Paul Crouch, Jr.
| Paul Crouch, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Paul Franklin Crouch, Jr. March 13, 1959 Rapid City, South Dakota |
| Occupation | TV Network Executive |
| Title | Chairman and Chief Studio Designer for Cinemills Corporation |
| Religion | Christian |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children |
Brandon Crouch (son) Brittany Crouch Koper (daughter) Carra Crouch (daughter) |
| Relatives |
Paul Crouch, Sr. (father) Jan Crouch (mother) Matthew Crouch (brother) |
Paul Franklin Crouch, Jr. (born March 13, 1959) is an American Christian broadcaster. He currently serves as Chairman and Chief Studio Designer for Cinemills Corporation. However, he is best known for his long association with the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which was founded by his parents Paul Sr., and Jan Crouch.
Personal life
The oldest of Paul and Jan Crouch's two children, Paul Jr. was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, where his father was working in commercial broadcasting at the time. The Crouches eventually moved to California, where they co-founded Trinity Broadcasting Network in 1973.
Paul Jr. married Tawny Dryden, the daughter of Oklahoma City pastors Ron and Linda Dryden, in 1980. The couple had three children together—son Brandon and daughters Brittany and Carra—before divorcing around 2007.
Professional career
As a teenager Paul Jr. worked behind the scenes during the formative years of TBN, alongside his parents and younger brother Matthew. In the early 1980s, however, he left TBN and ventured out on his own to produce and direct various Christian television programs such as Church in the Home for Fred Jordan and a program for TBN regular Dwight Thompson. Around this time, in 1982 Paul Jr. briefly entered the spotlight as an outspoken critic of backmasking. He made appearances on both religious networks (including TBN) and secular programs, such as The Merv Griffin Show,[1] playing rock music recordings he believed contained Satanic messages when played backwards.
In 1983 Crouch formed PJ Video, a full service video production company which offered post-production services for both Christian ministries and secular clients. Two years later he co-founded The Edit Bay, a post-production editing facility.
In 1990 Paul Jr. joined Jay Sekulow in establishing Sonlight Broadcasting Systems, a network of Christian television stations based in the southern United States. All of Sonlight's stations were affiliated with the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Crouch served as a member of the board of Sonlight Broadcasting until 1995, and developed and producing television programs that were broadcast on the stations.
TBN
Paul Crouch, Jr. returned to Trinity Broadcasting on a full-time basis in 1998 in the role of vice president of production, where he oversaw the development of new programs and special projects. He also worked alongside his brother Matthew, as second unit director of photography on the TBN-produced full-length motion picture, The Omega Code (1999).[2] In 2003 Paul Jr. and his son Brandon spearheaded the launch of JCTV, TBN’s youth network. Paul Jr. was later elevated to the position of chief of staff, taking a more prominent role in the management and expansion of TBN's global network. Crouch led TBN's expansion into digital platforms, including the internet and social media sites such as Facebook[3] and Twitter, live video streaming content to mobile platforms,[4] and video on demand (VOD).[5][6] He also began to increase his on-camera presence on the network as a frequent host of Praise the Lord and Behind the Scenes, TBN's flagship programs.
Recent career
Crouch was forced from his role at TBN, and quit being on the board in October 2011. His departure came on the heels of a lawsuit brought against his parents by his daughter, Brittany Crouch Koper. Crouch and his daughter Brittany left TBN in an act of solidarity to protest the controversial actions taken by the networks management.[7] [8] He later joined the Word Network as Director of Project Development. The Word Network is a Christian network, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. Crouch established facilities for the Word Network in the Los Angeles area. Crouch was fired by the Word Network in 2016 due to a conflict of interests when he produced a spot for another Christian network using his own equipment and time.[9] In his current position, Crouch serves as Chairman and Chief Studio Designer for Cinemills Corporation. Cinemills designs, manufactures and supplies lighting equipment for motion pictures, television and still photography.
References
- ↑ Paul Crouch Jr. appearance on The Merv Griffin Show, 1982. YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
- ↑ (1999) by The Hollywood Reporter
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/trinitybroadcastingnetwork
- ↑ http://tbn.org/watch-us/mobile-viewing
- ↑ http://www.tbn.org
- ↑ "Trinity Broadcasting Network". Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/us/tbn-fight-offers-glimpse-inside-lavish-tv-ministry.html?_r=0
- ↑ "TBN extravagance? Read internal memos for yourself". Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.charismanews.com/us/56264-tbn-founder-s-son-fired-by-word-network