Video Bible Creator Sets Sights on 2013 Super Bowl Commercial

 resident Jim Fitzgerald wanted to find a way to get more people engaged in the Bible and reading Scripture. In 1991, he had a prophetic vision that changed his life.

While on staff as the vice president of development at Cornerstone TeleVision, Fitzgerald got the idea to produce the Bible as a video book. This was the catalyst, he believed, that would spark a  revival and transform Bible reading in America.

“The first thing I believe is that the Bible is the most powerful information in all the world. When I got involved in television, I began to realize television and video is the most powerful ,” he said.

Twenty years later, more than 500,000 copies of the WatchWORD Video Bible — a video book that combines narration, musical compositions and reenactments — have been sold and an iPhone and iPad app Fitzgerald created has been downloaded in more than 40 countries.

Fitzgerald now has his sights set on the 2013 Super Bowl.

He has launched a nationwide  to enlist enough sponsors to help raise $4.5 million for a 30-second ad in the Super Bowl. 

Race against time

A small Gideon’s Army of 300 sponsors — businesses, churches, ministries and individuals — are needed to each provide $15,000 to produce and air the Super Bowl commercial to “the largest possible television audience,” he said. Gideon's Army refers to the Book of Judges in the Bible when God prepared Gideon for battle against numerically overwhelming odds.

“It only took 300 of the right ones,” Fitzgerald said.

He's in a race against time. The campaign has to be in a position to put up money by early- to mid-summer to secure an advertising spot. 

Nearly 20 churches, businesses and Christian organizations have signed on, including members of  in Ohio Township and , where Fitzgerald attends.

One of the more recent sponsors includes Justin Hartwig, who was a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009 and in the starting lineup for the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XLIII.

The greatest lampstand

“No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel. You put it on a lampstand where it gives light to everyone in the house.” — Matthew 5:15

Fitzgerald refers to the Bible verse to explain his reasons for targeting a Super Bowl broadcast. 

“The Super Bowl is the greatest lampstand in this country,” Fitzgerald explained.

Fitzgerald, who has worked in outreach and ministry on the North Side, started his journey 20 years ago with a three-day fast. Toward the end of the fast, he prayed for answers and remembers making notes and laughing at the same time when the idea came to him four hours later.

“I said in my heart, ‘God, I can’t believe you’ve shown me this and if this is what you want me to do, I’ll devote my life to it,' ” he said.

Not everyone believed a video book you could watch, read and hear all at once was such a great plan. Fitzgerald was told it was a terrible idea and technically impossible to do. Even if he did pull it off, people told him, no one would ever watch it.

Fitzgerald continued on and made some pilots that he said surprised everyone who saw them. The first, a three-minute pilot, cost $50,000. 

Worth the risk

In 1993, he and his wife, Betty, gave up their jobs to launch Sewickley-based WatchWORD Productions. They hired a production team and Fitzgerald built the program with Microsoft technology, using the same production equipment filmmakers used to produce the Jurassic Park movie. At that time, each computer cost more than $50,000 with software, he said. 

“We were at the place that we thought revival in this country was so important that if we failed at this it was worth taking the risk,” he said.

He thought the whole New Testament would take one year, but it took two years to produce the first four chapters.  At that point, Fitzgerald said, the production company ran out of money and he had to let the staff go.

“We almost lost everything, but we didn’t quit,” he said. “The technology kept improving.”

Finally, in 1998, they were able to raise more money and by the beginning of 2002, after more than a decade in production, they finished the New Testament. 

Over the years, more than 30 different people worked on the project, with licensed footage filmed on location in Israel, the Middle East and Europe. More than $12 million was spent on the overall project.

He believes the success of a Super Bowl commercial will depend upon others of faith catching the vision and becoming a part of it.

“It's been a whole lot harder than I ever anticipated, but if we are able to place this commercial out there, it will be a real fulfillment," Fitzgerald said.

To view a chapter of the WatchWORD Video Bible click here. To become a sponsor or for more information, visit WatchwordVideoBible.com or call 412-735-2332.

What is a videobook?

• The WatchWORD Bible is 26 hours long, the length of about 13 to 15 full-length movies, and is available in English, Japanese and Arabic.

• Along with tens of thousands of graphics, the video book contains dramatic reenactments, 130 original music compositions, and countless sound and special effects. 

• There are 260 chapters in the New Testament and 260 weekdays in a year, so a person can watch one chapter daily and cover the entire New Testament in 12 months.