Executive Producers Marlee and Matthew Benson Reveal Behind the Scenes Stories from Their New Docuseries, “Redemption”
Redemption is Marlee and Matthew Benson’s first ever film project following the Ohio State football team in their national championship winning season. God was and remains at work among the players and coaches and Redemption highlights His hand in their lives and on their campus.
Marlee and Matthew Benson are two of the executive producers for the new docuseries Redemption, which follows the Ohio State Buckeyes through a season that is pivotal both spiritually and competitively.
Neither of the Bensons are full-time filmmakers, but when they heard Gee Scott Jr.’s testimony at their church, they felt led to make a quality documentary on what God was doing in the Buckeyes’ locker room. In Experiencing God fashion, they saw where God was at work and decided to capture it on film.
Matthew called one of his basketball teammates, a filmmaker, and pitched the idea. His teammate loved it, so they joined forces. The Bensons raised money and were eventually able to fund the documentary. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as they had no idea the Buckeyes would go on to win the national championship. Marlee remarks, “but isn’t that like God, you know, to bring the story full circle?”
At state universities, coaches can’t preach in the locker room, but they can provide opportunities for players to attend Bible studies. Participation in the Bible study at Ohio State has increased from 5 guys to 60 in the last 20 years, and it continues to grow.
Marlee commented that sports—football in particular—teach us about God’s redemption. “It was a redemptive season,” she said. “They lost some games [and then] ended up winning the national championship.” Commentators started using the word “redemption” whenever they spoke about the Buckeyes. “It felt like God was winking and saying, ‘Hey, this is a story I’m writing, so [it’s] a story that needs to be told.’”
While filming some important interviews, Marlee was 41 weeks pregnant. When the couple found out Marlee was going to be induced the following day, they were interviewing TreVeyon Henderson. He mentioned how his fear dissipated in light of what God had done in his life. Henderson’s story encouraged Marlee, even though he didn’t realize it. Matthew noted that right after the national championship win, Unite—a college ministry—came to campus and there was a huge revival.
As reviews have started to come in, the Bensons have heard many people mention how they’ve related to different episodes in the series. Hearing the players and staff share their stories has connected with people.
Matthew said that even though their championship win is something few people in the world have done, “this story isn’t about what they’ve accomplished in the world. It’s about what God’s done in their lives.” Everything ultimately points back to God.
Redemption was one of the couple’s first joint ventures. Both are natural leaders, but Marlee is more relational and big-picture minded, whereas Matthew is tactical and focuses on the next step. To make the project work, they had to learn workplace communication, which differs from the way they communicate in their marriage. Many of their gifts aligned with what God called them to do in making Redemption, but at times they felt their weaknesses so keenly that they knew they wouldn’t be able to continue without God’s provision.
The biggest takeaway from this series is that you will never regret giving your life to Christ. The docuseries features several people from different backgrounds who have all taken that step and experienced redemption.
Redemption is now available on Wonder Project’s subscription channel on Prime Video.
