Posted on 05/19/2019 3:21:00 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Michael Lindell invested $1 million into a new film from the makers behind 'God's Not Dead,' and plans to keep spending on projects that fit his message. There's a new film financier around town: the unapologetic Trump-loving, born-again Christian conservative founder of My Pillow, who is sure to stand out in Hollywood.
Michael Lindell, worth an estimated $300 million, tells The Hollywood Reporter he has plowed $1 million into Unplanned, an upcoming feature that was shot in secret due to its critical take on Planned Parenthood.
His investment amounts to one-sixth the entire production budget of Unplanned, which comes from some of the same filmmakers who were behind God's Not Dead and I Can Only Imagine, a couple of Christian films that did well at the box office, earning $61 million and $84 million, respectively.
Lindell also has a cameo in Unplanned that's sure to raise eyebrows in certain circles, as he is seen bulldozing a Planned Parenthood site to make way for the headquarters of an anti-abortion group called 40 Days for Life. "I'm pro-life and I'm happy to do it," Lindell says.
Unplanned is the second movie Lindell helped fund, the first being Church People, a Christian comedy starring Stephen Baldwin that is in postproduction. Lindell has a cameo in that film as well. "It was difficult. I have a spirit of unworthiness so I had to get over my shyness," he says.
"I don't get into things for the money; I get into them if the message is right," Lindell says.
Lindell has become a controversial figure among the political left, immune to calls from activist groups to yank his advertising from conservative talk-radio shows and The Ingraham Angle on Fox News after host Laura Ingraham insulted a survivor of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"When they tell me to back down, I double down, and my sales go up," says Lindell, who handed out 10,000 My Pillows to hurricane victims in Florida earlier this month.
Lindell, 57, is a former cocaine and alcohol addict who founded My Pillow in 2004. Today, he employs 1,600 people in Minnesota and he has sold 43 million of his open-cell, poly foam products, one of which President Donald Trump says he sleeps on at the White House. Lindell stood near Trump last month at the signing of a bill targeting opioid addiction.
"I've prayed about everything I've done," Lindell says. "I met Donald Trump before he was president and I didn't know a thing about politics. I walked out of his office thinking there was no better man in this world that I would like to be my president."
The third movie Lindell intends to bankroll will be based on his upcoming book, What are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO, proceeds of which are earmarked for his charitable organizations, the Lindell Foundation and Lindell Recovery Network. He says he's in the process of learning about the film industry inside and out, preparing for the making of a movie based on his life story.
Because of My Pillow infomercials that have aired on TV roughly 7 million times, Lindell is a recognizable figure, and his strong religious beliefs and support for Trump has landed him on television a few more times lately, with minimal backlash thus far from the president's detractors.
"I can pretty much go on any channel and talk about Jesus or Donald Trump, and I don't get attacked like you would think because I'm straightforward and I tell it like it is," he says.
We have the pillows....hubby loves them, I am not a big fan.....
We have also ordered his Giza cotton sheets, and LOVE them!!! Most soft, comfy and lightweight sheets, ever.
I know some folks who brought a young girl contemplating an abortion to see the film.
I love that Mike Lindell helped finance the film and had a small role.
I can vouch for My Pillow. Very comfortable and holds up to my excessive sweating at night.
A few years ago, I inherited some money and heard about a friend who needed a small loan to get his business going.
Just the other day he told me what a blessing it was. It was a blessing to me to be able to help him out. Plus he offered a nice interest rate too.
I'm glad he told them to "stick" it. The Chinese would have stolen his patent and sold them at a bargain prices screwing Mike!
Awesome good news here.
Glad to see a successful Christian stepping up for the Lord.
May God Bless and protect him.
Sounds like a great idea for Christmas gifts for family and friends. Easy shopping, and a great cause.
Kudos to this guy for making his pillows in the US.
That said, is Egyptian cotton measurably better than US cotton? His huffing and puffing about "Giza" makes me not want to buy any of his products.
Make them from Alabama cotton and I might change my mind.
Hurrah, Mike Lindell!
Needed the correct post date. This story is almost six months old. Unplanned has already come out to solid reviews.
Excellent!!!
Those pillows are great...Mike, thank you. You are a true American...
Excellent.
I have My Pillow and I love it. I get to sleep faster and I sleep better.
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