Neal & Hannah Abbott - POPE CULTURE

Do you remember the first YouTube video you ever saw?

I do.

It was 2006 and the band OK Go was full speed ahead with their new album “Oh No”. For the single track they decided to meet the new video platform where it was and offer a music video for the ages.

Treadmills have forever been redefined along with the ways in which we digest visual media.

YouTube was born in 2005 and the epic OK Go music video is a perfect example of how the video platform can challenge us all to be less complacent and more daring with our viewing/publishing.

Fast forward to 2020 and we see a YouTube that is so vast and detailed that no one can fully conquer every piece of content loaded up. The genres are endless, the videos are engaging and the ways in which we can witness each other is profound. But with all great things come great challenges and nuances.

It is with that in mind that I proudly invite you to witness POPE CULTURE, founded and operated by Neal and Hannah Abbott.

This new YouTube channel and podcast has given me hope and joy in the fact that there are still good people who want to jump into the deep cave of content creating.

As I began to serve in parish Faith Formation and Youth Ministry professionally, I saw a real need for teens and families to better understand the media that we consume, and to provide content and resources that would help them live lives more faithful to our call to be disciples of Christ.
Neal Abbott

What I have seen with YouTube over the years has excited and enraged me. One minute I could be learning a new household “lifehack” and the next minute I could find videos that sell, harass, and intimidate viewers into opinions and fear. I know this from my students in College Ministry and their personal accounts of feeling like a pawn not a person when they log on. And with the recent Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma”, it has become even more clear that to many YouTubers and “content” providers we are not always looked at as people rather just dollars and stats.

Whether I'm shooting a mini-doc or reviewing a Bible, my goal is the same: to lead others to Christ in engaging, meaningful ways through platforms that we, as Catholics, are only beginning to tap into for use in evangelization.
Neal Abbott

POPE CULTURE gives us hope and as Catholics gives us joy. Here we have a young family diving into the world of media for the purpose of good. Of course, Neal and Hannah are not the only people out there doing good on platforms like this but I really love the genesis of this idea and what they are building. I also love that this a fairly new adventure for them in their own creative vocations.

The short docs and videos that POPE CULTURE produce are humble, honest and delightful. Neal offers such a great energy as “host” and overall liaison of the mission. That mission being to “engage the world through our Catholic faith”.

Some may say that we must run away from media and the modern spiritual warfare battlegrounds of phones and tech. And that to achieve sainthood today we must depart from the worldly devices. But what if we all said “no, let’s run headfirst into the battle”. When I came across POPE CULTURE, I could sense this deep desire to dive into the battleground and the call that Neal and Hannah have to bring truth to the medium.

All of the creative work that my wife and I have done with Pope Culture so far has been completely on our own time and money. We'd love to be able to dedicate more time and energy to the YouTube channel, podcasting, and maybe one day book speaking engagements with all ages and demographics. Prayers and support for our ministry are so appreciated as we hope to begin to grow. We would never pretend to know everything about our culture and our world, but we know that we have a place in it and a call to share our perspective on it for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Neal Abbott

Creating content that is valuable, honest and hopeful is not easy. Just look to all the successful channels that are doing the exact opposite. It is much harder to be honest and true to our faith in these times and I am so inspired to see Neal and Hannah fully committing to this venture.

You can tell that the duo are passionate artists with a desire to do right by their work and collaborations. Look no further than their latest mini-doc, DAVID. It is such a subtle yet impactful portrait of an artist who is asking big questions and desiring a deeper connection with Christ.

Sure, the subject needs to be interesting but so much of how we see a subject comes from the artists behind the camera. Neal and Hannah are two awesome individuals behind a really authentic camera and I am so excited to see what they create next.

POPE CULTURE has a young and promising YouTube page that you should check out and subscribe to. I love what POPE CULTURE is becoming and it is exciting to see it grow and be in on it early as a fan.

Stay tuned to POPE CULTURE via the following platforms and be sure to subscribe to them on YouTube.

WEBSITE: https://www.thepopeculture.com/

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_QYiuQqJBz-cIcIRFDw3EQ