Cory Hepola

06/10/2026

When we started creating “My Town,” I thought I was traveling around the country to learn about communities.

What I didn’t expect was how much I’d learn about people.

No matter where we go, people are searching for many of the same things: safety, belonging, opportunity, meaningful work, and a sense of connection.

That’s probably why I keep leaving communities with a completely different perspective than when I arrived.

As we begin planning Season 4 for 2027, I’m excited to see where the road takes us next.

If there’s a community you think deserves a closer look, I’d love to hear about it!

Is your town next?

We're beginning to plan Season 4 for 2027 - and we're looking for a handful of communities ready to share their story.

Whether you live there, work there, or just love the place - reach out to us!

📩 [email protected]

06/04/2026

Lately I’ve spent a lot of time on airplanes, back roads, bike trails, ranches, and in communities I’d never experienced before.

One thing I keep coming back to: there are amazing people and stories everywhere.

As we continue filming Season 3 of My Town, I’m feeling pretty grateful for the people who continue to welcome us in and trust us with their stories.

We’re also beginning conversations for Season 4, which is exciting to think about.

More adventures, more communities, and more stories ahead.

We’ve been spending a lot of time on the road lately… and every stop continues to remind us of something: Every community has a story worth telling.

As we continue filming Season 3 of My Town, we’ve had the chance to visit communities across the country - from Charlotte County, Florida and Sun City West, Arizona to upcoming stops in Vermont, Nebraska, North Dakota, and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

Along the way, we’ve met incredible people, heard meaningful stories, and seen firsthand what makes each place unique.

We’re also beginning conversations and exploring a limited number of community partnerships for Season 4 in 2027.

If your community or organization wants to learn more about how storytelling can help showcase the people and spirit of a place, we’d love to connect.

Thanks for following along with the journey. More stories are on the way.

📩 [email protected]
◼️ Cory Hepola

05/17/2026

Last Thursday, I had the incredible honor of giving the commencement address at St. Cloud Technical & Community College.

Standing on that stage brought me back to sitting in a graduation chair myself about 20 years ago - full of ambition, big dreams, and convinced that success meant becoming perceived as important.

For a long time, I thought “making it matter” meant chasing the next job, the next promotion, the next city, or the next achievement.

But life taught me something better.

After small TV markets, layoffs, hundreds of rejections & failures, unexpected turns, and opportunities I never could’ve planned for, I realized that a meaningful life isn’t about becoming perceived as important.

It’s about being valuable to other people.

Helping people. Encouraging people. Serving people. Improving the places you go. That’s what truly makes it matter.

I’m grateful to SCTCC for the opportunity, and incredibly inspired by the graduates I met. Their future is bright!

To the Class of 2026: congratulations and go MAKE IT MATTER! ❤️

05/05/2026

❤️ LOVE seeing this one come to life.

Truthfully, I wasn't quite sure where or how this story was going to go. But, experiencing Sun City West & meeting the people who CHOOSE to live here changed my stereotypes of "retirement."

📍HERE, at Sun City West, retirement is not passive - it's intentional, energized, and deeply community-driven.

What stood out to me most wasn’t just the scale of amenities (which are incredible), but how much of this place runs on people showing up for each other. That kind of ownership and pride is hard to replicate and you can feel it everywhere.

🎉 Excited for everyone to see this episode. It’s a special one.

04/20/2026

⭐️ "What's On Your Bulletin Board" - Watford City, North Dakota!

Earlier this year, I headed back to Watford City - the MODEL for rural Economic Development - and was blessed to speak to the entire student body about seeing the value in your hometown community. ❤️

➡️ Watford City, North Dakota is in McKenzie County - the fastest growing county in the USA from 2010-2020. It's stunningly beautiful as it sits on the ND Badlands near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. But, as I learned, this town is PACKED w/ world-class facilities including McKenzie Health, the Bakken Area Skills Center, the Rough Rider Center, and the School District.

Western North Dakota is a hot spot w/ lucrative jobs & will continue to be this year with the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening in Medora, ND on July 4, 2026 (our great country's 250th!).

While you're out there, but sure to experience Watford... you will be stunned!

Hello Watford City | City of Watford City | McKenzie Health | McKenzie County, North Dakota | North Dakota Dept. of Commerce | My Town Series

04/14/2026

Filming for My Town Series Season 3 starts in…

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FLORIDA. ☀️

📺 Watch all Episodes: https://youtube.com/?si=ga3H-_FixXgYqDi-
🎥 Kvidt Creative

04/09/2026

⭐️ "What's On Your Bulletin Board" - Thayer County, Nebraska!

