice is keep your work as an offering of worship and don't let it become an idol.

On the logistical side of things, I would say I've kind of alluded to it already, but say if you're looking to create a project right within your means and also be creative, don't be afraid to be creative in bringing something to life that might sound, that might sound challenging but is actually within your means. So for example, what we.

For the interior castle scenes, we actually basically built a castle set inside a basement and just put up foam boards carved castle walls and painted it to look like a castle with a fake window. And we had a sunbeam, a fake sun beaming in. And so you can get high production value looks on a modest budget.

The one one trick I've learned that is probably the best piece of cinematography advice is you don't have to have a high budget set. You just have to make whatever is in your camera frame look high budget.

And that's probably the best piece of advice I could give from a cinematography standpoint to any independent creatives out there.

As you think about the educational piece, is there something you would recommend young creative people take in terms of a course of education or path or experience that would help them along the way?

Yeah, I can say I've been blessed by a lot of free resources on YouTube. There are great channels like cinecom.net and Tomorrow's Filmmakers.

Tomorrow's Filmmakers is especially excellent because it's taught from a Christian worldview. But they have a ton of great resources available online for free.

That's awesome. So I'd love to ask my guest this question.

Wilson, and you have been a phenomenal guest and thank you for what you're doing because I think we don't have enough of this good quality Christian content on the scene right now. So I always like to lift up filmmakers and creatives like yourself who are providing us with deep spiritual opportunities to grow.

But as you think about the impact you're having and you will have in the future, what legacy do you want to leave behind from the work that you do?

The legacy I want to leave behind is, and this sounds paradoxical when I'm in the midst of a marketing campaign, but I don't want to be famous. I don't want people thinking, oh, I watched something made by Wilson Hickman.

I want people thinking I watched something that is compelling and that made me think or feel a certain way that brought me closer to God, ultimately.

So ultimately, I want my legacy to be that I lived my faith in Christ consistently and that everything I did, whether it was creative work or something as simple as a conversation with a stranger on the street, it all pointed to Jesus, ultimately. And that if people forget about me, they just remember that everything I did was in service of Christ and that they ultimately remember Him.

That's what I want.

Well, Wilson, thank you for sharing your heart, your vision, and your incredible project with us today. The Lost Healer is more than just a story. It's a call to courage, creativity and conviction.

For those listening, be sure to check out the proof of concept episode and follow Wilson's journey as he begins this powerful series to life. Up next, until next time, keep seeking truth, keep telling bold stories, and keep living with purpose.

Wilson, thanks so much for being a guest on the podcast.

Thank you. My pleasure.