Getty Candace Cameron Bure in June 2022
One of the most often-asked questions when it comes to the newest Hallmark competitor, Great American Family (under the Great American Media umbrella) is how the channel is going to handle diversity and how it is going to be different from Hallmark. Bill Abbott, CEO, and Candace Cameron Bure, who works in an executive role with the company, recently talked about the network’s future plans.
Bure Spoke About Great American Family’s Future Diversity Plans
In an interview with Variety, Bure shared that GAF’s focus is still on being family-friendly.
“This is going to be content that is trusted, that’s wholesome, that’s family-friendly,” she said, explaining how her executive role will involve her helping with content choices and growing the entire network.
Variety then asked if her executive role involved making choices about interracial couples and same-sex couples in Great American Family movies. Bure said those types of decisions are made by a board and not her specifically.
“Well, we haven’t specifically had those discussions,” she told Variety. “That isn’t completely up to me, because there is a board that are behind all of those decisions, but of course it will be talked about. And you know, we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes.”
She added that part of their diversity will include focusing on different holidays in the future.
“Well, this year, we’re absolutely focusing on Christmas. I’m sure as the channel continues to build content, it will include other holidays, but I think we know the core audience and what they love is exactly how Bill originally built the Hallmark Channel and that was Christmas and those traditional holidays,” she shared.
Bure Explained How GAF Will Be Different From Hallmark
Bure also talked to Variety about how GAF is going to be different from Hallmark, saying the network is going to focus more on faith and pride in country.
“I love hearing stories about our veterans, about our servicemen and women, those reunions when they come home,” she said.
Abbott Also Spoke About Future Diversity Plans
Abbott told Variety that diversity will be important to GAF, but a lot of it depends on what is pitched to them.
“Sometimes we’re not thought of by people who are really good at those storylines and so we have to go seek them…” he told Variety. “In growing this business, it’s much a much heavier lift than I ever thought. I knew it was going to be hard, but not this hard. And so, we’ll get there, but it’s not an overnight thing.”
He said they haven’t been pitched stories about other faiths, so for the moment they’re focused on Christmas. But he thinks that over time, they will expand their focus.
One of Abbott’s big focuses right now is the Great American Community social media initiative. In an interview with Family Savvy, he said they plan to expand the social media network and offer devotionals and a calendar that will help people be more intentional about the activities they plan with their family, especially during the Christmas season.