Cyrus and Natasha Gladstone, husband and wife duo who co-founded The Gladstone Collective, are at the forefront of a movement to elevate Christian feature films. After years of working on Hollywood blockbusters and high-profile projects, they shifted their talents toward producing world-class stories that glorify God in every frame.
“When you know who you are in Christ, then when you’re doing things to glorify the Kingdom of God, you don’t want to do anything else with your life,” Natasha said.
Their career journey began in the pressure-cooker environment of Hollywood. Cyrus brings more than 16 years of film industry experience, having worked on major movies like “Man of Steel,” “Ant-Man,” and “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” as well as numerous commercials and animation projects.
Natasha and Cyrus first crossed paths in film school at Brooks Institute of Photography. After school, Natasha honed her story development skills while working with Dino De Laurentiis, gaining experience in every stage of filmmaking from concept to production. Early on in their friendship, a visit to Cyrus on the set of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” took an unexpected turn—what she thought might be a job interview instead became the start of their romance.
From the beginning, their relationship combined Natasha’s creative vision with Cyrus’ technical mastery, and after they married, this partnership became the backbone of their ministry in film.
Cyrus began as a stereoscopic supervisor at Legend 3D, helping the company grow from 15 to more than 500 employees in two years. There, he worked on converting productions from 2D to 3D, collaborating with top directors like Michael Bay and Zack Snyder. His time with studios like Digital Domain, ILM, and Sony Pictures gave him rare insight into the tools and processes behind blockbuster films.
Cyrus later shifted to marketing and advertising in San Diego, and he still consults for Accenture, bringing his visual effects expertise to global campaigns for clients like HP, Intel, and Meta.
Yet even while working on blockbuster projects, a deeper longing stirred within him: the desire to see his skills serve a higher purpose.
“When you’re working on visual effects at the Hollywood level, you’re constantly solving the same problem over and over,” Cyrus said. “And as wonderful as it is to be able to create something from nothing and bring people into this world that is outside of their own, if that world doesn’t glorify God or bring people closer to Him, it doesn’t have the same fulfillment.”
The turning point came during COVID-19. As furloughs hit Cyrus’s company, Natasha proposed launching a marketing firm to use their combined skills. This led to The Gladstone Collective, which God later called them to rebrand as a Christian feature film company.
“We need to take all that visual effects and post-production experience,” Natasha recalls, “and apply it to the Kingdom.”
Their decision came with sacrifice.
“We lost all of our secular clients,” Cyrus said, “one-third of our income gone in a matter of days.”
Despite pushback, their mission is firm: bring Hollywood-level craftsmanship to films that plant seeds of faith. Based in Southern California, The Gladstone Collective partners with production and post-production houses to bring Christian stories to life. Their current projects include true stories of miraculous survival and resurrection, a biblical documentary, and narrative features such as coming-of-age stories.
“There are a lot of people hungry for God,” Natasha said, hunger that drives them to create films that inspire, challenge, and draw viewers toward the Gospel.
The Gladstones believe great storytelling is about authenticity and truth. Cyrus noted that even secular films often contain biblical echoes: “Somebody who may not be a believer doesn’t even realize what they’ve done.”
They avoid inserting forced religious moments, letting faith emerge naturally. “We wouldn’t want to try to force God into a story,” said Cyrus. “God’s going to come through it. … We want to make sure it’s a believable and a real story that people can identify with.”
For Natasha, the creative process is often Spirit-led: “God would just download different concepts to me.” She immediately maps them out on the whiteboard, praying, “Lord, here are my skills. This is Your company. We just manage it.”
Their story selection is guided by a desire to portray underdogs becoming overcomers and victims transformed into victors. Even when not overtly Christian, their films weave redemptive themes and realistic portrayals that encourage audiences to meet God where they are.
Cyrus and Natasha are passionate about calling other Christian creatives to take the leap to create content that reflects their faith.
“Do not be ashamed of your faith,” Cyrus said, citing Romans 1:16. “Stand up for what you believe. Yes, it might be harder at first, but God will reward you.”
They urge aspiring filmmakers to begin creating with whatever technology they have access to, confident that strong storytelling and skill will stand out and open doors.
“There’s a reason why we were born at this time,” Natasha said. “We’re here to let Jesus’ light shine as bright as possible.”
The Gladstone Collective has been an NRB member since 2025. Learn more about their mission, film credits, and current projects at their website thegladstonecollective.com.