THE PLOT: Testament is a modern-day retelling of the Book of Acts. It follows a small group of believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, as they journey through danger and persecution to make the truth known: that He is risen.
THE PURPOSE: This multi-season series will connect people to the stories in the Bible in a way that will excite audiences and teach time-tested truths through a modern-day lens. With this project, we hope to get people eager to dive deeper into the Bible and find the real-life tension within the text depicted in the series.
THE MOVIE: Testament began its journey originally as a feature-length film. This movie, Testament: The Parables Retold, received a lot of interest from many distributors. Eventually, Testament partnered with Angel Studios for its distribution and for the opportunity to expand Testament into a multi-season series.
GLOBAL APPEAL: Many popular films and TV shows are simply modernized classic stories such as BBC's "Sherlock" and Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo & Juliet". Testament fits into a similar category yet combines it with how the greatest story ever told turned the world upside down, embracing the epic nature of the Biblical text and translating it into a truly cinematic experience.
THE EARLY CHURCH TODAY: We believe the Testament series will connect modern audiences with the power and impact the Early Church had on the world in their time, empowered by the Holy Spirit and the testament they carried.
Starting in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, Testament will follow the journeys of Peter, Stephen, Mary Magdalene, John, Gamaliel, Saul of Tarsus and many more.
The Early Church movement was accused of turning the world upside down, both politically and socially; giving voice to the ignored and hope to the oppressed. Many of these issues are being wrestled with today and we believe the Church still has a role to play; this series will remind viewers of the ground-shaking movement Christians are called to be a part of.
Bible stories are full of excitement, danger, and hope, but sometimes people can find the text hard to engage with or historical adaptations difficult to relate to. By setting Testament in the modern day, we hope to connect audiences to the Bible in a way that’s fresh and highly applicable.
The film garnered a lot of interest from many distributors but we decided to partner with Angel Studios as our distributor for the global reach they have, and for the opportunity to develop Testament into the upcoming multi-season show.
The movie is out now and can be viewed in various places, including the Angel Studios app and site.
*Success in other projects does not guarantee success in Testament
With Testament, we want people to be excited to open their bibles are read the accounts we are retelling. We also hope to raise awareness of real persecuted church communities around the world. While billions of people world-wide identify as Christians, religious freedom and religious persecution are still very prevalent issues. Through the disciples’ stories, we hope to highlight the extraordinary circumstances these courageous followers of Christ found themselves in.
This series presents themes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, better known as the fruits of the spirit.
As these characters and stories come to life, we believe this project will showcase God’s light and empower others to do the same.
By setting the Book of Acts in an alternate modern day, we’re hoping Testament will appeal to many; but especially Millennial and Gen-Z Christians. These younger generations are hungry for compelling, impactful stories, and they are very open to exploring their faith in every direction possible. This show will meet this target audience exactly where they’re at: desiring a connection to the true stories of the Bible in a way that feels real and applicable.
This project will positively portray how the outworking of our spiritual faith can benefit others in the world today. The Good News of Jesus changed the world over 2,000 years ago and continues to do the same today. Testament will remind audiences that the Church still has a role to play in the world and a commission to fulfill.
Testament will journey with Christians at all stages of their walk; those who are struggling, thriving, or even just beginning. Therefore, we anticipate that many Christian young adults, parents, friends, and colleagues will enjoy this portrayal of Bible stories, no matter their age.
The production company, roarlight, was founded by Paul Syrstad in 2017 with the purpose of producing films and TV shows that would "roar the light of Christ" on and off the screen.
This small company began work on retelling some of Jesus' most famous parables in modern-day settings and called the series of short films "The Parables Retold". These short films have not only gone on to win awards in various international film festivals but also were woven together into a larger storyline to create the feature film Testament: The Parables Retold.
Angel Studios is the distributor of the phenomenal series The Chosen. In 2021 alone, The Chosen earned more than $100 million in revenue*, which is extraordinary for a faith series, and even more incredible when one considers the ground-breaking Pay-it-Forward model pioneered by Angel Studios.
Right now, you can back the Testament project by investing. If we raise the full $5 million, we plan to use the funds to make the first 8 episode season. This isn't a regular crowdfund where you give money and get a t-shirt. Instead, you would be investing. So, if the show makes enough money, you could earn a return.** Own a part of the Testament series by investing now.
*Success of The Chosen is determined on views and revenue, not on profit. There is no guarantee of any return. The success of other projects does not guarantee the success of this project.
**There is no guarantee of any return. The success of other projects does not guarantee the success of this project. Revenue generated by Angel Studios does not indicate profits earned by Testament Pictures, LLC or its investors.
Invest in Testament now by purchasing Class A Preferred Units at $1.00 per unit.
We will use funds to produce Testament Season 1.
