What happens when losing everything becomes the beginning of a greater purpose?
In this conversation, Kurt Luidhardt talks with Rob Ekno, an award-winning author, screenwriter, television host, and founder of the Knoxville International Christian Film Festival. Rob shares how his journey took him from a successful broadcasting career to addiction, homelessness, recovery, and a mission he never expected.
After losing his career and nearly everything else to alcohol and cocaine, Rob reached his breaking point following an arrest in Rhode Island. Twenty-eight days into sobriety, he returned to the church where he had taken two dollars from the collection plate as a child. Believing for years that God was punishing him, Rob placed five dollars in the offering and made his first amends to Jesus. He has remained sober ever since.
Rob later moved to Hollywood, where he spent more than three decades working in entertainment. His life changed direction again when he and his partner moved to Knoxville without knowing what they would do next. A few months later, Rob drove 11 hours to attend an awards event, where a stranger delivered an unexpected message: he was supposed to return home and immediately start a Christian film festival.
With no budget, no local connections, and no experience promoting a festival, Rob launched the Knoxville International Christian Film Festival online. Within hours, submissions arrived from filmmakers around the world.
What began as an online-only festival soon developed into live showcases that brought together Christian filmmakers from across the United States, Canada, and Malta.
Rob also explains why film festivals matter for independent filmmakers. Creating a quality film is only part of the challenge. Without distribution, marketing, and opportunities to be seen, many meaningful projects never reach an audience. His goal is to give faith-based filmmakers recognition, community, and a platform that helps their work continue.
One of the episode’s most moving stories involves a young filmmaker in recovery whose short film initially violated one of the festival’s content rules. Rather than immediately disqualifying her, Rob gave her an opportunity to revise and resubmit it. The creative change made the film even stronger, and she later traveled from Seattle with her mother to watch it screened in front of filmmakers from around the world.
The conversation also explores Rob’s television work, the Knoxville chapter of the Hollywood Prayer Network, and his larger vision for a Christian event center with theaters, a production studio, workshops, scholarships, and creative opportunities for the community.
If you have ever felt that your past disqualified you from making a difference, Rob’s story is a reminder that recovery, obedience, and a willingness to say yes can turn even the hardest experiences into a mission that serves others.
00:00 From Homelessness and Addiction to Sobriety
00:36 Introducing Rob Ekno
01:47 Knoxville’s Growing Christian Film Community
03:43 Losing His Career and Home to Addiction
04:53 The Night Rob Chose Sobriety
05:22 The $2 Offering and His First Amends to Jesus
08:43 Moving to Hollywood to Rebuild His Life
09:56 Why Rob Moved to Knoxville
11:15 The Unexpected Message That Changed Everything
12:26 Called to Start a Christian Film Festival
13:19 Starting With No Budget or Local Connections
16:52 Receiving International Submissions Within Hours
19:49 When an Online Festival Became a Live Showcase
21:27 Partnering With Rise Up Con
24:15 Bringing Together Filmmakers From Around the World
28:13 How the Festival Led to a Television Show
31:16 Why Christian Filmmakers Need Distribution
33:17 Giving a Young Filmmaker a Second Chance
38:36 Building the Hollywood Prayer Network in Knoxville
42:57 Sharing Your Story and Creating a Lasting Legacy
44:45 Finding New Joy and Depth in His Faith
47:07 The Vision for a Christian Event Center
Connect With Rob Ekno
● Knoxville International Christian Film Festival
● FilmFreeway
● RiseUp Con
● Hollywood Prayer Network
● National Religious Broadcasters Convention
● Rob Ekno’s books and testimony about sobriety
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