A Journey of Faith, Vision, and Purpose
In 2011, an unexpected task changed the course of my life forever. My employer at the time was working on a new soundtrack and asked me to assemble a children's choir. I requested permission to form the choir with orphan children, hoping that whatever financial benefit might arise could go directly to meet their needs. With approval granted, I made a trip to Aguascalientes, Mexico—unaware that this journey would plant the seeds for what would eventually become 3NITY Studios.
During my flight to Mexico, I serendipitously happened to read an article on the Economy of Communion by Pope Benedict XVI. In it, he called on laypeople to use their skills and talents to establish for-profit businesses, not merely for personal gain but to channel their profits into social missions in urgent need. This profound vision resonated deeply with me and became the catalyst for what was to come.
Upon my arrival in Aguascalientes, I met Fr. Neftalí, the head of City of the Children, an organization overseeing 220 Catholic orphanages. These orphanages care for between 180 to 210 children each, ranging from infants to 18-year-olds. As we spoke, Fr. Neftalí shared the heartbreaking challenges they faced:
A Declining Donor Base: Many of their donors were elderly and passing away, while younger generations were contributing less or not at all.
Increasing Needs: The number of children, including those with special needs, continued to rise.
The Threat of Drug Cartels: Once these children "aged out" of the orphanage system, they are placed in society though they had no family, education, money a home or job prospects. These issues made them prime targets for drug cartels, which exploited their vulnerability by using them for the most dangerous and expendable tasks.
Human Trafficking: These children were also highly susceptible to human trafficking, facing years of unspeakable abuse and, in the darkest cases, organ trafficking towards the end of their life span.
Fr. Neftalí was doing everything in his power to find sponsors who could send these children to university, offering them a lifeline to a better future. Yet, the financial burden was overwhelming.
When I returned home, I felt an unshakable restlessness. I knew I had to do something—something that would last beyond my lifetime and this is key. The idea of creating a business that could outlive me and continually support these vulnerable children began to take root. As I reflected on my own professional experience, two potential paths emerged: Architectural Design or Media Production.
A bit of research quickly revealed that Architectural Design was one of the first industries to suffer during economic downturns, while the entertainment sector often thrived or, at the very least, remained stable. With that realization, I knew media production was the way forward. But what would be the focus?
I turned my attention to the Catholic entertainment industry and was struck by how dire the need was for quality animation productions. It became clear that there was a tremendous opportunity to use visual storytelling as a powerful means of evangelization. In 2012, I took a leap of faith. I took time off work to enroll in the Business Administration for Entrepreneurs program at BCIT in Vancouver, hoping to determine whether this idea was even viable.
While still in school, things began to gain momentum. I found people who were intrigued by the vision, including a potential business partner who offered fair terms. However, there was one non-negotiable point of contention: he wanted nothing to do with the social mission aspect of the project. He suggested that I simply contribute on a personal level while running the business as a traditional for-profit venture. This directly contradicted the very heart of why I had started the project. Despite the promising opportunity, I couldn't compromise on my core mission. So, in January 2015, I set the project aside and returned to the Architectural Design field.
Fast forward a few years, and my life took another significant turn. I met my husband, got married, and moved to the Quebec side of the Ottawa area. One day, a friend visiting from California spotted a conceptual image from the project I had shelved years earlier. Intrigued, he asked about it. When I explained the vision behind it, he insisted I resurrect the project—and he even promised to help me find funding if I did. Turning to my husband, he urged him to encourage me to pursue it. My husband asked if I still wanted to bring the vision to life. My answer was simple: "With all my heart." In response, he committed to dedicating a large portion of his income to fund the project's revival. He is literally putting all his two fish and five loaves and we are blown away by what God has been doing with that and my equally limited skills.
With renewed determination, I began searching for a team. A pivotal connection came from a friend who had introduced me to her brother-in-law back in 2014. At the time, he was working at DreamWorks and was too busy to engage. But by 2019, after witnessing the troubling agendas unfolding in major studios, he realized he wanted to work somewhere that wouldn't force him to compromise his moral convictions. The timing was perfect. We reconnected and began collaborating on a new concept.
Initially, we explored adapting John Milton's Paradise Lost. However, after deeper reflection, we recognized that Milton's portrayal of the devil was problematic—depicting him more as a misunderstood underdog than the embodiment of evil. We decided that our focus had to be nothing less than the entire history of salvation, presented in an unapologetically Catholic way.
Our first step was creating an animatic of Eve, capturing the moment she awakens into existence. As we breathed life into Eve, 3NITY Studios was born.
Since then, the journey has been a rollercoaster. Our team has expanded, contracted, and expanded again, with an incredible group of talented individuals working together to develop a growing vault of projects. Among these, our flagship series Coming of the Messiah stands as a testament to our mission and vision.
But that, dear reader, is a story for another blog post. Stay tuned—our journey is just beginning.
Comments