Branson area fans of Prager U, a nonprofit that promotes American values through short, easily understood educational videos for people of all ages, may have thought some scenes in the recent film, “The Void,” looked familiar.
That could be the case, because some of the scenes in the docudrama were filmed along the walking trails and lakeshore areas of Table Rock State Park. Daniel Myers, a content creator for Prager U who researched, wrote and directed “The Void,” lives in Branson with his wife, Madison, and their son Reuben, 2.
Myers is no stranger to producing content that promotes American values of faith, freedom and the importance of family. Daniel was 11 years old when his parents, Darren and Tammy Myers, began recognizing a need for faith-based patriotic education in youth and started researching and developing ministry about connections between faith and freedom, including how faith figures prominently in the history of the United States. The Myers family were serving as pastors of a Rolla, Missouri, church at that time; but the ministry eventually became a full-time evangelistic effort that led to the development of Freedom Encounter, the Freedom Journey Show, and God’s provision for the acquisition of the former Yellow Ribbon Theater.
Helping create video and media for his parents’ ministry, Daniel discovered he had a passion and gift for such work. Concerned about reaching out to people his own age, he created a “Freedomists” group, active on Facebook and Instagram, and was surprised and pleased at the response of young people hungry for truth and meaning. A YouTube series inspired by his dad’s youth-focused material quickly jumped to over 250,000 views, even though Daniel jokes that the early work was “not all that expertly done.”
Myers continued to hone his skills, with other contributors joining in on videos and podcasts. However, with visibility came the challenge of expenses and bills. The Freedomists team decided “on a whim” to send an email to Prager U, and were pleasantly surprised to receive a return email from the marketing director, asking, “Can we talk?” That led to videos for Prager U Kids, with several of the team becoming Prager U employees at a hub location in Little Rock.
Daniel continued to commute back to Branson to help at Freedom Encounter, but was then asked to consider moving to the main Prager U location in Los Angeles. By that time, he was married and the couple were expecting their first child, so he decided to return to Branson and continue his Prager U work on a contract basis. That gave Myers, now 27, flexibility to explore new ideas that led to “The Void.”
The video was originally planned as a documentary, with research and statistics about the epidemic of escapism and meaninglessness among youth and young adults. In discussing how to resonate with more young people, however, the decision was made to add drama and narrative. Although new territory for both Myers and Prager U, the venture seems to be a success, with nearly 2 million views.
“My hope is simply that it helps people,” said Myers, who is currently looking at next steps for new projects while continuing discussions with the Prager U team. In addition, while Daniel and the rest of the Myers family and Freedom Journey Show cast recently wrapped up the 2024 season, there is much to be done in the “off season” as new educational elements are added at Freedom Encounter. The Myers family have also enjoyed connecting with the theater’s former owner and music star, Tony Orlando, and future collaborations around shared interests may be a possibility.
If you haven’t seen “The Void,” visit https://www.prageru.com/series/short-documentaries to view and share with anyone you know who could benefit from its message and be inspired to move forward with God’s plan for their life.
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