# Erwin brothers
The Erwin brothers, Jon Erwin (born 1982) and Andrew "Andy" Erwin, are American filmmakers from [Birmingham, Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham-alabama), who write, direct, and produce faith-based feature films. After careers as sports cameramen and music video directors, they moved into dramatic features in 2010 and founded the studio Kingdom Story Company in 2019. Their best-known film, *I Can Only Imagine* (2018), became the highest-grossing independent film of that year, and their stated mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus through film and media.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) • [2](https://erwinbrothers.com/faq/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Jon and Andrew Erwin, brothers from Birmingham, Alabama; both began as teenage ESPN camera operators[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) |
| First production company | Founded in 2002; early work in commercials, documentaries, and music videos for artists including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Switchfoot, and Skillet[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) |
| Music video honors | Eleven GMA Dove Award nominations and 3 wins for Music Video of the Year[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) |
| Breakthrough | *I Can Only Imagine* (2018), the #1 independent film of 2018, grossing over $83 million on a $7 million budget[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) • [3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company) |
| Studio | Kingdom Story Company, founded March 26, 2019 with Kevin Downes and Tony Young, in partnership with Lionsgate[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company) |
| Roles | Jon serves as Chief Executive Officer and Andrew as Chief Creative Officer at Kingdom Story Company[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) |
## Early careers in sports and music video
Both brothers started working as teenagers for ESPN as camera operators in their hometown of [Birmingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham). Jon covered [University of Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-alabama) games around the country and worked with ESPN College Football Primetime, FOX NFL, and the NBA; Andrew covered events including the [X Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/x-games) and the Super Bowl for the same outlets.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/)
In 2002 the brothers founded a production company together. Their first ventures were commercials, documentaries, and music videos, and they soon directed videos and produced concerts and television programs for platinum recording artists such as [Amy Grant](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-grant), Michael W. Smith, [Casting Crowns](https://www.edgepedia.org/casting-crowns), Switchfoot, and Skillet, receiving eleven GMA Dove Award nominations and 3 wins for Music Video of the Year. They also produced and directed documentaries, including the multi-award-winning 9/11 story *The Cross and the Towers*.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/)
The brothers describe their turn toward filmmaking as a vocation. Their father, who worked in media, bought them their first camera, and at a youth camp an advisor told Andy, "Give God what's in your hand; let him figure out how to use it." Filmmaker [Alex Kendrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-kendrick), a mentor, later encouraged them to make their own film, which became *October Baby*.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) In 2005, Hank Erwin, the father of the brothers and a onetime broadcaster, drew nationwide attention after calling [Hurricane Katrina](https://www.edgepedia.org/hurricane-katrina) an act displaying divine anger while serving as a state senator in Alabama.[4](https://www.thewonderproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Well_Religious-Hollywood-PU_16368697.pdf)
## Feature films
In 2010 the brothers began exclusively developing dramatic feature films. Their debut, *October Baby* (2011), a coming-of-age drama that carried an antiabortion message, was released by [Samuel Goldwyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuel-goldwyn) and Provident Films and debuted in the theatrical top ten.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) • [4](https://www.thewonderproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Well_Religious-Hollywood-PU_16368697.pdf) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2296528/) They followed it with the comedy *Moms' Night Out* (2014) and the sports drama *Woodlawn* (2015), their first venture into true stories, a mode that became a staple of their brand.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3401779/)
**Breakthrough.** *I Can Only Imagine* (2018), based on the story behind the MercyMe song of the same name and its lead singer [Bart Millard](https://www.edgepedia.org/bart-millard), became the #1 independent film of 2018, earning over $83 million at the box office on a $7 million budget.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) • [3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company) According to the brothers' own account, all of their features have opened in the top ten at the box office on opening weekend, and they have received an A+ CinemaScore twice.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/)
Under the Kingdom Story Company banner, the brothers directed *I Still Believe* (2020), a biopic of contemporary Christian musician [Jeremy Camp](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-camp), and *American Underdog* (2021), the story of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback [Kurt Warner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kurt-warner) starring [Zachary Levi](https://www.edgepedia.org/zachary-levi).[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) • [7](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/12/30/american-underdog-shows-writing-is-still-faith-based-films-kryptonite) *Jesus Revolution* (2023), about a pastor and a hippie evangelist in the 1970s Jesus movement, grossed about $54 million in the weak theatrical market of early 2023.[4](https://www.thewonderproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Well_Religious-Hollywood-PU_16368697.pdf)
