Halestorm Entertainment was a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

and distribution company based in

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

. It was founded in January 2001 by

Kurt Hale Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...

and

Dave Hunter David P. Hunter (born January 1, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who won three Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. He also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. Hunter was born in Petrol ...

, who were both film majors at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. Halestorm films were largely created by, for, and about

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

s, and usually contain a high number of clichés and stereotypes about the behavior and culture of mainland Western United States members of the Church. Because of that, their films are mostly shown in first run movie theatres in the that region, where most US members of that church live. The company started with a successful first film, ''

The Singles Ward The Singles Ward franchise includes the original film, ''The Singles Ward'' from 2002 and the 2007 sequel, ''The Singles 2nd Ward'', both directed and written by Kurt Hale and John Moyer. The Singles Ward ''The Singles Ward'' is a 2002 romantic ...

,'' released in 2002. However, with a major box office failure in ''The Home Teachers'' it faced a declining market for explicitly Mormon-themed comedy films. In response, Halestorm phased out of producing explicitly LDS-based films with ''Church Ball'' sporting fewer in-jokes and named talent in an attempt to gain a wider audience. The company was quietly dissolved in 2020 after years of inactivity. Currently,

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

controls most of their library.

Film library

Feature films

* ''

'' (2002) * ''

The Best Two Years ''The Best Two Years'' is a 2003 dramedy film written and directed by Scott S. Anderson. It is based on the stage play ''The Best Two Years of My Life'', also by Anderson. It portrays the experience of four LDS missionaries living in an apartmen ...

'' (2003) * '' The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey'' (2003) * ''It's Latter-day Night!'' (2003) * ''

The R.M. ''The R.M.'' is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of a returned missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). "RM" is an LDS initialism for "returned missionary". It was written by Kurt Hale and John E. Mo ...

'' (2003) * '' Baptists at Our Barbecue'' (2004) * ''

The Home Teachers ''The Home Teachers'' is a 2004 comedy film written by John Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale. ''The Home Teachers'' is a comedy distributed by Halestorm Entertainment and intended for LDS audiences, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latte ...

'' (2004) * ''

Sons of Provo ''Sons of Provo'' is a 2004 film written by Peter Brown and Will Swenson, and directed by Will Swenson. It is a mockumentary that portrays the experience of an LDS boy band named Everclean from formation to resounding success. Sons of Provo ma ...

'' (2004) * '' Mobsters and Mormons'' (2005) * ''

Suits on the Loose A suit is a set of garments with matching pieces, typically a jacket and trousers. Suit or suits may also refer to: * Suit (cards), one of four groups into which a deck of cards is divided * Lawsuit, an action brought before a court to recover a ...

'' (2005) * ''Latter-Day Night Biscuit'' (2005) * ''Take a Chance'' (2006) * '' Church Ball'' (2006) * ''The Singles 2nd Ward'' (2007) * ''The Dance'' (2007) * ''Beau Jest'' (2008) * ''

The Wild Stallion ''The Wild Stallion'' is a 2009 American direct-to-DVD film directed by Craig Clyde and starring Miranda Cosgrove, Danielle Chuchran, Robert Wagner, Paul Sorvino, Connie Sellecca and Fred Ward. It was distributed by Myriad Pictures. In Decem ...

'' (2009) * ''A Christmas Wish'' (2010) * '' Heaven's Door'' (2012) * '' Storm Rider'' (2013)

Short films

* ''Money or Mission'' (2006) * ''Sons of Provo: Confidential'' (2007)

Television

* ''Howdy Town'' (2006-2007)

Documentaries

* ''Happy Valley'' (2008) * ''The Real Life Singles Ward'' (2011)

Divisions

*HaleYeah! Records: the music division at HaleStorm. *Stone Five Studios: a sister company of HaleStorm, whose purpose is to produce family-friendly films not in the LDS genre. *HaleStone Distribution: distributor of films and DVDs of other, smaller studios. *HaleMark Publishing: a book imprint for novelizations of films and children's books.

Production studio

In May 2005, HaleStorm broke ground on a full-service production and post-production facility in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

. The studio will be the only commercially available studio soundstages in the state since the

Osmond Studios Osmond Studios (known as the Osmond Entertainment Center) was a television and audio recording production studio built in Orem, Utah by The Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the e ...

References

External links

Official website

HaleStorm Entertainment records, MSS 2765
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Film production companies of the United States Film distributors of the United States Latter Day Saint organizations Mormon cinema Companies based in Orem, Utah American companies established in 2001 2001 establishments in Utah {{LDS-stub