Homeboy Industries’ Father Greg Boyle and LA Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff are among the local Catholics appearing in a new web video series on leadership.
“Effective Leaders: Serving With Purpose” is set to debut on Tuesday, May 27 on YouTube and will share “captivating stories from everyday leaders embodying the best practices of leadership in workplaces, churches, schools, and civic groups,” according to Family Theater Productions, the Hollywood-based studio behind the series.
The series’ five episodes run about 8-10 minutes long each and feature insights from a different leader. The episodes will be released on Family Theater’s YouTube channel every Tuesday, starting May 27 and running through June.
Besides Boyle and Elshoff, the series also features Dr. Derry Connolly, founding president of John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido; Pierre Landry of Scouting America; and Mary Lynne Knighten, nursing program director at Azusa Pacific University.
“The people featured in this series are selfless, mission-driven leaders who remind us what great leadership can evoke from a community,” said Father David Guffey, C.S.C., National Director of Family Theater Productions, in a May 2025 announcement.
In an excerpt shown in the series trailer, Elshoff explains how his concept of leadership is influenced by St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of Elshoff’s religious order, the Capuchin Franciscans.
“It’s not about me, but it’s about us,” says Elshoff, who serves as episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of LA’s Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region. “That concept of servant leadership just weaves everything together for me.”
In another clip, Dr. Connolly says “you have to be prepared to fail” to be an effective leader.
“Half of my ideas are genius, and half of them are foolish,” says Connolly in an interview clip. “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.”
The series is the latest project from Family Theater Productions, founded in 1947 by Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton. The company’s work includes feature films, TV series, podcasts, and digital series. Recent productions include “Playing Like A Girl: The House That Rob Built,” which played on PBS affiliate stations nationwide last fall.
