'LEAVING EDEN' SERIES REBOOT EXPANDS ON ISSUES CONFRONTING PASTORS
POV Einstein founder, writer, producer and director Greg Batiansila against a "Leaving Eden" poster background. Insets: Scenes from season four of "Leaving Eden."
▶ BY KEVIN SCOTT COLLIER
Filmmaker/producer Greg Batiansila left Eden once, but has returned to it. Not the garden, but the faith-based series he developed, that first premiered seven years ago. Batiansila’s dramatic series Leaving Eden is a production of POV Einstein, a moniker established in 2012. It’s a family affair more than a company, he explained.
“We haven’t formulated an LLC or done all the business-end things associated with the word ‘company.’ Instead, we have largely focused purely on the art of telling stories through film,” Batiansila told CM. “At this time, I am the key creative and my daughter, Teia, helps think through production and is the principal shooter. My wife, Jen, often helps with some levels of production, drawing from her deep roots in theater, and also is onscreen for Leaving Eden.”
Leaving Eden has enjoyed four seasons. The first season featured ten episodes, the second six, and the third and fourth, four episodes each.
The Leaving Eden series sprang forward due to tragedy in the Bastiansila family..
“My daughter died just before her second birthday, in 2010. Part of our healing process was to lean into the arts, where we both have a significant skill set and background,” Batiansila explained. “My thesis for graduation at Concordia University Wisconsin was a screenplay; my wife is a classically trained singer and actress. I’m surrounded by what I call ‘show folk,’ the sort of people who, if you asked me to stand up a production of Les Miserables, I could make some calls and get it going in a few weeks.”
What developed involved a troupe of classically trained stage actors and a comedic farce, written by Batiansila, called Noises Off.
“We were delighted to break even and pull off creating the iconic two-story, rotating set that Noises Off requires,” he said. “But the idea of charging money for tickets spooked me, and I endeavored after that play to move to film.”
At the time, Batiansila was travelling the country, writing and directing corporate videos for an ad agency. This led to the production of a variety of films—animated/talking heads/TV commercials/etc.—close to 300, in all. This included a 90 minute film for a Fortune 50 company, and a product video for an app that Apple ended up promoting on its traveling road show..
“I also had befriended a number of cinematographers, so bumming their ‘B’ cameras for a few weeks wasn’t a problem,” Batiansila conveyed. “And relying on their insight and guidance helped us to constantly refine our skills as we moved along.”
Growing up the son of a Missouri Synod Lutheran minister left an impression that would unfold into ideas for Leaving Eden. The beginnings of the screenplay rested in a legal pad, simply titled Pastor.
“I’m one of those kids who would never, ever, be a pastor because of the stress and hardship my father went through,” he explained. “I knew why he did it; I knew how hard it was. I knew there was a story here no one really understood, and the script was going to tell it.”
When Noises Off wrapped up, Greg Batiansila turned his attention to what was the genesis of Leaving Eden.
“To me, even then, episodic storytelling was my favorite,” he said. “I was, and am, strongly influenced by The Sopranos, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, ER...all the great one hour shows, but especially Friday Night Lights.”
Batiansila imagined the series as ten episodes per season. During some test shoots, his wife, Jen, came up with the title, Leaving Eden, thus replacing the original title of Pastor. The first episode was shot in June of 2012.
“While we initially had considered a much darker show than where we landed, I never wanted to tell a story that dark,” he explained. “It was more about a man with an odd job. It’s weird.”
Batiansila conveyed that 72% of pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week. 84% feel they are on call 24/7. 80% believe that pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
“Many pastors’ children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents,” Batiansila said.
Further stats are just as startling. 65% of pastors feel their family lives in a "glass house" and fear they are not good enough to meet expectations. 23% report being distant toward their family. 78% say ministry duties or expectations interrupted their vacation and personal time.
“The idea of the term ‘leaving Eden’ is a bit melancholy to me,” Batiansila said. “It’s a taste of perfection, and a taste of sadness, of leaving. It’s a paper lantern, shining bright as it flies heavenward...but it’ll never reach it.”
The Leaving Eden series reveals a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of fictional characters Ben Nicholson, the pastor of a Midwestern church, and his wife and family, who encounter challenges, both good and bad, in life.
The initial run of Leaving Eden lasted three seasons, from 2012 to 2013. The series then lapsed into a deep sleep for five years.
Last year, Batiansila and daughter, Teia, principal cinematographer for the series, were at the International Christian Film Festival, where their Shepherd was nominated for best short and best screenplay.
“And most of our Q&A’s ended up talking about Leaving Eden,” Batiansila said. “Teia and I called actor David Sapiro, who plays Pastor Ben Nicholson, and told him we really believed God wanted us to bring the show back, after five years of hiatus. Dave was ecstatic, so we started to think through what it would be in this new iteration.”
