Rick Santorum Becomes CEO of Faith-Based Film Studio

Former GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum announced he is now the CEO of EchoLight Studios, a Texas-based firm that plans to finance, produce and distribute faith-based and family friendly movies," reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Before stepping into his new role as CEO, the antigay former senator joined EchoLight's board of directors after initially helping to raise funds for the company. On Monday, Santorum said EchoLight was in the final stages of closing a $20 million film fund and his staff is officially taking pitches from several Hollywood filmmakers.

"Here's what I think of Hollywood," Santorum told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're looking for talented people who want to make quality films, even though we won't be spending tens of millions of dollars on each of them. We want good writers, actors, and producers who want to make honest, uplifting content."

The Redemption of Henry Myers, EchoLight's first film, is scheduled to open later this year. A Western, it will tell the story of a critically wounded bank robber who recovers with the help of a widow and her young children. The studio also plans to release a modern-day dramatic film adaption of the biblical story of Joseph and his famous multicolored coat.

"I don't want to preach to anybody, I just want to portray faith as it really is, and we're going to be telling a lot of true-life stories, and we're going to make them comfortable even for people who are not of faith, because they are honest," Santorum said. "That's the challenge for us, and it's what Hollywood tends to shy away from."