Some films change the direction of your career.
Others change the direction of your life.
Saved on the Edge, the documentary centered around the testimony of Ken Faulk and the founding story behind Signs and Wonders, became both.
This wasn't just another creative project. It became the foundation for everything Signs and Wonders would eventually become:
- the storytelling style
- the cinematic approach
- the emotional tone
- the visual identity
- ultimately the mission itself.
More than anything, this film became a deeply personal collaboration between lifelong friends, creative faith, and the unmistakable feeling that God was orchestrating every detail behind the scenes.
A Lifelong Creative Friendship With Ryan Strong
The story really begins with my close friend Ryan Strong.
Ryan and I met while attending Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. From the moment we met, we instantly connected through creativity, music, filmmaking, design, and storytelling.
I still remember us staying up all night talking about music after first meeting.
Eventually we formed a band together called Saint Priscilla, and over the years our friendship only deepened. Even after I moved back to Pittsburgh and Ryan relocated to Kansas City, we never lost touch.
To this day, Ryan remains one of the most gifted creatives I've ever known.
Not just professionally , personally.
His creativity, humility, taste level, work ethic, emotional intelligence, and visual instincts are honestly rare. He has consistently been a source of inspiration throughout my creative life.
Ryan Strong's Work in Fashion, Branding, and Creative Direction
At the time, Ryan was working for Baldwin Denim, a rapidly growing premium selvedge denim brand founded by our mutual friend Matt Baldwin.
The brand experienced explosive growth and gained national attention:
- retail stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago
- features in GQ
- recognition in high-end fashion circles
- involvement with CFDA/Vogue emerging designer initiatives.
Ryan handled virtually every aspect of the company's visual identity:
- branding
- website design
- creative direction
- photography
- product photography
- marketing campaigns
- editorial shoots
- digital aesthetics.
I had even traveled to New York City to assist him on shoots before.
But after internal issues within the company and leadership changes, the business began unraveling. Matt Baldwin was eventually pushed out, layoffs followed, and Ryan lost his position.
As friends, we started brainstorming what came next.
And honestly, one of the most surprising things was that despite Ryan being arguably the most talented creative person I knew, stepping out on his own still felt terrifying to him.
Like many artists, he had spent years building other people's visions instead of fully trusting his own value.
I remember encouraging him constantly:
Dude, if anybody can build something successful on their own, it's you.
Eventually, Ryan launched his own creative company, The Strong Agency.
That moment ended up changing both of our lives.
The Beginning of Signs and Wonders Branding
At the same time, my father's nonprofit, Signs and Wonders, had almost no public-facing identity.
For years, my dad had simply funded billboards displaying the red-letter words of Jesus Christ across the country. There was:
- no website
- no brand system
- no online storytelling
- no marketing strategy
- almost no public recognition tied to it.
And honestly, that reflected who my father was.
He never cared about attention or personal recognition. The ministry existed entirely out of obedience to what he believed God had called him to do.
But I knew the organization needed a visual identity and online presence if it was going to grow beyond roadside billboards.
So I approached my dad about hiring Ryan.
That collaboration ultimately led to:
- the original Signs and Wonders logo
- the first website
- the brand identity
- eventually the first cinematic testimony film tied to the organization.
The logo Ryan designed is still the foundation of the Signs and Wonders visual identity today.
Creating the First Signs and Wonders Film
The original vision was to create what we called a "brand historicity film."
Essentially, it was my father Ken Faulk's testimony:
- how he encountered God
- how Hurricane Agnes affected his life
- why he felt called to start Signs and Wonders.
Growing up, I had heard my father tell this story countless times.
Ryan took those stories and transformed them into something cinematic.
He created the storyboard and visual framework that would eventually become the blueprint for nearly every Signs and Wonders film that followed afterward.
At the time:
- I directed the production
- Ryan handled cinematography
- editing
- music composition
- color grading
- sound design
- overall post-production.
And honestly, he absolutely crushed it.
The film became the foundation for everything we would later build.
Filming Ken Faulk's Interview
We flew Ryan in from Kansas City to Pittsburgh to shoot the documentary.
