Emmy Award-Winning TV Series Tells Ag’s Story in a Unique Way
Facebook has opened the door for businesses to scale their connections and pocketbooks far more than any time before.
One couple, Jeff and Jill Aiello, harnessed the platform’s capabilities when they stumbled upon the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook page on an afternoon at their home in California.
What started as social media table talk between Jeff and Jill quickly turned into an award-winning docuseries that now airs on Valley PBS.
Here’s how social media paved the way for the Aiello’s to win an Emmy Award.
How it Started
Jeff’s interest in agriculture manifested over his 15 years at the Walt Disney Company and ABC Television. Following his departure from the company, he channeled his true passion.
“When we came back to the Central Valley and settled down, I turned to agriculture,” he says. “I’ve always understood the basic idea that farmers are our heroes, and my time in various parts of California made me realize a lot of people in our urban settings seem to have forgotten that.”
Communicating ag to urban dwellers became the Aiello’s main focus. To get the ball rolling, Jeff produced and released a California water documentary, Tapped Out, for PBS in 2017.
The four-part mini-series eventually went on to gain praise from critics, politicians and educators. With a second season of production in full swing, Jeff says he now recognizes the dire need for translating every element of ag’s story, not just one topic or one region.
How it’s Going
Jeff’s production tides then began to morph into a new idea, brought to the table by Jill.
“It was around Christmas in 2018,” he said. “Jill and I were sitting in the hot tub when she looked up at me and said, ‘Jeff, we should do a docuseries based on the stories we’re seeing on the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook page.’”
As a television producer, Jeff says the page is “solid gold” when it comes to content. But while the ag content would be easy to access, Jeff wasn’t keen on the idea of “just another ag show.”
To attract all audiences, the Aiello’s opted:
1. Not to include a narrator
2. To allow people to talk as much or as little as they want
Filming styles like these offer viewers an opportunity to form their own opinions and feel like they have boots on the ground, according to Jeff.
After developing a game plan for how he wanted the show to be filmed, Jeff pitched the idea to the Facebook page founders, Erik Wilson and Steve Malanca.
Roadblocks from the Outsets
Once in agreeance, the three men took their American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag idea to PBS, where Jeff says they didn’t receive the warm welcome he had hoped for.
“PBS had just hired a new CEO. She didn’t know my production style, my documentaries and she was skeptical of my idea for the show,” he says.
According to Jeff, the CEO at the time gave him “it’s my way or the highway” treatment. It was only when he pitched the idea to ABC—where his roots were firmly planted 15 years prior—that PBS agreed to take on the show.
Emmy Award Secured
Fast forward to today, PBS is in its third season of airing American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag, which centers around California’s farm culture.
According to Jeff, the show has “blown up” due to the show’s production and communication styles.
“I try to write out and piece each episode together as if I’m trying to explain it to an eighth grader,” he says. “If you aim for eight-grade level of understanding, you’ll get 80% of America to figure out the message you’re sending.”
Production style is the second half of the content puzzle, according to Jeff. He says an episode his team aired last year, Cattlefornia, won an Emmy Award thanks to their commitment to production styles.
You can view the Emmy Award-winning episode here:
Recognized for outstanding achievement in a public affairs program – news or long form content, the Cattlefornia episode isn’t the only win for Jeff’s team. He says they’ve been nominated for other Emmy’s, and plan to continue the trend upward—in more ways than one.
Thoughts of the Future
Jeff had hoped to one day scale the show to encompass all U.S. states and all types of agriculture. According to the Aiello’s, the Emmy win is paving the way for the scaling the show outside of California’s borders.
“We’re chalk-full of sponsors. There are other companies that want to sponsor us, but we don’t have any more room,” Jeff says. “It’s a great problem to have and it is opening the door for new opportunities in other states.”
Season three of American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag aired two episodes filmed in Tennessee. Jeff says this is a segway into broadening the show’s horizons in season 4 and beyond.
“We’ve got several shows coming up that we’re going to be filming from New Hampshire to Iowa, and we’re making the rounds,” he says.
If you’re hoping your farm will get a chance on the show, the Aiello’s suggest you become a member of the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook group and share your story.
More on ag films:
In the 'Silo': Hulu Film Sheds Light on the Dangers of Grain Bin Entrapment
One Year After Derecho Storm Struck Iowa, Short Film Documents Devastation First-Hand