In March, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet some of the warmest, most selfless, community-driven people I've ever met.

➡️ Thayer County is in southern Nebraska w/ just over 5,000 people living here. But, don't confuse that with inaction! This region has global businesses CHOOSING to invest & grow here, a revitalization sparked by community leaders working together, and a youthful energy thanks to collaborations w/ the school district & the "Boomerangs" CHOOSING to move back to the region.

Thankful for the chance to hear all of the positives pinned up on their community's "Bulletin Board" (see pic below) as I traveled around the County to small towns: Davenport, Hebron, Byron, Deshler, and Bruning.

Can't wait to go back! 👏🏼

Thayer County Economic Development Alliance | Nebraska-Kansas State Line Media, LLC | Nebraska Community Foundation | Nebraska Economic Developers Association

04/07/2026

From the start, our goal w/ My Town Series has always been to get as many 👀 on our communities and the special people who CHOOSE them as possible.

🌎 In today's world - with more & more media - there's no single platform to reach everyone. So, we decided to build our audience by airing all Episodes on YouTube where the entire world has access to watch - for FREE.

With all 15 Episodes from the first 2 Seasons gaining (at least) tens of thousands of views on YT, we're starting to build out onto cable & local affiliates where new people are discovering the value in these towns!

So proud to partner w/ KEYC News Now to showcase Fairmont. 👏🏼

Where will you see "My Town" next? 😉

📺 Catch "My Town" on TV!

Our S2 Episode in Fairmont, Minnesota - "Cory Comes Clean in the Bacon Capital of the USA" - will air on KEYC News Now (the CBS & FOX affiliates in southern MN) four times in the month of April. 👏🏼

See how being a Top 5 Pork-Producing County in the country has helped create an amazing ecosystem - w/ high quality schools, innovative businesses, and good jobs - where people are CHOOSING to live, work, and play.

➡️ Cory Hepola
📍Visit Fairmont | Kahler Automation | Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce | Fairmont Economic Development Authority | Fairmont Area Schools, District 2752 | Hugoson Pork

04/04/2026

April 2004 ➡️ This first picture represents an answer to my prayers.

On this day, in April 2004, I started my new job as a Sports Anchor & Reporter at KTVH in Helena, Montana.

It was 900 miles away from home. I didn’t know a single soul. Yet, I was so incredibly happy because it was the second chance I wasn’t sure I’d get.

After interning and (then) working as a Sports Anchor/Reporter for KXJB (CBS) in Fargo, North Dakota, I was laid off when the station was sold to a competitor.

For 7 months, I applied to 150 TV stations across the US. This was 2003-2004, so instead of simply emailing a YouTube link of a video showcasing my work this meant recording - VCR-to-VCR - on a VHS tape and dropping that in the mail.

7 months. 150 VHS tapes. Not a single response.

I prayed all day & all night for another chance. This was all I ever dreamed about and felt it on my heart that it was what I was meant to do. Then, finally, KTVH in Helena, Montana called me back w/ a job offer.

An answer to my prayers… in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

KTVH & our News TEAM became my family… and the Helena community became my home. I was only there for 2.5 years (left in July 2006), but I cried when I left to New York for a new job. For months, I felt a deep regret for chasing a larger market over the joy that living & working in Helena brought me.

20 years after leaving Helena, I finally made it back… and was able to show Camille & the kids all the places & (some of) the people who I still talk about all of the time because of the incredible impact on my life. ❤️

It won’t be 20 years before we are back again…

02/05/2026

THIS ⬇️ is why we CHOOSE to live in Minnesota.

I love all 4 seasons, but nothing beats Pizza on a Pontoon in the summer.

Filming this scene in Fairmont was a challenge because of all the variables. The Traetow’s and I were floating on one Pontoon and our film crew had 2 camera’s on another Pontoon. Neither of us could float too far apart or risk losing the perspective & angle (and potentially the audio).

THEN, once we completed that part of the scene, our crew rushed to shore and got the Drone up in the air (for a 3rd shot) to follow our Pontoon. Since clouds were rushing in, we had to hurry so the shot would match the sky & ambiance to our scene!

BUT, the most important part of the scene is what Andy Traetow, the Fairmont Superintendent said: “We feel like Fairmont is southern Minnesota's best kept secret.”

I agree. 👏

📺 WATCH for FREE: https://youtu.be/-kKfzPZUqD8?si=MkHHZ1RlHKn0tpaW
◼️ My Town Series
📍Visit Fairmont | City of Fairmont, Minnesota | Fairmont Economic Development Authority | Fairmont Area Schools, District 2752 | Explore Minnesota | Kvidt Creative