In a WHHI interview conducted via Skype, Greg Gudorf, CEO of PureFlix.com, explains the streaming platform’s mission as a faith‑focused, family‑safe alternative to mainstream services, emphasizing its promise of no language, sex, or violence so parents can watch with their children. He introduces a new 22‑episode series titled “Hilton Head Island,” described as a “hope opera” rather than a traditional soap, aiming to deliver uplifting drama. The series is rooted in Hilton Head because its creator, Tim Pfeiffer, co‑founded WHHI‑TV there, has personal ties to the area, and the locale offers recognizable scenery. Production will blend on‑location shots of local landmarks (Westin Hilton Head, Robert Trent Jones golf course, South Carolina Yacht Club, a Piggly Wiggly) with technical tricks that allow filming elsewhere. The cast features well‑known daytime‑TV actors such as Antonio Sabato Jr., Donna Mills, Crystal Hunt, Michael Swan, and game‑show host Wink Martindale playing a pastor. Viewers can access the series and PureFlix’s library of over 6,500 titles by signing up at pureflix.com for a free one‑month trial, after which a subscription is required. The show is slated for a November launch, earlier than the broader “fall” window.
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We are very excited to welcome Greg Gudorf, the CEO of PureFlix.com. Yeah, via Skype, you know, we're using all this technology here. We're going to talk a little bit about what PureFlix is, how we can watch it, and why he is setting a soap opera on Hilton Head Island. Greg Gudorf, welcome to WHHI.
Thank you for that warm welcome this morning.
Well, let's start at the top. What is PureFlix.com?
Well, PureFlix.com is a faith, family, and fun-oriented video streaming service. The New York Times has referred to us as a Netflix for Christians, but what we're really about is delivering great programming, uplifting, inspirational, safe, in that you can watch it with your kids without having to have your hands ready to go over their eyes or your finger on the mute button. It's just a great way to bring movies and TV shows that have a positive and inspiring message into the family. No language, sex, or violent surprises is our promise.
I'm sorry, pretty much 180 from any other kind of streaming service, isn't it?
You can say that, that's for sure.
Particularly after just watching the Emmy Awards just recently. Greg, tell us a little bit about Hilton Head Island, your first film. A faith-based soap opera, or is it more like a hope opera?
Yeah, a friend of mine was suggesting hope might be a better word than soap.
I like that.
For this opera. You know, it used to be called daytime dramas, and they had plenty of drama in them. This is our attempt to bring the first ever faith and hope-driven drama to television like this. It's a 22-episode series that we've built from scratch. And we're looking forward to launching it very shortly. It's very different sounding when you think about it, hope as opposed to soap. And what you'll realize is that there's lots of positive stories in all the drama we live in every day.
Why Hilton Head?
Well, the show's creator, Tim Pfeiffer, and his wife actually founded WHHI-TV on Hilton Head in '92, and he was the general manager at the time. They sold it in 2001. They met at University of South Carolina. Two of their three sons were raised in the area. When Tim had to pick a location, of course he picked Hilton Head Island as his place. As he said, you can't beat the beauty and the sense of community and reputation for glamour that Hilton Head Island has.
So what kind of scenes are we gonna see? Is any of it gonna actually be shot here, or again, do we use the technical tricks that are available now for you to shoot it all someplace else and make it look like it's from here?
Well, there's a lot of technical tricks because it can be shot elsewhere, and we take full advantage of technology today. But you also see flyover shots and local shots that you and your viewers will recognize without a doubt. Uh, the Westin Hilton Head is seen, Robert Trent Jones, uh, oceanfront golf course, South Carolina Yacht Club. Shoot, even a Piggly Wiggly is featured from Hilton Head Island.
Uh, what is— tell us something about the stars. Uh, that, that usually drives a lot of, uh, of daytime drama. Who's, who's going to be on this show and give us a kind of a feel for the plot?
Well, if you're going to produce a soap or hope opera, who would you turn to for stars but soap opera stars?
There you go.
So we've got a cast that's pretty interesting. Antonio Sabato Jr. from places like Melrose Place, General Hospital, Bold and the Beautiful, and currently running for a congressional seat in California, by the way. Donna Mills, uh, she plays Victoria Triscott, one of the lead females. Of course, everyone knows her from many shows including Melrose Place. Crystal Hunt, Guiding Light, One Life to Live. Uh, Michael Swan, Bold and the Beautiful, As the World Turns, and many other TV series. And even Wink Martindale, the longtime game show host who plays a pastor, a minister in the show.
Okay, so how does our audience watch this show? I think you've got us going now.
Well, so the easiest thing to do is just simply go to pureflix.com. There's a free 1-month subscription that we offer. You just sign yourself up, you get to watch all of our shows for that first month, see how you like us, and then continue on with your subscription from there. We've been very blessed in that as we've launched our service, really just 2 years ago, we've seen tremendous growth from people who are hungering for a programming alternative to what's out there today, as you mentioned at the top of our segment here. You know, when you can deliver the good and the powerful programming into a home, people will respond. It's the old technologist play, you know, garbage in, garbage out. Put the good stuff in, you get the good stuff out.
There you go.
So simply go to PureFlix.com, sign up for a free free trial and you're off and running. Hilton Head Island, our Hope Opera, will be launching later this fall. But in the meantime, start enjoying everything that's out there with more than 6,500 pieces of content on our platform. I'm sure your users will find plenty to watch that they'll enjoy.
All right, you're saying later this fall. Can you, can you narrow the gap a little bit? Give us kind of a timeframe?
Well, you know, a technologist engineer would tell you, well, fall, Mr. Gudorf, runs until December 20th. Uh, it won't be that late.
Okay.
But it will be in the November timeframe.
There we go. All right. November gives us a head start. That lets us get going on that. All right. It's P-U-R-E-F-L-I-X dot com. Pureflix.com. Greg, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it, and we look forward to watching the service and watching Hilton Head Island go worldwide. Thanks so much for the time.
There you go. Thank you very much.
All right. That's Greg Gudorf, from the CEO of Pureflix.com.
