SUMMARY
The Pauline Institute is an independent online nonprofit organization for the latest research and newest views on the life of Saint Paul, the most influential man in Western history and newly relevant in our own troubled times. Even after two millennia, intriguing questions remain and new insights emerge. The mission of the Pauline Institute is to gather and present the latest scholarly findings in a field that keeps yielding conflicting accounts, compelling discoveries, and new insights into Jewish-Christian relations, Greco-Roman Culture, and our modern society.
The site has powerful assets ready to go, as well as a built-in audience that will only grow. The founder of the Institute, Robert Orlando, is an author-filmmaker whose lifelong scholarly research on Paul has yielded a film, two books on the apostle, a series of videotaped talks, and a soon-to-come TV series. His research continues as he finishes up his graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary. Over the years, he has conducted numerous taped interviews with a diverse cast of scholars whose insights will add immeasurably to the site. The spirit of the site will also echo one review that called Orlando’s Pauline quest “thought provoking, informative, inspiring and eye opening. It reminds us all that he lived in a real world.”
RESOURCES
The Pauline Institute will also live on the already established site www.apostlepaulsite.com.
It will feature:
-
Twenty years of taped interviews with diverse top-notch New Testament scholars.
-
New and lively articles by pastors, experts, and students, advance the Pauline discussion.
-
A conversational forum where people can exchange ideas about biblical subjects.
-
Live quarterly and annual events exploring various Pauline themes.
-
A new podcast, Ektroma, is based on Pauline thoughts and its influences.
FUNDING
At present, The Pauline Institute is seeking individual and institutional partners for donations and long-term support, as well as opportunities to combine interests for events and shows. Our initial website will be completed by September 2022, and we will hold our first event in Princeton, New Jersey, in 2023, which will draw on the location’s broader religious and non-religious communities. Our funding Strategy will be provided upon request. If interested please write to: robo@nexusmediasite.com
ORGANIZATION
The team, led by Robert Orlando, will include an online website specialist, a fundraiser, and a content developer with expertise in building resources for the site. We will also engage legal and accounting services as needed.
​
Orlando is not only a scholar; he has a track record of building a business. He is the founder and director of Nexus Media, with 25 years of experience working with blue chip clients ranging from HBO to Sony Pictures and American Express. The Pauline team is designed for multi-media messaging, determining audiences, and driving support. Its work has reached millions at colleges and universities across the country, museums, the White House, and the Vatican.
MARKETING PLAN
The Institute begins with nearly one million social media followers through past and current work, including high-profile bloggers, scholars, podcasters, and TV personalities. It will be exposed to markets that encompass cultural and religious matters. We have a built-in starting point with a network of past events in cities such as San Antonio, Chicago, New York, San Diego, Chicago, Rome, Edinboro, London, and beyond, and will also welcome new trends for forums, books, and media coverage.
One example of a measure of influence is Orlando’s book and film:
The Divine Plan film was number 1 at the box office for a one-time event in 2019; there were 2 million clicks on its site. His full interview was completed with Bishop Barron for the film and appeared on a YouTube platform that now has a 50 million-person audience.
How We Define Success?
-
EDUCATION: An expansion of awareness in the culture of Paul and the ancient roots of Christianity
-
WORLDWIDE PUBLIC EVENTS: A way to re-center Christian thinking at the core of Western thought
-
INSTILLING HOPE AND FAITH:- Re-engaging the public square with the original ideas of the Apostle Paul and the ideas of faith and the Kingdom of God.
ABOUT ROBERT ORLANDO
Robert Orlando, BFA, School of Visual Arts, is a filmmaker, author, scholar, and Executive Director of Nexus Media. His studies include film, religion, ancient and modern history, and biography. As an award-winning writer/director, his films include thought-provoking documentaries such as Silence Patton, The Divine Plan, Citizen Trump, and the upcoming Shroud. His books include Apostle Paul: The Final Days, The Divine Plan, The Tragedy of Patton, Citizen Trump: A One Man Show, and Karl Marx. He is published in the book Writing Short Scripts. His articles have appeared in the American Thinker, The Catholic Thing, Daily Caller, HuffPost, Townhall, Patheos, and Merion West. Orlando has spoken at numerous churches, colleges, The White House, and The Vatican. He is currently living in Princeton, NJ, where he is completing his Graduate Studies in Religion and Society.
OPTIONAL TOPICS INCLUDE:
Intro to the Apostle Paul
Apostle Paul & Identity Politics
Apostle Paul: Mission, Money, and Mayhem
Paul's Letter to Romans: The Drama of Redemption
Ektroma: Apostle Paul, A Man out of Time
Eschaton: Sacred Story in a Secular World, from Jesus to Marx
Hamlet: Modern Man in Purgatory