Interview by Paul Salfen, Text by Christine Thompson for AMFM Magazine
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, a powerful new film is rekindling the nation’s spiritual heritage and reminding audiences where true liberty is found. A Great Awakening, the latest feature from Sight & Sound, tells the remarkable true story of evangelist George Whitefield and his unlikely 30-year friendship with Benjamin Franklin — a relationship that helped spark the First Great Awakening and fueled the revolutionary fire in the colonies. In an exclusive conversation with AMFM Magazine, Paul Salfen sat down with Joshua Enck, Chief Story Officer at Sight & Sound and the driving force behind this landmark project, to discuss the three-year journey of faith, unforgettable on-set moments, and why this story carries such urgent meaning today.
Joshua Enck is quick to deflect personal praise. As the leader of a massive undertaking that spanned three years of pre-production and production, he consistently points to the team and to God’s faithfulness. “I’m proud of the team,” he shared. “I’m proud of the Herculean effort it took to get this film onto the screen… and the testimonies that we’re getting. It’s just been incredible.” The second wave of response since the film began streaming on The Wonder Project has only deepened that gratitude. For Enck, every obstacle along the way was met with what he calls a “breadcrumb trail of faith” — moments when the team would look back at previous miracles to find strength for the next challenge. “Any noble thing takes hard work,” he reflected. “We stick together. This is not about any one individual. It’s a team. It’s the church capital C.”
One of the most unforgettable moments on set came during the filming of Whitefield preaching at a coal mine. As daylight faded, actor John Blair — who had memorized the entire powerful sermon — delivered a flawless performance while using a blood capsule to portray the moment Whitefield was struck by a rock. Suddenly the sun broke through, creating a stunning lens flare across the frame. “We just stood there stunned,” Enck recalled. “We in that moment, we were not making a movie. We were experiencing the power of George Whitefield sermons once again all these years later, coming to life.” Overcome, Enck told Blair he had no direction to give. Blair replied he felt so lightheaded he might pass out. The scene stands as a powerful reminder that they were handling holy ground.
Having recently turned 50, Enck spoke candidly about the shift from youthful ambition to humble stewardship. “The temptation when you’re a young man is to kind of make it about yourself,” he said. “But that’s kind of been burned out of me.” Instead, he celebrates the eternal impact of telling a story that is 98 percent true to history — including Franklin’s pivotal speech delivered word for word. “I just look around like, Lord, who am I to bring this pivotal story to the masses? And you’ve allowed me to be at the tip of the spear. Thank you.”
When asked what advice he would offer aspiring storytellers, Enck drew a crucial distinction between expectation and expectancy. “Expectations are man made… we usually fall short of them,” he explained. “If you have a posture of expectancy, instead you’re expecting God’s going to do what God’s going to do… it puts you into a place of partnership with the Lord and not striving.” His counsel was simple and profound: bring every project under the lordship of Christ, follow His steps, and release the results to Him.
The team also refused to shy away from Whitefield’s complex and flawed history, including his ownership of slaves. Rather than sugarcoating the past, they portrayed these human beings honestly. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. “We have not gotten one complaint or challenge about it because we showed the flaws… and instead of it being challenged, it was actually rewarded with thank yous,” Enck said. That same humility and courage shaped the entire production. Quoting both Lincoln and Reagan, he emphasized that nearly anyone can endure adversity, but true character is tested by power — and that immeasurable things happen when people don’t care who gets the credit. “How we do it matters as much to us as the end product,” he added. “The process is the ministry.”
Enck’s love for storytelling began early. At age ten, his parents gave him a VHS video camera, and “I picked it up and I never put it down.” He has been with Sight & Sound since 1995, the same year he came to faith at nineteen. After twenty-five years in live stage production, he has expanded into feature films with global reach. Next on the horizon: a new stage production and a third film — an international true story — scheduled to begin shooting next spring. “We’re just going to keep doing this as long as the Lord leads.”
At its core, A Great Awakening is not merely a historical drama. It is a call to remember that the liberty celebrated on July 4th and rung out by the Liberty Bell finds its deepest source in the salvation and transformation found in Jesus Christ. As Enck and his team continue creating stories that awaken hearts, audiences are discovering — or rediscovering — that this is their story, their legacy, and an invitation to a fresh awakening today.