The production itself was much simpler than the shoots we do today.
At that point:
- we only used one camera
- minimal lighting
- handheld pickup shots
- a much leaner production setup.
Now I typically use dual-camera interview systems with multiple focal lengths and cinematic coverage options, but back then it was much more stripped down.
Still, Ryan's instincts elevated everything.
We filmed my father's primary interview at his house, and as anyone who knew my dad would expect, he gave us an incredible amount of material.
Ken Faulk was an exceptional storyteller.
Detailed.
Passionate.
Long-winded in the best possible way.
I believe we captured nearly two and a half hours of interview footage.
Ryan somehow distilled all of it into an emotionally powerful six-minute film.
Looking back now after my father's passing, some of those quieter pickup shots Ryan captured , my father smiling softly, gesturing with his hands, sitting in warm window light , have become incredibly meaningful to me personally.
They preserve his presence in a way photographs never could.
The Rainstorm That Changed the Entire Shoot
After filming the interview portion, we moved into production mode around Pittsburgh.
We had a detailed shot list:
- Mount Washington skyline shots
- trucking footage
- office sequences
- aerial city visuals
- imagery connected to the flood narrative central to my father's testimony.
One major problem remained:
We needed rain.
A huge part of my father's story revolved around Hurricane Agnes and catastrophic flooding that ultimately shaped his spiritual journey.
Without rain, those sequences wouldn't emotionally land the same way.
Before the trip, Ryan had mentioned his concern:
What if we don't get rain?
Without even thinking, I immediately responded:
God's going to provide the rain.
And honestly, what happened next still feels surreal.
The Flash Flood Alert
While driving toward Pittsburgh between shooting locations, Ryan and I were talking in the car when suddenly we heard the emergency broadcast system interrupting faintly through the radio.
Warning. Flash flooding…
We looked at each other instantly.
Then the sky absolutely opened up.
Torrential rain started pouring down around us.
Ryan immediately grabbed his camera gear while I drove through massive puddles and flooded roads.
We captured:
- windshield wipers thrashing at full speed
- water exploding off the pavement
- cinematic storm footage
- close-ups of gripping the steering wheel
- rain streaking across glass
and all the visual elements we needed to recreate the emotional intensity of the flood story.
It genuinely felt like God had handed us the exact imagery we needed at the exact moment we needed it.
The "You Must Be Born Again" Sign
And somehow, the day got even stranger.
One of the final missing shots we needed was imagery representing the billboard my father saw as a child that simply read:
- "You must be born again."
We had no idea where we were going to find it.
At one point we even discussed fabricating a fake sign ourselves if necessary.
Then while stopped at a red light between locations, I happened to glance beyond Ryan through a storefront window.
There it was.
A small handmade sign that read:
You must be born again.
I immediately yelled for Ryan to look.
He grabbed the camera and filmed it before the traffic light even turned green.
It was one of those moments during production where you stop and realize this project feels larger than your own planning or control.
The timing of everything throughout the shoot felt impossible to ignore.
The Film That Became the Blueprint for Everything
Saved on the Edge ultimately became far more than a standalone testimony film.
It became:
- the creative blueprint for Signs and Wonders
- the emotional framework for future documentaries
- the beginning of cinematic faith-based storytelling within the organization
- the first real step toward what eventually became my life's purpose.
The project also honored my father's legacy in a deeply personal way.
And perhaps most meaningfully, I got to build it alongside one of my closest lifelong friends.
Looking back now, it truly feels like God's fingerprints were all over every part of that production.
From the rainstorm…
to the billboard sign…
to the friendships…
to the purpose that emerged afterward.
It was beautiful.
About Signs and Wonders
Signs and Wonders creates cinematic Christian documentary films focused on redemption, faith, healing, testimony, and transformation through Jesus Christ.
Through documentary filmmaking, visual storytelling, and testimony films, our mission is to tell authentic stories that inspire hope and point people toward God.
If you have a testimony story or would like to support the mission of Signs and Wonders, we'd love to connect with you.
