Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. World Wide Pictures, Inc.

Evangelistic organization, founded in 1950 to: operate Billy Graham's ministry in a business-like way; provide a non-profit entity to receive donations for crusades and related ministries; plan and coordinate evangelistic meetings throughout the world; and with its agents and subsidiaries produce radio and television programs, films, DECISION magazine, and books and records. The BGEA was instrumental in: founding the magazine, CHRISTIANITY TODAY, and Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center; sponsoring a series of international and regional conferences on evangelism, beginning in 1966. It's headquarters was in Minneapolis, with offices in other U.S. and foreign cities. WWP formed in 1951 as a BGEA subsidiary to produce and distribute films, most of which would combine a fictional or true story of a person's conversion with scenes from an actual BGEA crusade, although the company did a few nonBGEA productions. Most films were available for distribution to churches, but occasionally to the general public through release in commercial theaters. WWP's presidents were Dick Ross and William Brown. Until 1988, production was done at WWP's Burbank, California office; distribution was coordinated from its Minneapolis office. In 1988, the Burbank studio was closed; operations were consolidated in Minneapolis.