Focusing on Relationships in the Film Industry

Profile on: Ralph Winter, Movie Producer, Star Trek IV and VI, Mighty Joe Young, X-Men, Planet of the Apes

The fact that God has a sense of humor isn’t lost on Ralph Winter, producer of such films as Planet of the Apes, the X-Men series and three instalments in the Star Trek movie franchise. Ralph describes his road to Hollywood as a “wonderful journey of God’s mercy, humor and grace.”

That’s the only way he can explain how someone who doesn’t have any relatives in the movie business and who never even dreamed of working in Hollywood could be making such high profile films.

Strange twist of fate

Although Ralph became a Christian at age 12, it wasn’t until he reached high school that he really started asking questions about how his faith should impact his life. Thinking he would like to become a pastor or preacher or “do something significant,” Ralph started with an undergrad degree in history and planned to continue on to seminary after that. However, on the way to seminary, Ralph married his high school sweetheart and, as he puts it, “kids happened.” Thus, Ralph had to set aside further educational plans and focus on providing for his family.

Ralph’s search for gainful employment led him to Broadway Department Stores. In a strange twist of fate, shortly after Ralph began working there, his employers asked if anyone would be interested in developing some training videos for the company. Seeing as videotape was just coming onto the market and Ralph was curious about its potential, he decided to give it a go. He must have done a pretty good job at it because Ralph’s training videos garnered him national attention. Before he knew it, he was called into Paramount Pictures to begin work as a producer. This abrupt change in fortune was difficult for Ralph to process at first.

“Suddenly I’m at a place where they’re making ten TV shows each week and huge movies and I’m meeting all these players – the Michael Eisner’s, the Jeffrey Katzenberg’s and the Barry Diller’s of the world. They were all coming through the doors,” Ralph says.

Relationships are key

Right from the beginning, Ralph was fortunate enough to get involved in a number of high grossing films. These hits allowed him to go on to produce or executive produce 26 movies and TV shows, earning himself a place amongst Hollywood’s fabled A-list.

Despite his success, for Ralph, what matters most is not whether his movies succeed or fail but the relationships he develops along the way.

“Walking the Christian walk is what’s most important,” he says. “The greatest symbol of being different in this business is pursuing excellence with integrity and showing a grace and mercy to co-workers and other people around you that doesn’t get so frantic or dysfunctional like others who are desperate for their movies to work. The Hollywood myth is that you’re only as good as your last project. But these relationships are going to exist no matter what movies I work on or what my next project is.”

The path Ralph has walked is anything but typical. But he realizes God’s hand was leading him at key points along the way, even though he didn’t see it at the time.

“As I look back, I can see a little music, I can see a little acting in front of the camera, directing the Christmas play, working with youth, being a diplomat on the church board. All of these skills come into play when being a producer. That’s definitely God’s hand. I didn’t craft that flight path, but He did.”

Do you sense God preparing you for a task he has yet to reveal? Why not ask Jesus what it is? If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

Ralph Winter is a top Hollywood producer who has worked on such films as The X-Men, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country, Inspector Gadget, Left Behind and more. Not bad for a History major at UC Berkeley.

After graduating from college, Ralph got a job making industrial training videos for a department store. That led to a stint with Paramount doing post-production work on old TV shows such as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Taxi and Mork and Mindy. His first producing work came on the Star Trek 3 movie. Things took off at light-speed from there. With his career seemingly in cruise control, Ralph walked away from one of the biggest opportunities of his life. He was offered a chance to work on the next James Bond film. Who wouldn’t want that on their resume? But Ralph walked away from it to spend more time with his family in southern California.

After that decision, Ralph got a job, minutes from his home, producing a TV show for Steven Spielberg, High Incident. Since then he has become a top Hollywood producer involved in numerous projects including short films, television and feature films. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He is also a juror for the Damah Film Festival, a unique event focusing on spiritual experiences in film. His co-star in life is his wife Judy.

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