Amanda Cheatwood
Mar 1, 2025
The birth of BGTV began with a deeply personal crisis. In 2018, Brad Graydon faced what he describes as the darkest period of his life when he and his wife were separated for 4 months. During this time, he turned to God, spending hours in prayer each morning and evening.
“I was sitting on my couch, looking out the window, praying that every car that passed would be my wife returning,” Brad recalls. “Then I heard God speak to my spirit as clearly as I’ve ever heard Him: ‘Brad, I’ll help you get your bride back if you help me get my bride back.’”
In that moment, God showed Brad a glimpse of His own heart for the church—His bride—that had gone after other lovers and forgotten Him. Despite feeling unqualified due to his circumstances, Brad made a vow to help God restore His relationship with His bride.
The couple began a healing journey that strengthened their marriage. Today, they have a 14-month-old daughter named Hope and a baby daughter, Macie. “God has restored our marriage,” Brad says. “He’s done His part by bringing my bride back to me, and He’s still doing that every day. I see us growing closer and closer these last seven years.”
“I was tired of building what man can build. I just wanted to see what God could build.”
The Birth of BGTV
The vision for BGTV emerged gradually. After leaving their previous ministry due to leadership issues, Brad and Haley opened their home to about 40-50 people over four and a half years, creating a space for healing and restoration. During this time, Brad would pray in his basement, seeking direction from God. “I was tired of building what man can build,” he explains. “I just wanted to see what God could build.”
The path to starting the podcast was marked by a series of divine appointments. After feeling God’s call to start a podcast, Brad asked for confirmation. That very day, during breakfast with his spiritual father Larry Ragland, who runs a YouTube ministry called “The Big Picture,” Brad shared his vision. Larry not only encouraged him but also felt led to give Brad a webcam and cords he’d been saving.
As Brad left, he heard God say, “You can reach the whole world from what’s in your hand.” His next appointment was with Nick Russell, a former youth group member now serving as a youth pastor. After discussing Nick’s ministry challenges, the conversation turned to Brad’s plans. Upon hearing about the podcast, Nick offered Brad a top-of-the-line microphone from his previous fantasy football podcast.
“Within two hours, God gave me a camera and a microphone,” Brad recalls. “I was praying in my head during our conversation, thinking the last piece I needed was a media person.” That’s when the Holy Spirit reminded him that Nick had handled media for his youth group. Brad immediately asked if Nick would be interested in being his media guy, offering to pay him a bit extra since Nick needed additional income with a baby on the way. Nick enthusiastically agreed.
“What blew my mind was that within two hours, God provided a camera, a microphone, and a media guy. I knew without a shadow of a doubt this was what He was calling me to do.”
“What blew my mind,” Brad says, “was that within two hours, God provided a camera, a microphone, and a media guy. I knew without a shadow of a doubt this was what He was calling me to do.”
In April 2023, Brad started his personal podcast with a simple motto: get 1% better every week. By October, he had developed a professional studio in his basement, and God expanded the vision. BGTV would become more than just Brad’s podcast—it would serve the entire Body of Christ.
“God told me to open up the studio to serve others,” Brad shares. “There are so many people with a message in their heart but no avenue to share it. They might lack the time, money, or technical knowledge to start a podcast.”
Growth Through Unity
By December 2024, BGTV Studios hosted 22 different podcasts, with more in development. But what excites Brad most isn’t the number of shows—it’s the unity he sees developing among Christian leaders in Birmingham.
When we held our first BGTV gathering in October 2024, you could feel the unity of the Body of Christ in Birmingham coming together.
“Look at what God’s done,” he says with enthusiasm. “We have hosts from their 20s to their 70s, representing different denominations and backgrounds. When we held our first BGTV gathering in October 2024, you could feel the unity of the Body of Christ in Birmingham coming together. There were no territorial issues or competition because it wasn’t about getting people into buildings—it was about coming together as the Body.”
A Faith-Based Model
When Brad first considered bringing other podcasters into the studio, he did what seemed natural from a business perspective—he started creating pricing packages. “But I had zero peace about charging people,” he recalls. “I was walking and talking with God one day and asked, ‘How are we going to build all this?’ He said, ‘Brad, I’m trying to build something here, but man always gets in the way. Man would charge for the studio, but I would serve with it.’”
That conversation changed everything. Brad decided to make BGTV entirely faith-based, never charging for studio use. Instead, he simply asks podcast hosts to pray about what they might be able to contribute to help keep the studio running. Most of the ministry’s support, however, comes from a small group of monthly donors who felt called by God to support the vision—people Brad never had to ask.
“If God is the architect, He’ll bring every dollar that’s needed at exactly the right time. For this whole year, I’ve never had to ask anyone for money or do fundraisers. I’m just trying to stay at God’s pace and let Him be the architect.”
“If God is the architect, He’ll bring every dollar that’s needed at exactly the right time,” Brad explains. “For this whole year, I’ve never had to ask anyone for money or do fundraisers. I’m just trying to stay at God’s pace and let Him be the architect.”
The name BGTV itself carries special significance. While it’s designed to look like a typical media brand, it holds a deeper meaning. The “BG” stands for Brad Graydon, but “TV” isn’t “television” at all—it stands for “The Vow,” making the full name “Brad Graydon The Vow.” It’s a constant reminder of Brad’s promise to help God draw His bride back into His arms. “The whole foundation of BGTV,” Brad explains, “is to push the Bride of Christ closer to God, closer to each other in unity, to prepare the Bride for Jesus’s return, and to help her answer her calling.”
God is creating a new wineskin—a modern way to present the message of Jesus.
Advice for Christian Leaders
Brad offers two key pieces of advice for Christian leaders considering media ministry. First, recognize that God is creating a new wineskin—a modern way to present the message of Jesus. Second, “just start.”
“Don’t try to figure it all out in your head before you do it,” he advises. “The first three months, you’re just trying to figure things out, but then you begin to understand what God’s calling you to do.”
Most importantly, Brad emphasizes the importance of moving at God’s pace. “God builds things slower at the beginning than we want,” he explains. “But He always builds the foundation very solid, gets things in order, and doesn’t put you out there too fast where it’s not healthy for you and your family.”
He shares a powerful metaphor God gave him: “God told me, ‘I’m the architect. I have all the master blueprint plans already laid out. All the silver and gold is mine. I have all the subcontractors to help build.’ When He told me that, it gave me peace to sit back and watch God work—to follow Him in rest instead of striving.”
“Whatever we build, we have to maintain. But whatever God builds, He maintains.”
“Whatever we build, we have to maintain,” Brad concludes. “But whatever God builds, He maintains. That’s why I’m not interested in building a ministry—I want to see what God can build if I get out of the way.”
Brad Graydon is the founder of BGTV Studios in Birmingham, AL. He is married to his lovely wife, Haley, and a father to their daughter Hope, with another daughter, Macie, on the way. A pioneer of a fresh move of the Spirit, Brad is helping draw the Bride of Christ back into a deeper relationship with Jesus. BGTV is a podcast studio uniting voices to build God's Kingdom. In a city with a history of division, Brad is being used by God to unite the body of Christ and ignite a last-day move of His Spirit. https://bgtvstudios.com/
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