For some people, just watching a television show or series isn’t enough. They’re all in and they’re fascinated, but simply viewing episodes isn’t completely fulfilling.
When it comes to the popular series “The Chosen,” that’s where Brandon Snipe comes in.
A lifelong Christian and a passionate YouTuber, Snipe dives deep into the intriguing world of this television phenomenon, passing along his unique insight and uncovering hidden gems and powerful messages behind the show.
On his YouTube channel The Snipe Life, Snipe dissects each episode and analyzes character developments to make “The Chosen” even more compelling.
On the site, with an audience of 35,000 subscribers, he engages in lively discussions, allows his audience to share their insights and makes lasting connections with like-minded believers. Snipe’s YouTube channel debuted three years ago in May 2020.
“The Chosen,” a Bible-based series that follows the life of Jesus Christ, portrayed by “Jesus Revolution’s” Jonathan Roumie, became a worldwide hit shortly after its debut in December 2017. So far, it has produced three seasons and 26 episodes with 110 million viewers in 175 countries.
So what made Brandon and his wife, Vanessa, initiate The Snipe Life? Snipe says he learned a great deal about ministry after procuring his first ministry job at the age of 19. He became increasingly curious about what his generation was thinking about God.
That prompted the Snipes to do extensive research about the world of YouTube so that they could help spread the gospel of Christ in their own special way.
“When we do something, we take it very seriously. We both went into study mode and we started learning everything that we could possibly could because we wanted to be the best YouTubers that we could and so we could grow a business and do what we wanted to,” Snipe told Charisma Magazine’s John Matarazzo in a recent interview. “At that time, I was still in full-time ministry and she (Vanessa) was doing different freelancing things.
“We started this channel not really knowing anything. We were really, really bad. … We tried a million different things just trying to get used to YouTube and none of those things worked. About 10 months into our journey, we had only amassed about 100 subscribers. At that 10-month mark was when season two of ‘The Chosen’ was coming out and so at that point, I knew that was going to be a good opportunity for us to try something new. So, I really pushed it forward and said let’s talk about ‘The Chosen.'”
It was then, Snipe said, he and Vanessa did a “big deep dive” into the first episode of “The Chosen” and immediately knew that was going to be their niche. What drew Brandon Snipe to “The Chosen” was how the series uses Scripture to teach its audience.
Their YouTube channel exploded with growth, and they began to formulate a plan to build a YouTube community around “The Chosen” and its popularity.
It’s not only Christians that subscribe to their channel. Snipe says there are many Muslims and people of other faiths that tune in. The majority of their audience, however, he says are older female Christians that have “been in church for a long time.”
Snipe refers to his core audience as “super sleuths,” people, like him and his wife, who are really interested in looking at behind the scenes of “The Chosen.”
“In between seasons or even during seasons, we’re looking for clues as to what’s happening, and so we’ve been able to figure out things,” Snipe says. “For example, season two, we figured out what was going to be happening. We found out who Judas was before he was announced and we were able to kind of talk about that and discuss it.”
And being friends with Dallas Jenkins, the creator, director and co-writer of “The Chosen” doesn’t hurt, either.
“He’s an amazing guy,” Snipe said of Jenkins. … “I had one discussion with him and asked him what do you think about us figuring out these things? He’s like, ‘I think it’s great for the community, but I wish you weren’t so good at it.'”
Now that Snipes have become good at what they do, it only adds to the intrigue of the show. You can be they have some interesting insights into the upcoming season four of the show.
Click here for more of this fascinating interview with Brandon Snipe.
Just like Jesus and His chosen apostles, you are appointed for favor and destined for greatness. Read Michelle McClain-Walters’ book, “Chosen” to find out why God chose you. {eoa}
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.