The Hollywood Prayer Network, a faith-based organization dedicated to supporting Christians working in the entertainment industry, celebrated its 25th anniversary this month with a Gatsby-themed gala in downtown Los Angeles. Founded in 2001 by Karen Covell, the group has grown from a small prayer gathering into a global network with more than 170 chapters across 42 countries.
Covell, who moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, said she and her composer husband, Jim Covell, saw a need for believers in Hollywood to have a community that understood the unique pressures of the industry. «It's competitive, a lot of people look for work, we're all freelancers, and we wanted to support the people of faith here who really felt like they had one foot in the church and one foot in the Hollywood entertainment industry and neither one liked each other,» she told Fox News Digital.
The organization's mission is rooted in the belief that prayer can overcome hostility between the church and Hollywood. Covell recalled that many Christians historically condemned the entertainment industry through boycotts, book burnings, and warnings that Los Angeles was a spiritual danger zone. «I knew Hollywood didn't like the church because we were really terrible to them — we boycotted, we threw out our TVs, we burned their books — we wouldn't go to their movies,» she said. «But I believed if you pray for somebody, you can't hate them.»
That conviction led Covell to build a bridge between the two worlds. The Hollywood Prayer Network offers intercessory prayer, professional discipleship programs, networking events, and Bible studies. Its members have prayed for a wide range of public figures, from Britney Spears during her periods of intense tabloid scrutiny to Robert Downey Jr. during his public battle with addiction. More recently, the network lifted up celebrity blogger Perez Hilton following his distressing livestream and subsequent hospitalization.
Through its monthly Kids Prayer Calendar, called «Ones2Watch,» members support child and teen actors before they face major industry pressures. The organization has also established community groups for directors, dancers, writers, comedians, and people working in technology and artificial intelligence. Local chapters across the United States serve entertainment professionals through mentorship, networking, and worship, and the network has its own app listing resources, chapters, and events.
Covell said the isolation, discouragement, and fear that artists often face can be combated through community. «We have a beautiful community here. You couldn't get me out of this place for anything because the people that are here are wonderful,» she said. She credits her 42-year marriage to Jim as a cornerstone of her success. The couple recently finished a book titled «Confessions of a Hollywood Marriage,» which she described as a personal story rather than a how-to guide. «We know people see so many bad marriages that they lose hope that it's possible. And we just let people know, this is the greatest gift,» she said.
Last year, Covell stepped down from producing to devote herself fully to the Hollywood Prayer Network, which she said has been growing rapidly of late. But the early years were slow. «I take credit for having, I think, the slowest-growing ministry on the planet. It was just one person at a time. Would you pray for Hollywood?» she recalled. That patient approach has yielded a global movement that continues to expand, offering support to storytellers who once felt torn between their faith and their craft.