Derral Eves is one of the producers of The Chosen, a series about Jesus Christ that has accumulated 500 million viewers and is available in Spain on the MoviStar and acontra platforms. On Friday the first chapter of the third season was previewed in Verdi cinemas. More than about Jesus Christ, he talks about his surroundings, about those who lived near him. It began as a short filmed by Dallas Jenkins for a parish that enthused Eves, a marketing genius (his list of clients is overwhelming: Bill Gates, NBC, ESPN…) who saw a vein, and hit the mark. He was in Barcelona this weekend, invited by Cinemanet to give The Choosen its Family award, which was also received by the CEO of Acontracorriente, Adolfo Blanco. Eves also participated in the Bethel23 event, organized by the Archdiocese to attract young people to the church.
How do you explain such a success with a figure that is 2,000 years old?
In the first century the world had many problems similar to those of today. Racism, hate, problems between religions and beliefs... a lot of negative things. Jesus fascinates us because his message is still valid.
How did you manage to be original?
With Dallas Jenkins we saw all the productions about Christ and they all treated him from the point of view of Jesus, not from the people he treated, and that's the difference. Ben Hur has an alternate point of view as well.
They go for 500 million views and say they aspire to 1,000.
Keep in mind that my mother has seen it a million times –laughs-. But yes, we aspire to that number. Few have made it.
Does it have an evangelizing, historical will...?
It's a Jewish series! Because Jesus was a Jew -he laughs again- but the grace is that he came to change not only history but also the family. It was so disruptive that we still talk about it, 2,000 years later.
You have a great career in marketing: have you applied your techniques to a character like Jesus or is Jesus selling himself?
I have worked as an influencer, youtuber and on social networks, but the greatest influencer of all times is Jesus Christ. He influenced the whole world, sharing the truth. The secret of Jesus is that he transforms the lives of those who meet him.
They have been limited to seven seasons. Wouldn't you give for more?
There are many stories that we could tell, but we are going to focus on specific people that we have already decided on. To make it round, we want to tell stories that get to the crucifixion and resurrection, the key moments of Jesus.
They have been financed with crowdfunding: a matter of faith?
I think we've sent a very clear message that people want and want passionate projects like The Chosen. It is not an alternative to the Hollywood model but it can be inspiring.
Some of those who have paid appear in the series. Is it a path?
It was much better to summon the people than to create them through special effects. 10,000 people showed up. It's funny because we can see on the platforms that people press pause when they see the mass of people, they look for their face there.
Would Muhammad be a good subject for a series?
Of course. He is a great man who did some very good things, it would be interesting.
Do you contemplate it?
I am focused on Jesus, but I have friends who, seeing the success of The Chosen and being Muslims, are thinking about it.
Everything it touches turns it massive: what's the secret?
She's behind there, she's my wife –he laughs again-. No: the secret is to make content that is shareable. It has happened with The Chosen, people communicate it to their loved ones and that circulation is key. It's nice when people share what they love. So share it more.
The key is that it is something that is loved?
Well, not always. In movies there are also moments of pain or hate, and people share them too. The important thing here is that the audience loves Jesus, and they don't like it when he suffers. But that suffering means something to them and that creates emotion, that's what's important.
How do you deal with or take advantage of the algorithm?
I've spent my whole life trying to reveal the little secrets of the algorithm. Being able to understand or understand how the algorithm works on each platform, each one is different. Now the algorithms are controlled by artificial intelligence, which tries to predict what people want to see, in order to keep them in the same place.
What would you do with AI?
I'm obsessed with it. I'm afraid. I see the Terminator in him...
Do we have to make new laws?
It is early to know how to act on artificial intelligence, to see its potential and see how far it can go. On the other hand, if laws are not put in place, there can be real dangers. The interesting thing is that the people who write the laws don't have a clue about technology.
So do we intervene or wait?
I am very optimistic, I am not afraid. But I am very expectant to know what will happen. I think it will transform the world. This tool can be very useful and it will make the world a little smaller.
Moments of change often generate a feeling of fear.
Yes, because we don't know exactly its potential.
Do you disconnect from your mobile or networks at any time?
Yes, one day a week I put my phone down and only use it to play chess.
He was a newspaper editor. In the current context, do they have a future?
Definitely. We are in a very interesting moment. People will always have the desire to tell or know stories, although in the last 15 or 20 years there has been an important change: the headline has gained importance to the detriment of the story, and that is a very big problem, because the headline seeks the click without being interested in the story. And it's a mistake that we lose the back story.
But can that be profitable?
There will always be a click on a headline, and where there is traffic there will be marketing and therefore much money. But I don't think newspapers will keep the reader's trust if they are just looking for the click, if there isn't an important story behind it. You cannot live from clicking, from the trust and loyalty of the reader yes. But young people today believe that everything is fake news.
And how is that fought?
You have to promote good stories. I think that the new generations love authenticity, and that is the secret of projects, like The Chosen, that seek authenticity. Authenticity connects deeply with the person, be it a movie or a newspaper.
