Welcome to Living My Faith, a weekly show that celebrates the everyday believers who are walking with Jesus not just on Sundays, but in every area of their lives. From relationships and parenting to health, habits, and home, our guests share how they keep their faith at the center of it all. Hosted in Jacksonville, Florida and supported by Christ-centered partners, Living My Faith is a space where real life meets real faith. Today our host, James Fenimore spoke with Joe Way of UCLA & HETMA
Joe Way
Executive Director of Digital Spaces at UCLA & Co-Founder of HETMA
Website Address: www.josiahway.com
Short company description:
UCLA: R1 higher ed institution. HETMA: Non-profit organization I cofounder for technology managers in higher education.
Transcript:
James:
Hi, and welcome to Living My Faith. I’m James Fenimore, and today we have a very special guest joining us—Joe Way. Joe, how are you?
Joe:
I’m doing fantastic. Thank you so much for having me on today.
James:
Thank you for being here, Joe. We like to start the show with one simple question: how are you living your faith?
Joe:
That’s a great question—and there’s a lot behind it. I think, like a lot of people, faith gets lived out in the middle of real life, in ways you don’t always expect.
In my case, I wear a couple of hats. I’m the Executive Director of Digital Spaces at UCLA, and I’m also the co-founder of the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance. We’re an advocacy organization for professionals who provide audiovisual services across higher education.
My entire career has been in the AV and entertainment world, even though my degrees are actually very different. I earned a degree in philosophy—because what else do you do with a philosophy degree but go into entertainment, right? But later, I went to seminary at Moody for my master’s, and I completed a dual PhD in theology and technology.
Through all of that, my life has always centered on how to live my faith authentically—not just for myself, but in a way that serves others. My career path stayed in audiovisual, so the question became: how do I bring those two worlds together?
Over time, I realized faith isn’t only lived out through working in a church. I did spend years serving as a tech director—back in the booth, behind the scenes—but you can also live your faith by being who you are and letting God lead your work wherever it goes. When you do that, your career becomes part of your testimony too.
And now, I get to do that through education—serving others at UCLA—and also by giving back to an entire industry that really needed an advocate.
James:
You answered quite a few questions already. And honestly, I should’ve known you were in AV—I can see the lighting, the setup, the mic… it all makes sense.
When you say “giving back,” can you share some examples of what that looks like for you?
Joe:
Absolutely. One of the things I’m most proud of is that I helped start a scholarship program through the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance. We give out ten scholarships every year to up-and-coming professionals who may not get the same opportunities others do.
We provide training, certification, mentorship—basically, we create an on-ramp. It’s a way of saying: God has been incredibly good to me, and not everyone gets the same access or support. So how can we build an environment where others can step in, grow, and eventually pay it forward?
The scholarship program has only been around for four years, but we’ve already seen people come through it and become leaders in the industry.
I also write for outlets like Church Production Magazine, using my skills to support people who serve in church production or work in the industry. And I do that because it’s not always easy—especially if you’re working in places like the Hollywood entertainment space. Living your faith daily can be challenging when the culture around you doesn’t share it.
So part of giving back is mentoring, creating resources, writing, and speaking—helping people understand that their work has purpose, and they can be fully themselves while letting God work through them. I also do that through my podcast—spotlighting people who want to use their foundation of faith to serve others through their careers.
And I’ll be honest—you never know where life is going to take you. I wouldn’t have guessed my career would be here, even five years ago. But when you trust that God has given you skills and opportunities for a reason, you realize your story can benefit someone else.
The more we’re blessed, the more we can turn our careers into stepping stones for others. I try to ask: if I were ten years ago, what support would I have wanted? What resources would’ve helped me? And if I didn’t have them, can I build them for someone else?
James:
I love the way you framed that—looking back at what you needed, and then essentially discipling someone coming up behind you, helping them in their career. And I’m sure that impacts their faith journey too.
Joe:
Absolutely. Especially for early-career professionals—that’s really close to my heart. No matter what achievements you have, people still wrestle with doubt.
I’m honored to be the first church tech and the first higher ed person to be in the AV Hall of Fame, but I still struggle with imposter syndrome. I sit here thinking, “James is going to expose me any second and realize I’m a fraud,” you know?
A lot of people feel that way—especially early in their careers. They want to step out, trust their abilities, trust God through the process, but they don’t know how. And sometimes, what they really need is someone around them who can say, “You’re not alone. Other people feel this too. You can push through.”
When I look at my younger staff, I think: I wish someone would’ve told me this earlier. I wish I’d known where to find resources. I wish I’d known I could speak up in a room full of senior executives.
So I try to give that foundation—confidence, tools, and the push to grow. And I’m proud when I see staff go on to become leaders in the industry. Hopefully they carry that same mindset forward: “I had someone in my corner.”
Because the truth is, many of us didn’t always have a cheerleader. We can usually point to one or two people who gave us a shot when we didn’t fully deserve it yet. But a lot of the time, we feel alone.
And for people of faith, it can feel even more isolating. It’s easy when you’re at church, in your small group, surrounded by like-minded people. But what about at work? What about when you’re facing challenges, or the person next to you doesn’t believe, or the environment is hostile to faith?
That’s where it matters—having tools, having confidence, and remembering that God has you where you are for a reason.
James:
Joe, I can’t thank you enough for joining us today. That was incredibly informative, and hearing how you’re living out your faith—especially in the Hollywood and entertainment space—is genuinely inspiring.
It’s been a real pleasure. We’ll link all your information on the page so anyone who wants to connect with you can find everything there.
Thanks again for joining us. This has been Living My Faith. I’m James Fenimore, and we’ll see you next time.
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