## Kingdom Story Company
In 2019 the brothers launched Kingdom Story Company with partners Kevin Downes and Tony Young, with a first-look deal at Lionsgate. The company was seeded by the profits from *I Can Only Imagine* and produces faith-based, Christian, and inspirational feature films, roughly two per year for wide theatrical release through Lionsgate.[1](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/) • [3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company) In November 2024, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story renewed their first-look deal for a third three-year term, extending the collaboration to a full decade.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company)
The company's slate includes *Ordinary Angels*, *Unsung Hero*, *The Best Christmas Pageant Ever*, *The Unbreakable Boy*, *White Bird*, and *I Can Only Imagine 2*, as well as the Prime Video series *House of David*, on which Jon Erwin has served as director and co-creator.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2296528/) Jon Erwin has also moved into historical biography, directing *Young Washington* (2026), a [George Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-washington) origin film for [Angel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/angel-studios) and Wonder Project released around the July 4, 2026 weekend.[8](https://www.thewrap.com/angel-studios-george-washington-biopic-release-date/)
Co-director Andrew Erwin told the Associated Press that he noticed a "massive shift" in the industry about five years before 2025, after years of disconnect between audience demand for faith-based films and Hollywood's willingness to make them: "For the first time, movie studios are really giving us a fair shake."[9](https://apnews.com/article/c53a47a0fb3a5a4020d225a65aac0075)
## Reception and criticism
The brothers' films perform strongly with faith-oriented audiences while drawing mixed critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Jon Erwin's highest-rated credit as director is *Woodlawn* at 79 percent with critics, while *Moms' Night Out* sits at 21 percent; audience scores for the same films run far higher, at 80 and 66 percent respectively.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jon_erwin)
Critics have identified a consistent pattern. A review in Religion Unplugged called *American Underdog* "arguably the best-shot and worst-written" of the brothers' films, praising their cinematography while arguing that underdeveloped characters and themes remain the weakest part of their work, a weakness it framed as characteristic of faith-based cinema generally.[7](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/12/30/american-underdog-shows-writing-is-still-faith-based-films-kryptonite) A recurring critical summary holds that Erwin films are "better than they have to be but not as good as they could be": competently directed and acted but superficially written, likely to please their target audience.[11](https://1morefilmblog.com/2021/12/20/american-underdog-erwin-and-erwin-2021/) Academic-adjacent commentary has similarly described their output as polished, formulaic inspirational biopics whose subjects are evangelical figures.[12](https://tecnibat.net/uploads/archivos/b57c1e3a-40c5-4ddb-953d-018d12e9236e.pdf)
Andrew Erwin has responded to the tension between ministry and craft, saying in an interview that he hopes the films serve as a tool to cause conversation between audiences inside and outside Christian circles, and that the brothers try to tell the best story rather than please one side or the other.[13](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1179533/episodes/9743150-director-andrew-erwin) • [14](https://www.thechristianfilmreview.com/andy-erwin-interview-director-i-can-only-imagine/)
## References
1. [About – Erwin Brothers](https://erwinbrothers.com/about/)
2. [Philosophy – Erwin Brothers](https://erwinbrothers.com/faq/)
3. [Kingdom Story Company | Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/kingdom-story-company)
4. [Religious Hollywood, The Wonder Project (PDF)](https://www.thewonderproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Well_Religious-Hollywood-PU_16368697.pdf)
5. [Jon Erwin – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2296528/)
6. [Andrew Erwin – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3401779/)
7. ['American Underdog' Shows Writing Is Still Faith-Based Films' Kryptonite, Religion Unplugged](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/12/30/american-underdog-shows-writing-is-still-faith-based-films-kryptonite)
8. ['Young Washington' to Debut in Theaters in July 2026, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/angel-studios-george-washington-biopic-release-date/)
9. [Faith-based entertainment sees a revival in Hollywood, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/c53a47a0fb3a5a4020d225a65aac0075)
10. [Jon Erwin, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jon_erwin)
11. [American Underdog (Erwin and Erwin, 2021), 1More Film Blog](https://1morefilmblog.com/2021/12/20/american-underdog-erwin-and-erwin-2021/)
12. [Review essay on Jon Erwin's films (PDF)](https://tecnibat.net/uploads/archivos/b57c1e3a-40c5-4ddb-953d-018d12e9236e.pdf)
13. [Director Andrew Erwin interview, Buzzsprout](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1179533/episodes/9743150-director-andrew-erwin)
14. [Andy Erwin Interview, The Christian Film Review](https://www.thechristianfilmreview.com/andy-erwin-interview-director-i-can-only-imagine/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of the United States and Canada › Contemporary film directors › Directors debuting in the 2010s and later*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license