The Story

MISSION

To help others recognize Christ within the entertainment industry

VISION

To live in a world where the entertainment industry is used to prompt wonder and reflection on the divine

WHAT WE DO

People today are surrounded by opportunities for entertainment, but once one image fades it's immediately onto the next. Many no longer take the time to reflect and to wonder. Our team wants to propose a new lens through which to engage the entertainment industry. Namely, we want to be more than entertained. We want to see the industry as -and fight for it to be- a place where the things of heaven are wed to those of earth. We want people to know that Jesus Christ is all around them, if only they would take a moment to look for Him.

Join us at More Than Entertained as we reflect on the places we have encountered the divine in entertainment. “At every time and in every place, God draws close to man” (CCC 1), and because of this, we have found our lives to be far richer and more wonderful than we ever could have imagined. We suspect the same will become true for you. "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him..." (Luke 24:31).

NICK SMITH

Nick is a graduate of Spring Hill College and served as a FOCUS Missionary at Ave Maria University. Nick currently works as an Operations Research Analyst during the day and as a soccer coach after hours. Nick is also the co-host of the podcast Colloquium and loves to encounter Christ through art and contemporary culture.

BRENNAN GARRIQUES

Brennan graduated from Troy University where he converted to Catholicism in 2018. He served as a FOCUS missionary at LSU for 3 years before becoming one of the campus ministers. He has always been fascinated by the way he is moved by a good story and intrigued by the longing it stirs within him. One of his favorite hobbies is to reflect on how the entertainment industry points him to the divine.

AMBER MOSELEY

Amber graduated from St. Louis College of Pharmacy where she converted to Catholicism in 2016. She is a woman of many talents and currently resides as writer and our media gal. Somehow, she does all this while also being a full-time manager with the VC branch of FOCUS, a wife, and a mom. Out of a love for finding beauty in the ordinary and especially in media, Amber very generously gives some of her time to MTE in hopes she can help others do the same.

FR. PATRICK GILBREATH

Fr. Patrick is a priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile, currently serving as a parochial vicar and high school chaplain in Montgomery, Alabama. He was ordained in 2019 after 7 years in seminary. He connected with the MTE team through a mutual friend and offers the priestly perspective on media and entertainment. As a priest, Fr. Patrick desires to bring people closer to Christ, and he has always felt that the arts aid in elevating one's mind and imagination to what is above and beyond.

MARY CATHERINE MACHALEC

Mary Catherine Machalec graduated from the University of Texas, where her studies as an English major first taught her how to engage deeply with literature and the human experience. She then served as a FOCUS missionary for 5 years, where she fell in love with encountering beauty and truth in all forms of media. She now lives and works in Dallas for a Catholic nonprofit, and her free time is spent reading as much as she can.

EMMA STANLEY

Emma graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2021 with a degree in social work. She currently lives in Kansas City where she works in several different capacities. Emma has a unique, perceptive worldview that draws people who meet her out of themselves. Interestingly, she chose St. Genesius (one of our patrons) as her Confirmation Saint, speaking to her passion for meeting and sharing Christ in the entertainment industry.