Batiansila’s POV Einstein shot four new episodes concurrently, establishing a season in January of this year. The entire cast had changed, with the exception of a few key players.
“In the new season, Dave, Jen [Jennifer Batiansila], Ethan and Aidan are still there—but the others didn’t come back,” he explained.
Thus, the reboot/new direction retains David Sapiro as Pastor Nicholson, Jennifer Batiansilo as the pastor’s wife, Jill, and sons Ethan and Aidan Batiansila as their children, Elliott and Kaden Nicholson. The dramatic focus now is more on the pastor and his family.
Besides those mentioned, also appearing in the series are Ella Klefisch, JP Thomas, April Paul, Shannon Netthesheim, Selah Batiansila, Zachary Klahn and Teia Batainsila.
Season four wrapped pickups and reshoots in late April and were released. The overall series has enjoyed some success regarding viewership.
“Episode six of season one had over 50k views on blip.tv; and in all, we end up with around 90-100k views between all of our platforms,” Batiansila said. “These many years later, we realize no amount of PR or spending, no amount of cajoling or begging for media attention will get you that sort of momentum. We must be okay with it being beautiful, and perhaps unseen by most folks. For a medium that is so strongly driven by audience response, and requires intense dedication and thousands of hours of detailed work to produce, that's a tough pill to swallow. But it's a fact of this life. Dave and I talk a lot about the ‘audience of one,’ our Abba Father.”
Batiansila admits he did choose a completely unsexy topic, focusing on a group of overworked professionals on the lower end of the pay scale, and their families. Those are often the ones ignored in real life..
“If I wanted an audience, I should have made a series about the Kardashians. Who are LGBTQ. Who love kittens,” he said.
Batiansila conveyed he is nearly finished writing the first episode of the upcoming fifth season..
“And then I hope to get the other episodes written shortly,” he said.
The plan is to move the story beyond the church sanctuary more.
“The lion's share of a pastor's work isn't really in the church sanctuary. They counsel couples, visit the sick, haunt hospitals...there's some fertile area to move,” he explained. “I've already spoken with a few pastors for thoughts and ideas, so it's percolating.”
Leaving Eden can be seen on the series’ YouTube channel. Batiansila is looking into broader platforms, as the reboot is the face and direction of the show, as opposed to the early phases.
“The latest season and any future work is geared for new streaming platforms,” he said. “And I’m striving harder to find outlets for them, whether it’s Amazon Prime or some other platform.”
Filmmaker/producer Greg Batiansila left Eden once, but has returned to it. Not the garden, but the faith-based series he developed, that first premiered seven years ago. Batiansila’s dramatic series Leaving Eden is a production of POV Einstein, a moniker established in 2012. It’s a family affair more than a company, he explained.
“We haven’t formulated an LLC or done all the business-end things associated with the word ‘company.’ Instead, we have largely focused purely on the art of telling stories through film,” Batiansila told CM. “At this time, I am the key creative and my daughter, Teia, helps think through production and is the principal shooter. My wife, Jen, often helps with some levels of production, drawing from her deep roots in theater, and also is onscreen for Leaving Eden.”
Leaving Eden has enjoyed four seasons. The first season featured ten episodes, the second six, and the third and fourth, four episodes each.
The Leaving Eden series sprang forward due to tragedy in the Bastiansila family..
“My daughter died just before her second birthday, in 2010. Part of our healing process was to lean into the arts, where we both have a significant skill set and background,” Batiansila explained. “My thesis for graduation at Concordia University Wisconsin was a screenplay; my wife is a classically trained singer and actress. I’m surrounded by what I call ‘show folk,’ the sort of people who, if you asked me to stand up a production of Les Miserables, I could make some calls and get it going in a few weeks.”
What developed involved a troupe of classically trained stage actors and a comedic farce, written by Batiansila, called Noises Off.
“We were delighted to break even and pull off creating the iconic two-story, rotating set that Noises Off requires,” he said. “But the idea of charging money for tickets spooked me, and I endeavored after that play to move to film.”
At the time, Batiansila was travelling the country, writing and directing corporate videos for an ad agency. This led to the production of a variety of films—animated/talking heads/TV commercials/etc.—close to 300, in all. This included a 90 minute film for a Fortune 50 company, and a product video for an app that Apple ended up promoting on its traveling road show..
“I also had befriended a number of cinematographers, so bumming their ‘B’ cameras for a few weeks wasn’t a problem,” Batiansila conveyed. “And relying on their insight and guidance helped us to constantly refine our skills as we moved along.”
Growing up the son of a Missouri Synod Lutheran minister left an impression that would unfold into ideas for Leaving Eden. The beginnings of the screenplay rested in a legal pad, simply titled Pastor.
