The Hopeful Rhino Podcast

How many videos have you watched in the last 24 to 48 hours? Between YouTube, Netflix, Instagram, Facebook, TV, etc., chances are you’ve watched more videos than you can even remember. Thanks to screen media, the opportunity to reach and influence people in their everyday lives has probably never been greater for us as creatives in the Church. In this episode, Rich interviews Ben Field, head of Hillsong’s Film and TV department and former director of popular Australian TV show “Home and Away”. Ben shares about the journey and lessons learnt from his professional career in the TV industry, and his passion to pioneer new avenues for the Church within the film industry. You’ll be inspired and challenged to see people’s lives transformed through the power of media and storytelling. P.S. to join the Hillsong Worship & Creative Conference Online, use the promo code PODCAST19 when you register here.

What’s the secret behind Hillsong’s influential worship music? It’s actually not a secret at all - it’s first and foremost the grace of God. It’s also a team of people who are committed to the vision and direction set by their senior pastor. Long before Hillsong songs were sung by millions of people around the world every week, Ps Brian Houston was creating & leading the culture of a worshipping church, and inspiring his own creative team to push the boundaries of leading worship and pointing people to Jesus. In this episode, we pull back the curtain and give you a sneak peak into what our pastor says to his creative team, what he expects from us and the reasons why! Ps Brian came to Team Night specifically to encourage, inspire, and refocus us towards 13 practical things that he’d love us to move forward in. Whether we are up front as the worship leader, behind a console pushing faders, or in the back row of the choir, we can all contribute to leading others and pointing them to Jesus. This episode is an invitation to all creatives to grow and lift their perspective! P.S. to join the Hillsong Worship & Creative Conference "Online Experience", use the promo code PODCAST19 when you register here.

Do I know Jesus, or do I know OF Jesus? This episode is an inspiring and confronting conversation with Mike Gore, CEO of Open Doors Australia, an organisation that serves the persecuted Church around the world. Mike shares impacting stories of believers who face persecution on a daily basis, challenging our concept of persecution, faith, and the differences between the Western and the Eastern Church. Mike challenges us that our creativity must make Jesus visible, and how we, together, can all take one more step towards a more courageous relationship with Jesus.

This episode explores something crucial to leading any creative team: how to build the culture you want for your team. Rich Langton answers questions from listeners, alongside Muchiri ‘Mush’ Gateri, our Production Oversight in Australia, and worship leader Annie Garratt, one of our most experienced and trusted creative pastors. They answer some of your questions about creating, building, developing and maintaining team culture, and share some practical examples from their years of serving and leading within Hillsong Creative. If you’re using Apple Podcasts, you can swipe up on your app to see “Episode Chapters”, to jump ahead to a particular segment or replay a question with your team.

We kick off Season 6 with the one and only Laura Toggs! Laura is the visionary leader and pioneer of Hillsong Young & Free and The Secret Garden TV, and pastors the youth ministry of Hillsong Church with her husband Peter. In this inspiring and heartfelt interview, Laura shares her story in pioneering these influential movements, as well as her journey as a pastor’s kid in ministry.

Practice, practice, practice! In this special episode that first aired in Season 2, we have a panel interview with four incredible guests from various creative disciplines including music, film creation, audio and dance. They cover how to prioritize practice amidst full and busy lives, what their practice disciplines have looked like over the years, and debunking the myth that talent is everything. We get so many requests to share what we do at Team Nights, so here is a taste to enjoy for you and your creative team!

At the halfway point of the year, we wanted to revisit “A Year Called Alfred”, a powerful message by Cass Langton, our Global Worship & Creative Pastor. This message gave the direction to our Hillsong Creative team at the start of this year, and we hope you enjoy this halftime reminder! Cass Langton is our Global Worship & Creative Pastor, and in this episode, we get behind the scenes of the Hillsong Creative team. Cass shares her heart for our team and frames the direction for our year. Be ready to be challenged and inspired as she unpacks the five R’s for 2019: risk, resilience, relationship, reverence, revival. We are believing this message will equally equip and inspire you and your creative teams!

On the heels of Hillsong Conference 2019, this episode is a taste of Conference, as we throwback to one of our favourite episodes from Season 3, a chat with Chris Tomlin from Hillsong Conference. Chris Tomlin is a world-renowned songwriter and worship leader. In the last 3 decades, there are few who have had as much impact on Christian music as Chris, having given the global Church worship anthems such as How Great Is Our God, Indescribable and Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). In this wide-ranging interview with Cass Langton, you’ll get to know Chris as much more than a musician, as he walks listeners through key stages of his life, whether it be the start of his marriage or the creative process to writing many of his songs.

Kalley Heiligenthal is a songwriter and worship leader from Bethel Music. In this inspiring episode, Kalley reminds us of the power of our humanity, how the raw moments of surrender before God cultivate inspiration and release creativity. She shares how she overcame perfectionism in the journey to writing the popular worship anthem “Ever Be”, and shares practical advice for every creative.

In last week’s episode, we were introduced to the hilarious Nathan Finochio, as he interviewed some of our well-known team. This week, we get to see a completely different side of him, as he shares his profound wisdom about hearing God and the different between gifting and anointing. Nathan has spent years as the teaching pastor of Hillsong NYC, has a passion for theology and communicating the timeless truths of the Gospel in relevant and impacting ways. He’s a songwriter, author, preacher, musician, and an all-around creative. Listen to Nathan share a bit about his journey, the value of spiritual maturity and the power of what we bring individually and collectively as creatives. To hear more from Nathan, check out his newly released book ‘Hearing God’