Rick Cresswell shares his powerful journey from growing up in witchcraft to discovering faith in Christ, challenging Christian business leaders to align their identity, influence and enterprise with God’s purpose.
At our Crosslink Exeter gathering on 13 February 2026, we were joined by media professional and author Rick Cresswell, a man whose life story is as extraordinary as it is confronting.
Rick is the owner of Netglobe Media, Director/Producer at The Company, and founder of the not-for-profit Ground Vision Ltd. With over 20 years in broadcast communications, working with major brands and national networks, his professional credentials are well established. But it was not his business success that held the room. It was his testimony.
A childhood in witchcraft
Rick’s recently published book, RICKY TAYLOR – The true story of a boy who grew up in a school for witches, tells the account of his upbringing in what he describes as “intense darkness.” His mother was a high priestess in Kent, involved in covens, rituals and media features on witchcraft. Rick grew up surrounded by temples, rituals, occult practices and what he openly calls spiritual deception.
He described his early years as entrenched in confusion, manipulation and exposure to things no child should experience. Yet even in that environment, something in him resisted. “I hated witchcraft,” he shared. “I didn’t see it as true power.” That hunger for something real would later become the doorway to transformation.
Called out of darkness
Rick’s teenage years spiralled into drugs, violence, street fighting and chaos. Eventually, under mounting pressure from criminal associations and personal crisis, he left Kent and came to Devon, to stay with his father, who had become a Christian.
It was in Ottery St Mary that Rick encountered believers whose faith was authentic and uncompromising. He watched them pray. He watched them confront darkness in the name of Jesus. He saw a power that did not manipulate, but redeemed. And in his own words, it was “a no-brainer.” He fell in love with Jesus.
Rick described immersing himself in Scripture, listening repeatedly to the Bible on a Walkman while working long hours weeding at Otter Nurseries. He wore out two cassette players in the process. It was a season of renewal, of what he called alignment.
Alignment: the key to business and life
Although Rick joked that he may not be the “best person to talk about business,” his reflections carried weight for Christian entrepreneurs in the room. He spoke repeatedly about alignment:
- Alignment with God.
- Alignment in identity.
- Alignment in relationships.
- Alignment in business decisions.
“Vision isn’t ambition, it’s alignment,” he said.
Rick shared how God restored his mind from addiction and brokenness, how he built a 30-year career in media, worked with major networks, won awards and established a respected production company. He also spoke honestly about hardship, near-bankruptcy seasons, financial pressure, repossession threats, and the reality that success is not linear.
One phrase stood out: “God wastes nothing. Not even your hardest seasons.” For business leaders navigating uncertain markets and economic pressure, that truth resonated deeply.
Identity before enterprise
Rick challenged the room to consider identity before output. “Are you building for safety or for significance?” he asked.
He spoke about coming from “broken sonship” – absent fathers, instability, confusion – and discovering true sonship in God. That revelation reshaped everything.
Business, he suggested, must flow from secure identity, not from insecurity or ego. He asked probing questions:
- Am I operating as a victim, a survivor, or a steward?
- Do I genuinely see God as Creator in everything I do?
- Is my work aligned with His assignment for me?
These were not abstract theological musings, they were lived experience from a man who has walked through both darkness and boardrooms.
The reality of spiritual warfare
Rick did not shy away from spiritual realities. Drawing from his upbringing and subsequent ministry experiences, he spoke about the power of the blood of Jesus and the authority believers carry.
He also addressed cultural influences, particularly in media, and the way narratives shape young minds. As a media professional, he understands the neurological and storytelling power of film and culture.
His concern was not sensationalism, but awareness. “Evil prospers when good people do nothing,” he said, quoting the famous phrase.
For Christian business leaders working in creative industries, education, technology and media, this was a sober reminder that influence matters.
From media success to mission focus
Rick and his wife Sharon have established Ground Vision Ltd, a not-for-profit aimed at producing media projects with Kingdom impact. He spoke candidly about wanting to create a ‘storehouse’ model – funding work that advances truth and helps expose spiritual deception.
He is also working on further writing projects, including a theological examination of artificial intelligence entitled The Serpent in the Tree and the Ghost in the Machine, exploring AI as a tool rather than an object of misplaced devotion.
Again, his central theme returned to alignment: Tools must not become idols. Business must not become identity. Success must not replace sonship.
A story of redemption
Perhaps one of the most moving moments came when Rick described burning his former life — gathering his ritual robes, tools and writings and setting them alight. It was a symbolic break. “I burned it,” he said simply.
Even more powerful was his testimony that his mother, before her death, asked him to pray with her. You will need to read the book to find out what happened, but, for a man who grew up immersed in the occult, that was a full-circle moment of redemption.
The Word of their testimony
As Revelation reminds us, “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Rick’s story is not comfortable. It is not tidy. But it is deeply redemptive. For Christian business leaders, the message was clear:
- Your beginnings do not define your ceiling;
- God can redeem the darkest foundations;
- Alignment with Him is the key to sustainable impact;
- Hard seasons are not wasted; and
- Influence, especially in business and media, carries spiritual weight.
Rick’s journey from coven to calling stands as a powerful reminder that no background is beyond redemption and no sphere of influence is beyond Kingdom purpose.
As a network of Christian business leaders, the challenge is simple: Are we aligned? Are we stewarding influence well? And are we bold enough to share what God has done in our lives? Because someone else’s freedom may begin with our testimony.
