Blood, Sweat & Deep Faith
Every movie has two stories: the epic you see onscreen and the saga it took to bring it to life. I’m Stephen Ashley Blake, founder of Realm Studios. Grab some popcorn and settle in as I take you on a firsthand journey through the harrowing gauntlet of battles, setbacks, near-disasters, breakthroughs, and hard-won victories that have brought Steal Away to where we are today — an epic journey not unlike that of the Fisk Jubilee Singers themselves.
Breaking with Darkness
At my peak directing hip-hop music videos, an awakening hits me. I’ve long seen the anger, violence, anxiety, despair, and addiction ravaging young lives. Now I see that the dark content I’m creating is feeding that darkness. The scales fall from my eyes. I walk away from those shoots and set out to create the very opposite: content of light — timeless, universal stories that inspire, heal, and draw people together.
The Search, the Painting, Our Story
I look through hundreds of novels, screenplays, and short stories searching for the right story — then find it above our fireplace. Hanging there is a majestic 1874 portrait depicting eleven young women and men, arrayed in resplendent Victorian dress, posed around a grand piano. My wife Sonya and I had bought the portrait simply as wall decor, never imagining the extraordinary story behind those faces.
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I learn that they are the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers, a sensational choir of young former slaves battling the KKK’s reign of terror against their schools, including the newly founded HBCUs — not with bullets or bombs but with electrifying songs of faith and freedom: the Negro spirituals. Against all odds, this ragtag choir takes the world by storm, rising from poverty and oppression into the glittering ballrooms and throne rooms of Europe as they become affluent international celebrities — only to fall prey to their own egos and wage war on each other, plunging the choir into scandal and disgrace. Yet just when all hope seems lost, an extraordinary event reunites them, and they fight on, saving hundreds of schools from destruction. Armed only with faith and determination, these young warriors change America and inspire the world. More than 150 years later, they’re still singing — and in 2021, the Fisk Jubilee Singers won a Grammy Award.
The Jubilees’ epic story features Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the Emperor of Germany, the Queen of Holland, and President Ulysses S. Grant. But at its heart is the towering Ella Sheppard, the choir’s young director. Haunted by the sins of her past and desperate for redemption, this seemingly frail young woman becomes a fearless take-no-prisoners warrior in the choir’s crusade. Her battles are almost mythological. Attacked by supremacist mobs, both prosecuted and persecuted by hostile authorities, and driven relentlessly to raise ever more money as the schools come under siege, Ella is battered to the very brink of death. Yet as others fall away, she soldiers through the fire to defy the KKK. Ella’s courage and sacrifice are the heart and soul of the story.
I’m taken aback by the cinematic power, beauty, and inspiration of their story — a sweeping epic with a kaleidoscope of colorful characters. We have no doubt that, if faithfully produced, it will connect with audiences worldwide.
The search is over. This will be our feature, and it will be called Steal Away.
All In
Confident in Steal Away’s box-office potential, we mortgage our home to launch Realm Studios…
(Our actual home)
… then acquire the film rights to the two books chronicling the Jubilee Singers’ story.
Then begins the work of turning history into cinema.
Script Impasse, Braveheart Breakthrough
The screenwriters I approach love the story, but to one degree or another each is locked into conventional screenplay formulas. Convinced that forcing Steal Away into any formula would strip away its heart, soul, and magic, I hit pause.
Then, by chance, I meet Randall Wallace, the writer of Braveheart, at a restaurant in Malibu. Braveheart is a bold, brilliantly written screenplay that I have long admired and studied. Wallace tells me he wrote the epic without regard to formula, simply letting the story dictate its own form.
Of course.
Liberated from convention, I take up the quill myself. Flash forward: hundreds of index cards and many thousands of writing hours produce an unwieldy 1,200-page first draft. More than 130 revisions later, I arrive at a shootable screenplay that I believe preserves the story’s magic. Steal Away’s script goes on to earn top-tier rankings from Scriptapalooza and Coverfly.
Blockbuster Motion Picture on an Indie Budget
Steal Away will be no small independent film. With its elaborate production design, sprawling cast, explosive third-act action sequences, and soaring orchestral and choral score, it’s a sweeping epic that Universal or Disney would spend well over $200 million to produce. But built on my years as an indie cinematographer, Realm’s cost-driven production model will be to produce blockbuster entertainment on independent budgets.
Our working blueprint is from none other than George Lucas and the legendary Roger Corman. As a young indie filmmaker, Lucas produced the original *Star Wars* for just $11 million, creating groundbreaking visual effects in a rented warehouse, filming Death Star sequences in a sunlit parking lot, and
casting brilliant emerging actors before they commanded A-list salaries (Harrison Ford’s salary: $10,000). The famously tightfisted Corman produced nearly 400 films, nearly every one profitable, while launching the A-list careers of Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and many others, and discovering generations of brilliant cinematographers, production designers, costume designers, editors, and composers. Lucas showed how sheer ingenuity could deliver spectacular results onscreen; Corman showed how rigorous cost discipline could revolutionize the core economics of filmmaking.
We engage industry-renowned producer Kelly Todd (William Morris Endeavor’s Endeavor Content) to budget Steal Away with a clear mandate: strip away the waste, not the scale — and secure bottom-dollar pricing on all talent, labor, equipment, locations, and services. The result: Todd brings Steal Away in at $31.2 million — just $23.5 million after incentives and rebates.
