We Speak Entertainment
How Biblical epic ‘His Only Son’ became an unlikely box-office hit
‘His Only Son’ depicts one of the more controversial stories from the Old Testament – God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his own son. The feature film digs deep into accounts of Abraham’s life leading up to the birth of his son and then the agonizing burden of taking him to the place of sacrifice. With its rich, character-focused script, the film answers the persistent question: why would God command such a thing?
The movie was shot in the summer of 2019 with Nicolas Mouawad (a highly acclaimed TV star in the Middle East) as Abraham and Sara Seyed (from Netflix’s ‘Young Wallander’) as Sarah. The production was plagued by hold-ups – illness, budget constraints and, of course, the pandemic – but when it opened on 31 March this year it became a critical and financial success.
Reaching the number-three spot in the US box office on its opening weekend, it earned an ‘A’ on CinemaScore, a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and made $12 million in takings. The film also reached the #1 spot theatrically in Lebanon and is set to premiere in many other international regions, including LATAM, Europe and South Korea.
The original idea for the project came from writer/director David Helling, who brought it to the film’s original producer, Michael Kaney. However, as Michael’s health declined, Roman Medjanov was brought on as a full-time producer to take the lead on the project and guarantee its completion.
Producing the film was not an easy task. Roman, along with David, who was directing, had to figure out how to put a biblical epic on screen with a micro-production budget. This began a year-long pre-production stage where locations were found and secured, necessary crew positions determined and hired, cast discovered, production design built and sourced, and the schedule squeezed to fit the budget.
Once the production started, there was no room for error. Roman had to strategically stay ahead of every decision made on set each day, to ensure the film’s completion on time without overages. The film was shot in the desert areas north of Los Angeles and proved to be a trying production; scorching summer heat, remote locations only accessible by foot, nightshoots, on-screen animals, stunts, and underwater photography.
During post-production it became apparent that the crucial last scene had to be reshot. Roman had to find a way to acquire new funding and safely film the remaining shots in the midst of a pandemic when the world had shut down. Finally, after years of waiting patiently for the VFX to be complete, numerous distribution talks began in 2022. Thankfully, Angel Studios, the studio behind the smash hit ‘The Chosen’, came in with a promise of a wide theatrical distribution and Easter-season release – leading the film to the success it has achieved so far.
Roman Medjanov is an accomplished producer; besides making an unlikely box-office hit with ‘His Only Son’, Roman’s first feature-length film was a documentary called ‘Story of Sales.’ Made on a tight budget, the film had an incredible ROI of over $20 million. This was the first documentary to tackle the subject of sales, and it premiered at Dreamforce, known as ‘the Golden Globes of tech’.
In 2023, Roman had another film premiere, ‘Rally’, a feature-length documentary depicting one of the most controversial figures in modern San Francisco politics. It had its first screening at the San Francisco International Film Festival, introduced on stage by the city’s Mayor.
Roman is also a full-time producer at RockBridge Productions, where he produces commercials for brands including Spotify, KIA, Clorox, Salesforce and UCSF. He’s won multiple awards for his commercial work, including a Pollie Award, an American Advertising Award, and two Telly Awards in the same year. He has also won awards from Venice Film Awards and Golden Gate International Film Festival for his narrative work.
Following the success of ‘His Only Son,’ the sequel – currently under the working title ‘Jacob’ – has been greenlit. The film is set to begin pre-production later this summer with an anticipated theatrical release date of Easter 2025.
Featured photo credit: Getty Images
We Speak Business
From the Frontlines to the Screen: How West Texas Hospitals Became National Models of Crisis Leadership
In the vast and often unforgiving expanse of West Texas, healthcare doesn’t come easy. Resources are stretched, patients are sometimes hours away from care, and trauma doesn’t wait for convenience. Yet, against the odds, two hospitals—Medical Center Hospital in Odessa and Pecos County Memorial Hospital in Fort Stockton—are quietly transforming what it means to lead in rural emergency medicine. Their work, now drawing national attention thanks to the Amazon Prime docuseries Desert Doc, is setting a new benchmark in crisis leadership and trauma care.
What makes these institutions exceptional isn’t just their location or their patient volume—it’s their unwavering ability to deliver high-stakes medical care with limited resources, tight budgets, and enormous responsibility. In this region, where oil rigs outnumber ambulances and car crashes are all too common, fast, effective emergency response can mean the difference between life and death.
What’s behind their success? It’s a powerful blend of visionary leadership, courageous medical direction, and a culture built on resilience and adaptability. Leading the way are CEOs Russell Tippin of Medical Center Hospital and Betsy Briscoe of Pecos County Memorial Hospital—trailblazers who have pushed the boundaries of innovation in rural healthcare. Partnering with them are dedicated physicians like Dr. Sudip Bose, whose frontline experience as an US Army combat physician in Iraq shapes his calm, decisive approach to crisis care. As seen in Desert Doc, Dr. Bose is part of a committed network of clinicians who view rural emergency medicine not just as a career, but as a calling.
While the show Desert Doc brings these high-pressure moments to life on screen, what it also reveals is the remarkable strength of the systems behind the scenes. Pecos County Memorial Hospital, for instance, may be smaller in scale, but its impact is no less profound. Their medical staff routinely stabilize and save patients in conditions that would challenge even the best-equipped urban centers. Their coordination with air medical services, cross-training of rural clinicians, and integration of battlefield-inspired trauma techniques demonstrate a playbook that larger hospitals could learn from.
The pandemic further spotlighted these hospitals’ leadership under pressure. Medical Center Hospital quickly adapted to shifting protocols, staff shortages, and overwhelming patient volumes. Their response earned praise from both state and federal health authorities, showing that rural facilities can be agile and innovative in ways that larger systems often struggle to match.
The growing interest in Desert Doc isn’t just about entertainment—it’s a window into the reality of rural healthcare, and the hospitals and people rising to meet that reality every day. While the series centers on Dr. Bose’s gripping, real-time cases, the true story is broader. It’s about a region’s commitment to resilience. It’s about hospitals doing more with less—and doing it with excellence.
As the spotlight shines on these stories, one thing becomes clear: West Texas hospitals are no longer just local lifelines. They are national models of what’s possible when leadership, courage, and innovation collide.
🎥 Watch the Trailer: Desert Doc Trailer – YouTube
📺 Stream the Full Series on Amazon Prime: Desert Doc on Amazon Prime
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