If we earn enough from distribution revenue, you would receive 120% of your investment before the founders take a profit distribution, and then we split profits by ownership.†
Testament began its journey as a movie (now called Testament: The Parables Retold) but is now being developed into a multi-season TV series retelling the Book of Acts narrative. The already completed movie is included in this offering.
It's early stages but we are currently planning five seasons of eight episodes each for Testament.
Testament will initially be made available on the Angel Studios platform. Our hope is that it will then be made available on other streaming platforms and TV stations. The original film, Testament: The Parables Retold which serves as the inspiration for the series is already available on the Angel Studios app as well as other TVOD sites.
Shows and films generate income from distribution, whether it’s from customers of streaming sites, theatrical ticket sales, DVD rentals and sales, fees from TV stations, and international distributors purchasing the rights. Testament is currently distributed globally through Angel Studios' streaming service. Down the road, it will potentially be distributed on television through multiple channels, other streaming platforms, and DVDs as well as generating revenue through other ancillary products.
Yes. Testament may be a reimagining of the narrative of the Book of Acts but it seeks to stay true and faithful to the spirit of the text. Every person involved in the core team creating this show is a believer in Christ and is committed to biblical truth found in the Old and New Testament. We also have a team of Bible-believing experts consulting on the project.
Angel Studios is our distribution partner. They are the studio platform responsible for bringing you The Chosen, Dry Bar Comedy, The Tuttle Twins, and more.
We believe Testament will appeal to believers and non-believers alike. The tone and style of the show will likely particularly resonate with those in the Millenial and Gen-Z generations.
No. The Testament series will focus on the accounts in the Book of Acts and the Epistles starting from the Day of Pentecost. The retellings of the parables (The Parables Retold) were for use solely in the original feature film and will not feature in the series.
Testament will be tonally similar to the original feature film (excluding the parables short films), a mixture of Action/Adventure filled with Drama.
Testament Pictures LLC is selling up to 5,000,000 Preferred Units in this crowdfunding round for $1.00/Unit.
Yes. Testament Pictures LLC already has a revenue-generating product in the original movie Testament: The Parables Retold. As an investor of Testament, you will also be entitled to the profits generated from the movie. Please see the offering documents for more information about specific rights for this production.
No. Testament Pictures LLC is a legal entity that is a separate and distinct company from Angel Studios, Inc. Investments made are in Testament Pictures LLC, not Angel Studios, Inc.
No. Investment in early-stage companies/shows is extremely risky, and you should consult with your independent financial advisor before making a decision on whether you want to invest. In any case, you should never invest more than you could afford to lose!
Unlike securities purchased on a stock market, such as the NYSE or Nasdaq, there is no public market for units in Testament. Therefore, it is highly unlikely you will be able to SELL your investment. However, you may receive distributions of cash from Testament if Testament has earned enough profit both to create future episodes and make distributions of available funds as determined by the Manager of Testament in his sole discretion. NOTE: as a Preferred Unit holder, you are eligible to earn up to 120% of your initial capital contribution before the Common Unit holders receive a distribution of available funds.
Investments will be on a first come, first serve basis. We cannot guarantee that there will be opportunities to purchase additional units in the future.
In the event that happens, all the money invested will be returned to the investors.
Every country has its own securities laws. We are offering this Regulation CF round under the laws of the US and so we know what we need to do to allow US citizens to invest and be compliant with those laws. We don't have the resources to be able to identify and comply with the securities laws in other jurisdictions, so we limit investments to US citizens.
There is no subscription plan to buy securities and all purchases of our securities are a one time payment. Subscribers are simply other investors that have purchased the securities. A "subscription agreement" is a legal term for the contract between an investor (you) and the issuer (us), it details the offering of securities and explains your rights and responsibilities when deciding to purchase our securities.
Because you’re making an investment and not a donation. The escrow agent is subject to banking regulations when they hold your money, and ownership is tracked by social security number.
Our ability to offer our Shares to the public is possible due to legislation known as the Jobs Act. This law limits the amount that investors can purchase based on your annual revenue and net worth. There is no limit, however, if you are an accredited investor. If you have additional questions regarding this limit, feel free to ask in our Q&A tool at the bottom of the main page of this offering.
Yes, you can now invest from one of these entities. Just select that option when moving through the checkout process.
Yes, but only for those investors investing larger amounts (due to the higher processing fee) of over $50,000.
Yes, we are happy to accept ACH transactions.
As part of Regulation CF, we are required to file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We also intend to send regular investor updates via email to let you know all the latest news of the company.
You may invest as many times as you would like until you reach your investment limit under the crowdfunding regulations. (However, please know that if you invest multiple times in the same crowdfunding offering, your multiple investments may not help the "number of investors" ticker move.)