New EKKL Entertainment Platform 'a place to have family and faith values come together'

EKKL Co-Founders Willie & Korie Robertson. File Photo - Christian Post
For years, Duck Dynasty’s Willie and Korie Robertson have been known for sharing their faith, family values, and sense of humor with audiences around the world. Now, alongside former PureFlix executive Michael Scott, they're launching a new venture designed to make it easier for families to find uplifting entertainment they can enjoy together.

The platform is called EKKL, and its mission is simple: to be a place where people can discover stories filled with heart, humor, hope, and meaning. In other words, content that meets families where they are in life and they feel comfortable about sharing in their homes.

I recently sat down with Willie, Korie, and Michael to discuss the vision behind EKKL, why they believe this kind of entertainment matters now more than ever, and what viewers can expect from the platform.

You are forming this new endeavor called EKKL. What does EKKL stand for?

Korie Robertson: EKKL is short for Ecclesia or Ecclesia, however you would like to pronounce it. It means a gathering of people who have called out people. And so, we are so excited to launch this. We hope it's a safe space for entertainment for families who love Jesus. It’s a place to have family and faith values come together. We have podcasts, movies, streaming series, and daily devotionals. It’s kind of a one-stop shop for families that we're excited about.

As you have mentioned, it’s essentially a one stop shop for a host of different things. We're talking about movies, music, television shows, and podcasts. Here's a couple more for you: travel and health. It seems like you are trying to be a lot of things here. Would that be true?

Michael Scott: Being in the entertainment industry for a long time, really looking at it, we wanted to do something different and new. There's a lot of streaming services out there that do great things with movies and television, but we started to look at this and say, how will we do something different? EKKL is going to be a multi-vertical streaming source. What does that mean? We will have movies and television shows that you will love; new shows combined with old shows. But we'll also have some of the best podcasts that you love. We're going to have audio books in the future. We're going to have a prayer area with devotionals. We're looking at music too. Also, we're going to have an incredible loyalty component where you can get deep discounts on various things.

Korie Robertson: I love to travel, and I like good help too. So, we actually have partnered up with a group that has this Travel Perks plan that we're very excited about. It’s just offering more to our customers, and for our subscribers. I think one thing that's really neat about this is that this is subscriber based and the price is right. I believe it's less than $6 a month for you to get all of this in one spot. We want to give people what they want and what they're looking for and what they are wanting in their homes. And we saw that when Duck Dynasty happened, with The Blind and movies like God's Not Dead that we got to be a part of. People are looking for this. They're wanting wholesome family values, faith values in entertainment. That's what we're hoping to provide for people and that's just an extra value we can give them.

I think you folks have earned the right over the course of time to be a trusted source for various things. With so much happening in your lives, why is it in your heart to take on something like this?

Willie Robertson: We just try to look for where God is moving and where He wants us to move. We never dreamed that it would be on television. When we got married, if you said we'd be famous, I couldn't have even understood it. Also, you have to look at where people are. If you're trying to move for God, you want to be where the people are so that you can get the message out to as many people. That was cable television for us. Today, there's not much left of cable television. So, you ask yourself, where are those people at? They're on streaming platforms. If you would've told us about streaming when Duck Dynasty started, we wouldn't have known what you were talking about. And so, you just see things move in different ways.

When we were teenagers, we would go knock on people's doors and share the Good News with them. I couldn't imagine knocking on some random stranger's door today. We move on as a society. Obviously, technology sped so much up and so wherever that's at and there is a space, we obviously need to be there.

Korie and I are not ones to circle the wagons, sit in a church building and say, ‘I'm ready for Jesus to come back.’ We feel like we can be so proactive. That's what we want to teach our children and our grandchildren. That is to be proactive. We saw that in my father, Phil (Robertson), who was proactive. He wanted to get out there and do that as well. And so, that's why we have landed here, because that is the game and that's where it's at now. We can gripe about what we see and what the other people are putting out, or we can try to be proactive and create a better option for that.

Speaking of better options, on August 14th, you will be releasing your first movie through EKKL called Elijah Peel. What can you tell me about that movie?

Willie Robertson: Elijah Peel is a story that makes us feel like it's the story of our story as well. It's about God's redemption, forgiveness, and how God sometimes provides a way in the weirdest of ways. Korie and I have experienced that as well.

Michael Scott: From my perspective, it is a great redemption story about this little girl and how she touches this musician's life. At the end of this movie, I couldn't stop crying. It is so good.

What would you like to see happen with this endeavor long term? What is your greatest hope for EKKL?

Michael Scott: We've been praying deeply about this. Sure, we would love to have lots of subscribers. But we really measure success by how it impacts the Kingdom. That's the bar for success. I think if we do that well, everything else will follow. That's something that we want to see. If we can touch an individual's life through stories they see on our service, that’s really powerful. Jesus told stories in parables, right? Our modern-day parables are movies, television, and maybe podcasting. We can tell these great stories and bring them to life. And those stories touch lives in ways that we'll probably never fully understand. If we can be part of bringing great stories that uplift you and are positive, but also touch your life, what an honor that will be to be part of.

Learn More About How You Can Be a Part of the EKKL Faith and Family Entertainment Platform: