Conservative news website The Daily Wire has launched an entertainment wing, which co-founder Ben Shapiro said will provide opportunities for films and TV shows that he says won’t “promote leftist causes.”
In an opinion piece posted on the news website, Shapiro echoes remarks previously made by his “mentor,” conservative journalist and Breitbart News founder Andrew Breitbart, in saying “politics is downstream of culture.”
“What he meant by this is that more people are shaped by the culture that surrounds them than by politics directly: we consume movies and TV shows; we get together and discuss the latest in sports… we swim in a sea of culture,” he explains.
Shapiro argues that conservatives “live increasingly in the same culture as those on the Left.”
“So conservatives have two choices: they can tune out, or they can find alternatives,” the conservative commentator argues.
“The problem is that Republicans won’t win anybody over by simply disengaging,” he continues. “We need those who aren’t political to engage with a different sort of content: content that is edgy and entertaining and awesome, but that doesn’t actively work to undermine the very values that have made this country exceptional.”
“We need to give people options,” Shapiro asserts.
Shapiro then reveals that, starting this year, the Daily Wire will “be jumping into the world of entertainment content.”
“We’re going to be bringing out movies — edgy, entertaining, awesome movies that won’t mock your values. We’re going to be producing TV shows — comedies and dramas that take you seriously, and that don’t take advantage of your viewership to promote leftist causes,” Shapiro explains.
Shapiro acknowledges that while “this is a risky move,” adding that it may “alienate some people who feel uncomfortable with conservatives making entertainment,” he adds that it is important for them “to fight back.”
The first of several planned projects is the acquisition of a new film titled, “Run Hide Fight,” centered on a 17-year-old high school student tasked with protecting herself and her schoolmates during an active-shooter incident at her school.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the film will premiere during a “Daily Wire Backstage” event hosted by Shapiro and co-founder Jeremy Boreing on Jan. 14, which will be livestreamed on Daily Wire and YouTube.
“Run Hide Fight is ultimately a movie about courage in the face of evil,” Boreing told Deadline. “This is a gut-wrenching film that does not offer easy talking points, which is why liberal Hollywood executives have refused to distribute it.”