FRESNO - ValleyPBS will air a new series this fall, co-produced by 18THIRTY Entertainment, exploring agriculture in the United States entitled, American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag. The program will be an unbiased, in-depth look at the issues that inspired the Facebook group-turned-movement, the future of the industry, and the stories of how agriculture touches us all far beyond the table, from the clothes we wear to the roof over our heads.
The show is slated to start in September, airing Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. after Valley’s Gold, building upon the success of ValleyPBS’ other locally-produced ag show about area crops. American Grown will follow PBS’ trusted journalistic standards to tell the stories of people in agriculture, giving voice to multiple sides on important matters impacting the industry.
“With a movement so big in our backyard, evoking passionate emotions from all points of view, ValleyPBS wanted to impartially explore these issues and the thread that binds seemingly unconnected jobs to this driver of our nation’s economy,” said Jenny Toste, CEO of ValleyPBS. “It fits perfectly with our mission to tell the Valley’s stories in an uninterrupted, long-form way that educates our viewers to encourage them make their own informed decisions.”
The show will be co-produced by 18THIRTY Entertainment, through the lens and storytelling of writer and director Jeff Aiello. 18THIRTY is a production partner with ValleyPBS on the series Outside and the documentary Silent Sacrifice, both of which have been distributed nationally in more than 230 markets.
“American Grown is a show that we believe will go national as well. We’re giving a voice to the untold stories of agriculture because it touches all of us in ways we don’t even know,” said Jeff Aiello, owner of 18THIRTY Entertainment. “When I saw how quickly the My Job Depends on Ag movement spread, I knew it had hit on something that resonated with a lot of people, and we needed to do a television show exploring those issues.”
Each episode will tackle different topics, such as women in agriculture, water bills, immigration, the future of family farms, and the rise of industrialized ag. American Grown will complement the many ways ValleyPBS is covering ag in the Valley, including airing regional ag shows on Sunday mornings, producing water documentaries like Tapped Out and the upcoming Sinking Cities, and ag education in conjunction with Valley’s Gold.
ValleyPBS is in the process of securing funding for the show. Interested persons or businesses can contact Elizabeth Laval at (559)266-1800 ext. 350. The promo video for the show can be viewed here and follow the American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag Facebook page at Facebook.com/AmericanGrownTV for updates on the show.
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