“I’m one of those kids who would never, ever, be a pastor because of the stress and hardship my father went through,” he explained. “I knew why he did it; I knew how hard it was. I knew there was a story here no one really understood, and the script was going to tell it.”
When Noises Off wrapped up, Greg Batiansila turned his attention to what was the genesis of Leaving Eden.
“To me, even then, episodic storytelling was my favorite,” he said. “I was, and am, strongly influenced by The Sopranos, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, ER...all the great one hour shows, but especially Friday Night Lights.”
Batiansila imagined the series as ten episodes per season. During some test shoots, his wife, Jen, came up with the title, Leaving Eden, thus replacing the original title of Pastor. The first episode was shot in June of 2012.
“While we initially had considered a much darker show than where we landed, I never wanted to tell a story that dark,” he explained. “It was more about a man with an odd job. It’s weird.”
Batiansila conveyed that 72% of pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week. 84% feel they are on call 24/7. 80% believe that pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
“Many pastors’ children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents,” Batiansila said.
Further stats are just as startling. 65% of pastors feel their family lives in a "glass house" and fear they are not good enough to meet expectations. 23% report being distant toward their family. 78% say ministry duties or expectations interrupted their vacation and personal time.
“The idea of the term ‘leaving Eden’ is a bit melancholy to me,” Batiansila said. “It’s a taste of perfection, and a taste of sadness, of leaving. It’s a paper lantern, shining bright as it flies heavenward...but it’ll never reach it.”
The Leaving Eden series reveals a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of fictional characters Ben Nicholson, the pastor of a Midwestern church, and his wife and family, who encounter challenges, both good and bad, in life.
The initial run of Leaving Eden lasted three seasons, from 2012 to 2013. The series then lapsed into a deep sleep for five years.
Last year, Batiansila and daughter, Teia, principal cinematographer for the series, were at the International Christian Film Festival, where their Shepherd was nominated for best short and best screenplay.
“And most of our Q&A’s ended up talking about Leaving Eden,” Batiansila said. “Teia and I called actor David Sapiro, who plays Pastor Ben Nicholson, and told him we really believed God wanted us to bring the show back, after five years of hiatus. Dave was ecstatic, so we started to think through what it would be in this new iteration.”
Batiansila’s POV Einstein shot four new episodes concurrently, establishing a season in January of this year. The entire cast had changed, with the exception of a few key players.
“In the new season, Dave, Jen [Jennifer Batiansila], Ethan and Aidan are still there—but the others didn’t come back,” he explained.
Thus, the reboot/new direction retains David Sapiro as Pastor Nicholson, Jennifer Batiansilo as the pastor’s wife, Jill, and sons Ethan and Aidan Batiansila as their children, Elliott and Kaden Nicholson. The dramatic focus now is more on the pastor and his family.
Besides those mentioned, also appearing in the series are Ella Klefisch, JP Thomas, April Paul, Shannon Netthesheim, Selah Batiansila, Zachary Klahn and Teia Batainsila.
Season four wrapped pickups and reshoots in late April and were released. The overall series has enjoyed some success regarding viewership.
“Episode six of season one had over 50k views on blip.tv; and in all, we end up with around 90-100k views between all of our platforms,” Batiansila said. “These many years later, we realize no amount of PR or spending, no amount of cajoling or begging for media attention will get you that sort of momentum. We must be okay with it being beautiful, and perhaps unseen by most folks. For a medium that is so strongly driven by audience response, and requires intense dedication and thousands of hours of detailed work to produce, that's a tough pill to swallow. But it's a fact of this life. Dave and I talk a lot about the ‘audience of one,’ our Abba Father.”
Batiansila admits he did choose a completely unsexy topic, focusing on a group of overworked professionals on the lower end of the pay scale, and their families. Those are often the ones ignored in real life..
“If I wanted an audience, I should have made a series about the Kardashians. Who are LGBTQ. Who love kittens,” he said.
Batiansila conveyed he is nearly finished writing the first episode of the upcoming fifth season..
“And then I hope to get the other episodes written shortly,” he said.
The plan is to move the story beyond the church sanctuary more.
“The lion's share of a pastor's work isn't really in the church sanctuary. They counsel couples, visit the sick, haunt hospitals...there's some fertile area to move,” he explained. “I've already spoken with a few pastors for thoughts and ideas, so it's percolating.”
Leaving Eden can be seen on the series’ YouTube channel. Batiansila is looking into broader platforms, as the reboot is the face and direction of the show, as opposed to the early phases.
“The latest season and any future work is geared for new streaming platforms,” he said. “And I’m striving harder to find outlets for them, whether it’s Amazon Prime or some other platform.”
