Fortine show features faith, facts and fun

Fortine is just about the last place one would expect to find a television studio.

It’s one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” places off U.S. 93 — certainly no Los Angeles. But when Heather Kaufman and her family moved to the small community — from even smaller Polebridge — they were wowed by the high-tech operation run by Lloyd Claycomb and a handful of others in Fortine.

The setup exists to create “Dare to Be,” a faith-based children’s program. Everything from filming to editing to computer animation is done in Fortine.

“We were blown away by the show,” said Kaufman, whose sons, Griffin and Solomon Kaufman-Ziegert, found roles as actors on “Dare to Be.” “We couldn’t believe their abilities.”

The show revolves around a different moral theme each episode. Children on the program study science, Spanish and history, as well as a Bible lesson. They also interview people at local nonprofits, including pastors, firefighters and animal shelter workers.

The mission, Claycomb says in a video uploaded on the “Dare to Be” website, is to share God’s love with children across the world.

“This show is more than mere entertainment,” he says. “This show is about giving kids the tools they need to live a life with Jesus.”

The team behind the show knows the kids who watch “Dare to Be” are likely growing up in Christian homes, said Sky Boggs, the production manager, assistant director and actor. Those children probably know Bible stories such as David and Goliath backward and forward, so the show attempts to connect the familiar parables to the kids’ lives.

“They’ve heard [the stories] so many times their eyes glaze over,” Boggs said. “We ask, what does it mean to you? How can you apply it to your life?”

Boggs, a Flathead High graduate, has been working with Claycomb and “Dare to Be” for about a year and a half. She holds a degree in media arts from the University of Montana, and after traveling the world, she decided to come back to Montana and “put my degree to use.”

When she stumbled upon “Dare to Be,” Boggs realized it was a perfect fit for her talents and interests.

“I wanted to work hard at someting and really be a part of something,” she said.

The show began when Claycomb set out to create a program for his own children, Boggs said.

“You see what’s out there [for Christian kids’ TV shows], and he thought he could do that and make it better,” she said.

The show wasn’t very good at the beginning, when Claycomb was completely new to the process, Boggs said. But as he learned more about video production, the better the show got.

“The more he learned, the more he realized what he could do,” Boggs said. “When I came in, everything was pretty much in place.”

About six months after Boggs came on board, Kaufman’s sons joined the cast. Solomon, 12, is a scientist who revels in the show’s lab segments. Nine-year-old Griffin is already an actor who feels at home in front of the camera.

They worked on the show nearly every day last summer and on weekends during the school year, Kaufman said.

“The experience they’ve learned is absolutely amazing,” she said. “The kids, how much they know about television production and having it be such an open book with Lloyd and Sky teaching them the ropes, it will aid them through the rest of their lives in ways they can’t possibly fathom.”

“It’s been neat, really neat for them,” she added.

Several episodes of “Dare to Be” are already complete, and now the team is looking to get the show out to a larger market. The group is in talks with religious television networks, such as TBN and NRB, and is also exploring online distribution options, Boggs said. The show could be availble for viewing by August.

But the networks are nonprofits, so they won’t be able to pay for “Dare to Be” — which is a little problematic since Claycomb formed his own 501(c)3 nonprofit, A Thoughtful Hour, to distribute the show, she added.

“They don’t have money to give to outsourced shows,” Boggs said of the television channels. “They love it, and they want it, but they can’t give us any money.

“That’s fine, because the point is to get it out there, but we’re a nonprofit ourselves, so the issue is how do we keep this thing going?”

All those working on the show have donated their time, and others are supporting “Dare to Be,” she said.

Those who want to help, get involved or learn more about the program should visit the show’s website, www.daretobe.tv, or find the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/daretobetv.

Kristi Albertson, editor of This Week in the Flathead, may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.