subgroup of Mormon culture: young adults in Utah Valley searching for future spouses. In a discussion of these comedies, screenwriter and director Randy Astle writes that "many of the jokes and references [are] incomprehensible for Church members as close as Idaho, let alone India." The films also tended to lack depth, "[poking] fun at the faith without offering much insight." Director Richard Dutcher and reviewers Sean P. Means and Thomas Baggaley responded to the early 2000s' wave of Mormon films by expressing concern over the way the subgenre was headed. They worried about directors and production companies relying too heavily on Mormon-centric humor and the newness of Mormon cinema instead of producing quality films with worthwhile plotlines. These movies did, however, prove to be popular among Latter-day Saint audiences. Terryl Givens, associate professor of English, attributes this success to the desire of Mormon audiences to see their own "distinctive eccentricities" represented on the screen. He writes: "The popularity of these comedic films seems in part to derive from a people hungry for entertainment that validates their own cultural specificity. Like insiders to a private joke, Mormons can comfortably laugh at a genre that … promotes Mormon cohesion and reifies and confirms Mormon self-definition." In an interview, Will Swenson, director of Sons of Provo, stated that "representation matters. People want to see themselves on-screen. And there are a ton of Mormons out there." However, by 2006, Halestorm discovered that the enthusiasm for Mormon-centric movies had died down. The niche was too new to support the many films that were being produced for it. So, Halestorm pivoted by rebranding a part of itself as "Stone Five Studios" and releasing its next comedy, Church Ball (2006), with less references to religion and Mormon culture. Richard Dutcher released a follow-up to God's Army, States of Grace, in 2005, but some Mormon moviegoers disapproved of the film for its "not altogether positive depiction of Mormons." In 2006, author Dean C. Hale proposed that most Mormons simply do not take an interest in Mormon cinema. This, he said, may be related to the LDS Church encouraging its members to prioritize other aspects of life—such as family—before entertainment. Efforts at mass appeal and growth LDS film directors have been attempting to appeal to a national audience since the early 2000s. The 2003 crossover film Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy, for example, avoided direct references to Mormonism.