Negotiating a Place at the Table: David Stidham: VP and General Counsel for The Chosen

Real Life With Pamela Lau

Welcome David Stidham to the show today! David serves as the VP of Business Affairs & General Counsel for The Chosen, Inc. Prior to working for The Chosen, he spent nearly 6 years as the General Counsel & Director of Licensing for RightNow Media, as well as 2 years working as an Assistant District Attorney in Dallas, TX. He holds a BBA and MBA from Harding University, a JD from New England Law Boston, and graduate certificate in Negotiation Mastery from the Harvard Business School Online. He and his family live in Denver, CO.

David was a delight to interview as we discuss how God prepared him for a dynamic career and calling in using his legal degrees. Raised in the Church, David found faith crucial in all he did and decided. Through stories and examples, David expresses how God led him through pivotal conversations, relationships and opportunities. David talks openly about his trajectory from business law and marketing to negotiating and finally law school.

After working as an assistant district attorney, David accepted a role at Right Now Media where he worked negotiating intellectual property.

What does it look like for an attorney who follows Jesus to work in the marketplace? David says what keeps him in the race is remaining faithful while making informed decisions. As a leader in his field, David talks about the path to saying yes to varied roles before becoming VP of business and legal counsel for The Chosen.

David talks openly about how his past experiences ultimately prepared him for each next step along the way. His leap of faith from district attorney to director of licensing at Right Now Media seemed right for him as he asked the CEO of the company, "How will you use my skills?"

Through relationships and an unexpected opportunity, David was offered a contract job at The Chosen. During our candid conversation, David demonstrates how humility covers him in the day to day of his life. Being a part of The Chosen has opened David's eyes to how they are doing things in a different way as a Christian television production company. Using his negotiation skills anew in this role, David admits that working Hollywood is testing his skill set like never before. Are people condescending because The Chosen is a Christian show? How is that communicated to David? What does it feel like to negotiate just to get to the table and convince others you belong there?

David calls forth followers of Christ to step into legal roles in various places--even the darker places: court rooms, dark secular places, even Hollywood. Finally, David shares how he keeps his faith alive and building through reading Scripture and prayer.

I hope you will enjoy this dynamic conversation with a leader in the legal realm who is listening well to his dreams and how the Spirit of God is leading him.

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