By Christina Gray
In just under four minutes, 26-year-old Randall Williams contrasts the empty allure of social media “scrolling” with the lasting peace he found after returning to his childhood faith. His short film, “Metanoia” (which means a change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion) was named one of the top four winners in a national contest for Catholic content creators.
The full-time software developer, a graduate of St. Gregory School and Junipero Serra High School, both in San Mateo, talked to Catholic San Francisco after he and his film were recognized last month in Ascension’s 2025 Truth and Beauty Awards. Ascension is a multimedia leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. It launched the Truth and Beauty Awards last year to recognize Catholic content creators who are sharing the transformative power of the Gospel on social media.
“What are we looking for when we open the next post?,” Williams said about the roots of social media addiction. “We’re hoping for something that is going to make us happy, but it never really does, so that’s why we have the phone in our hands day and night.”
His winning film shows that repeatedly “swiping” for new and sometimes dark content (doomscrolling in digital vernacular), can amplify the deep hunger that propels it. Williams finds freedom — and more — in his faith, and his short film tells that story.
The main character (played by Williams) can’t stop scrolling through video reels on his phone despite a looming deadline — one he ultimately misses because of his addiction. In despair, he visits a Marian grotto (easily recognized as the one at St. Matthew Parish) to seek solace and direction from the Blessed Mother, whom he calls, “Mom.” Feeling foolish and confused about being there, he dashes off, but not before a church bulletin with a schedule of services blows into his path and lands at his feet. Local viewers will recognize the exterior and sanctuary of St. Dominic’s Church in the scenes that follow.
The film is semi-autobiographical, according to Williams. Despite his Catholic upbringing, it wasn’t until after a “reversion” he experienced in a Protestant Bible study group at the College of San Mateo that his Catholic roots came back in full. “Those guys really pushed me to take my faith seriously,” he said.
After graduating from the University of Southern California, he returned to the Bay Area where he works as a software developer by day, spending after-hours as a rising Catholic social media content creator. His channel, Iron Inquisitor has more than 12 million views per month on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Williams is also a brand ambassador for Catholic Answers, a search-engine style database for answers to questions about the Catholic faith, a catechist for the Diocese of San Jose, and one of a dedicated group of altar servers for Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.
Williams made it clear that social media is still, and will likely always be a temptation for him, as it is for so many others. “It’s something I continue to struggle with,” he said. “But now I have the tools to deal with it.”
View Metanoia and other winners of the Ascension Truth and Beauty Awards at https://ascensionpress.com/pages/winners.
Photo: Randall Williams, one of four winners of the Ascension Press “Truth and Beauty Award,” is pictured at St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church in Hayward. (Photo courtesy of Randall Williams)