The World Will Sing the Soundtrack
Whitney Houston. Beyoncé. Shakira. Bruno Mars. Ed Sheeran. Before the world knew their names, they were unknown artists with extraordinary gifts. How many other incredible voices out there remain undiscovered because they lack access to the gatekeepers of the industry?
I’ve always believed that we all have the ethical responsibility to pay opportunity forward whenever possible, and championing outstanding undiscovered talent has long been a great personal passion.
We decide to take that mission global.
Imagine thousands of voices from around the world singing together as one great choir. Fantasy? Take a look at Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir, which unites 17,572 singers from 129 countries in an epic performance. This vision of people of all races, cultures, and nationalities coming together in harmony lies at the very heart of Steal Away, and this is how we’ll record the soundtrack — bringing together gifted singers from cities and villages around the world in electrifying songs of faith and freedom.
This will also bear fruit in Steal Away’s box-office success. By inviting the global public to share in the making of the film, we’re giving them a powerful incentive to promote it around the world.
Hollywood Calls, We Pass
We pitch Steal Away to nearly every studio, streamer, and major production company in North America and Europe. Interest is strong, but it comes with a catch they want to buy the project outright, cutting us out of the picture. Unwilling to risk having this sweeping story shrunk into a conventional two-hour formula, we pass — and turn to investors.
COVID Hits, We Power On
Just as we’re building momentum with investors, COVID strikes. The global economy crashes, investor capital dries up, production companies shut down, and movie theaters around the world go dark. At the same moment, the funds from mortgaging our home run out. But our faith refuses to surrender. Walking by faith and not by sight, we liquidate our retirement accounts, and rather than retreat we go on the offensive. We dramatically expand Realm’s operations, mobilizing a nationwide team of outstanding professionals and establishing dedicated departments for operations, investor engagement, public relations, social media, strategic partnerships, HBCU outreach, and casting. Their mission: forge powerful alliances, generate national exposure, expand our reach, begin engaging exceptional acting talent, and drive Steal Away toward financing and production.
Allies Rally, The Script Goes Global
Inspired by Steal Away, WC+A, one of the industry’s leading design agencies, creates a dozen gorgeous movie posters pro bono. Brilliant New Zealand-based motion graphics designer Georgia Shattky creates a dazzling series of promotional videos. The Rev. Jesse Jackson rallies behind Steal Away with a glowing endorsement. We make the script available to the global public.
Goodbye, Home!
Our retirement funds run out, so we pack up the kids, sell our beloved home of 19 years, and press on. With an army of creative allies at our side, we pursue publicity and investment with all guns blazing.
The World Takes Notice, Fans Open Their Hearts
Our work and faith bear fruit. Steal Away draws coverage from network news, industry trades, and global media. The screenplay has surpassed 25,000 downloads worldwide. In international social media livestreams, fans passionately tell us — often through tears — how deeply Ella and the Jubilee Singers’ story has moved them. I’m invited to address the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva (though sadly, I’m unable to attend)!
Casting Goes Public, Outstanding Artists Come Aboard
When several talent agencies decline to present Steal Away to their artists before we’re funded, our casting team launches an open casting call via social media. Over 20,000 auditions pour in from around the world, many from incredibly gifted artists unable to secure representation. We cast exceptional talent in key roles. Broadway legend Joaquina Kalukango and six-time Grammy-winning composer Billy Childs join the project.
Then It Happens...
After relentless investor outreach, meetings, and growing interest, the breakthrough comes. An American investment firm embraces not just Steal Away but Realm Studios’ long-term business model, committing to substantial financial backing for Realm’s full slate of films. Attorneys are engaged. Due diligence is completed. Contracts are signed.
Everything accelerates. We announce the news to our supporters and partners, close out other investor discussions, fly team members from across the country to Los Angeles, and gear up for the next chapter: the launch of Realm Studios and the production of Steal Away.
...And then unhappens
Shortly before the first scheduled payment is due, word comes of a delay. Then another. And another. Finally, the investment firm informs us that circumstances within the company have forced it to cancel all its current contracts, including ours.
In an instant, everything stops cold. Production plans are suspended. Company expansion is halted. The financing that was set to launch Steal Away and Realm’s slate is gone. It’s a colossal setback, but by no means the end of the journey. Steal Away will be fully financed, beautifully produced, and globally distributed. So we put Realm’s broader slate on hold, refocus all our efforts on bringing Steal Away to life —
And for the first time, turn directly to you.
Join Us In Producing Steal Away
From Realm’s inception, we envisioned a revolutionary new motion picture studio — one that makes movies not just for the people, but with the people. A studio that invites fans into the creative process, from story development through production, and gives them the opportunity to invest directly in films and share in the profits they generate.
We knew this day would come. We just didn't expect it quite so soon.
Now that vision becomes reality. We're inviting you into the producer’s seat alongside us — to help bring Steal Away to the screen either through investment, with the opportunity to share in its profits, or through tax-deductible donations. Your partnership will provide the essential seed funding we need to relaunch our efforts and secure full production financing for Steal Away.
Together, we’ll do more than bring this breathtaking story to the silver screen; we’ll pioneer a groundbreaking new way of making motion pictures.
Join us in producing Steal Away.
