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There have been a few missteps, too; a program on human combustion—called Self-Igniting Bodies—requested by PAX-TV, sold only nine DVDs. (Maybe they'd have had better sales had the soundtrack had included Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire.")

David W. Balsiger

But Grizzly's vision is bigger than merely marketing to Christian viewers. The company also desires to break down what they call the "secular wall" in TV by creating commercially viable entertainment infused with Christian values. And their secret for making their programming so successful might not be what you think.

Still, despite these espoused values, Balsiger is straightforward in saying that GA is not a "Christian company" as such. "We are a secular company producing [TV programs and DVDs] for the secular and religious marketplace. However, all the top management are professing Christians and are active in their local church or in parachurch organizations."

The heart of the company ethos doesn't have a lot to do with craft or artistry per se—rather, it has a lot to do with audience testing. The company names an inventive audience polling and research system, created by Sellier, as the true key to its longevity and its continued financial growth. This doesn't mean that Grizzly places no stock in high production values; Balsiger insists that, "as a general rule," they do not cut corners. But their programming is always preceded by thorough research, wherein they try to gauge what sorts of shows people want to watch—and, more to the point, what sorts of shows will garner high network ratings.

Their research doesn't lie, it would seem, nor can it be argued with; in the company's press material, Sellier is quoted as saying that he once marketed explicitly faith-based programming to nine major networks, and only one of them objected to the biblical content. Balsiger adds that the company is also good about anticipating "marketing tie-ins"—thus, programming related to The Da Vinci Code was begun well before the controversial film began making waves in evangelical circles.

A scene from 'Friends for Life'

Among the company's most recent releases is Friends for Life, a drama about a man who loses his wife to cancer, prepares to face a life of lonely desperation, and is surprised to be befriended by four orphaned wolf pups. The film won several awards, including multiple honors from the Dove Foundation. Other GA productions, however, might be a bit too gimmicky for Christian viewers, including a documentary extolling the merits of The Secret—a popular self-help sensation—and a documentary hypothesizing that the key to living a long, healthy life is hidden in Noah's Ark … if only we could find it!

Relative merits of their programming aside, there's no denying that the Grizzly Adams story is a compelling one. Their dedication to providing entertainment for the whole family is seemingly unflappable, and, with an entire crew of writers, producers, and other assorted filmmakers working in-house, their hectic slate of releases will likely continue to get bigger and bigger as the company continues to add to its audience.

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