In this episode of The Hard Faith Podcast, host Spencer Folmar sits down with author, screenwriter, and professor Sean Gaffney to explore the intersection of storytelling, faith, and the power of myth. Sean—who has worked everywhere from Warner Bros. to VeggieTales and now teaches screenwriting at Asbury University—joins us to discuss his new book, Meta Story: What Marvel & the Messiah Can Teach Us About Great Storytelling.

Drawing from decades in Hollywood and the classroom, Sean unpacks how the greatest stories—whether found in Scripture or in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—follow timeless, divine patterns that reveal truth, redemption, and the human longing for meaning. With warmth and wisdom, he shares how faith and art are never meant to be separate—and why reconnecting the two could restore depth and soul to modern storytelling.

Meta Story is available now in paperback and digital formats through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and directly through Sean's website: Gaffneyinkwell.com. It’s a must-read for writers, filmmakers, and believers who want to tell stories that matter.

Tune in for a conversation that will challenge, inspire, and reawaken your imagination—only on The Hard Faith Podcast.

In this episode of the Hard Faith Podcast, Spencer Folmar sits down with filmmaker Autumn Libengood, whose short film Bleeding Heart was recently featured at the Hard Faith Film Festival. Autumn opens up about her 19-year journey in filmmaking—from early music video inspiration to bold, R-rated faith-driven storytelling that refuses to shy away from life’s raw edges. She shares how near-death illness, seasons of doubt, and a powerful calling from God shaped her voice as a director, leading to deeply personal films like Life After.

Autumn also discusses her upcoming passion project Indentured, exploring the Irish slave trade, forgiveness, and healing. Throughout the conversation, she reflects on the influence of music, the importance of authenticity in storytelling, and the challenges of filmmaking as spiritual warfare. Together, Spencer and Autumn celebrate the courage it takes to tell unflinching, faith-rooted stories in an R-rated world.

On this episode of the Hard Faith Podcast, Spencer Folmar sits down with filmmaker Jason Munden—director, producer, and creative force behind the award-winning short film Ripple. Jason shares his journey from years of corporate production in Los Angeles to following God’s call to tell stories that matter. He opens up about the moment he realized he didn’t just want to make content for major brands, but instead felt compelled to create films with real authenticity, grit, and redemption at their core.

Spencer and Jason revisit how they first connected through Jean Wenger and the Hard Faith Film Festival, where Jason’s pitch for Ripple wowed the crowd before going on to win Best Short Film at Hard Faith Fest 3. Jason talks about the creative process behind Ripple, his collaboration with writers, and the challenges of finding scripts that break free from formulaic storytelling to capture raw, faith-adjacent realities. Along the way, he shares insights on perseverance, divine direction, and the importance of focusing on the next right step as a storyteller.