Mixed Signals from Semafor Media Angel Studios is crowdsourcing a "values-based" alternative to Hollywood
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May 8, 2026 
Jeff Harmon, co-founder and chief content officer shaping Angel Studios’ mission and slate, and Neil Harmon, co-founder building the crowdsourced Angel Guild, explain their values-driven, audience-first greenlighting. They discuss the Guild’s voting and veto system, how films like Solomio and Sound of Freedom fared, the studio’s pivot from bankruptcy to public markets, and ambitions to scale beyond niche faith audiences.
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Audience Greenlights Replace Executive Gatekeepers
- Angel Studios crowdsources greenlighting via a 2+ million member Angel Guild that must score films at least 70 to pass.
- The Guild votes on finished films (credits hidden) so story and values, not resumes or star politics, decide selection.
Make Values Visible By Subtracting Not Labeling
- Design values-driven films that hide differences in genre by dialing down profanity and removing nudity or sex on screen.
- That subtle approach makes movies like Solomio feel mainstream while aligning with Guild pledges and audience expectations.
Iterate With Your Audience Until The Score Improves
- Use iterative audience feedback to improve films: submit cuts repeatedly to raise the Guild score.
- The Shift doubled its Guild score after the filmmaker recut and resubmitted to multiple Guild samples.