Cory Hepola

3x Emmy Award-Winning Creative Executive | Director/EP of “My Town” | TEDx Speaker | The Brookshire Company

08/11/2026

There are certain partnerships that simply feel like they make sense.

This is one of them.

I'm incredibly grateful to share that My Town Series is partnering with Pioneer PBS, bringing our stories to viewers across Minnesota and throughout the Upper Midwest.

When I left TV & Radio a few years ago, I believed there was room for a different kind of storytelling - one that slowed down, listened first, and celebrated the people and places that don't always make the national headlines.

Public television has carried that same spirit for decades.

That's why this partnership feels especially meaningful.

I'm thankful to the team at Pioneer PBS for believing in what we're building, and I'm excited for more people to discover the incredible communities we've had the privilege to visit.

This is another step forward for My Town - and another reminder that there are still so many great stories waiting to be told.

📍Every Town Has A Story!

08/06/2026

What do we lose when communication becomes more about speed than connection?

Today, more so than ever before, we can reach more people, share more opinions, and respond instantly.

But I’m not sure we’re actually hearing each other better. In fact, I think in a lot of ways, we’re hearing less.

And what’s interesting is how that shapes perception.

Because when communication becomes faster, louder, and more fragmented, so does the way we form opinions about people and places.

To me, the most meaningful conversations still happen the same way they always have.
In person.
Eye to eye.
Story to story.

And when that happens, something shifts.

People slow down.
They explain more.
They listen differently.
They misunderstand less.

And perception starts to change - not from headlines or assumptions, but from understanding someone directly.

08/04/2026

The first question I ask anyone I meet: Where are you from?

As long as I can remember, that’s been my conversation starter.

Not because I’m making conversation, but because I’m genuinely curious.

I’ve always wondered how the place we grow up shapes the people we become.

Every answer leads somewhere different.
A small town.
A city.
A farm.
A military family.
Another country.

No two stories are ever the same.

08/02/2026

This little moment never made the episode.

Last summer, my 10-year-old son came with me while we filmed My Town in Fairmont, Minnesota.

After a full day of interviews, drone shots, and exploring the community, we ended the evening with a pontoon ride on one of Fairmont's beautiful lakes.

Then he decided it would be funny to push Dad into the water. (For the record... I may have sold it a little 😁).

Looking back, it's funny what sticks with you.

He still talks about Fairmont - the lakes, the pigs, the people… and the time we got to spend together.

That's one of the unexpected gifts of creating My Town Series.

Yes, we get to tell the story of a community.

But these communities become part of our family's story, too.

07/30/2026

One of the most important things I've learned from filming My Town Series is this: you don't really understand a place by driving through it.

You understand it by listening to the people who choose to build a life there.

That's why every episode centers around people.

Maps don’t tell the whole story.
Statistics don’t tell the whole story.
Headlines don’t tell the story.
Even the most beautiful places don’t tell the whole story.

People do.

And if you listen long enough, those stories begin to reveal the true essence of a place.

07/28/2026

I saw a rural resilience in this flooded Iowa town.

Full episode on YouTube

07/26/2026

Some communities welcome you.

Others make you feel like you've already been there.

I'll never forget arriving in Linton, North Dakota.

Before we ever turned on a camera, they had already welcomed us with handmade signs, digital billboards, My Town cookies, a community cookout, and an ice cream social.

More than 300 people showed up! Not because they knew us, but because they believed their story was worth telling.

I still have those handmade signs hanging in my office as a reminder of the kindness, pride, and generosity we experienced from the people of Linton.

I'll never forget that.

07/23/2026

🤔 What has to happen before someone feels comfortable enough to tell the truth on camera?

Before I ever ask a question, I’m paying attention to things most people never see on camera: Comfort. Trust. Ease.

My goal isn’t to get someone to perform well in an interview.

It’s to make them forget they’re in one.

I don’t send questions ahead of time. Not because I’m trying to be mysterious, but because I don’t want people rehearsing answers. I want them listening, reacting, thinking in real time.

So before we roll, I try to do something simple: I ask about their life.
Where they grew up.
Their job.
Their family.
Their favorite food.
Their favorite team.

Anything that gets them talking about something they care about. Because when people talk about something they love, they relax. And when they relax, you start to meet the real version of them.

That’s the version I’m trying to film.

07/21/2026

Three states. Three completely different places. One thing keeps showing up.

So far this year, My Town Series has taken us from the Florida coast, to the Arizona desert, to the mountains & lakes of Vermont.

On the surface, they couldn’t be more different.

But, after spending time in each community, I keep discovering the same thing:
People who believe in where they live.
People who are investing their time and energy.
People who see potential in places others might overlook.

That’s why I love this work. ❤️

07/19/2026

Looking at this photo still makes me smile.�😀

Micah Kvidt is hanging out of the back of a moving vehicle with a camera.

Peyton Kopel and I are running down the road as part of a mini triathlon she designed for me.

Earlier that day, we'd swum in Lake Sagatagan at St. John's.

We were supposed to bike a little farther, too... until my tire went flat.

So we adjusted and kept going.

This was during our My Town Series shoot in St. Joseph last summer.�

And, that's one of the things I've come to love about documentary filmmaking. The audience sees a few seconds of a finished scene. But, we remember the laughter between takes, the quick pivots, and the people working together to make it happen.

Looking back at this photo, I'm reminded that some of my favorite memories aren't just the stories we told - they are the days we got to live them.

Address

Perham, MN

Website

http://mytownseries.com/

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