Dirty Jobs Episode
Believe it or not, we don't really watch much TV. And before we got the call, we hadn't even heard of Mike Rowe, or seen the Dirty Jobs show! But, lucky for us, an old family friend who had worked here in college and happened to be a fan of the show, dropped them a line on our behalf. So, while the Dirty Jobs team was working on another segment nearby, they got in touch to see if they could drop in for a visit. We are always happy to show someone the ropes if they're interested in what we do here, unplanned or not.
A short while later, a few members of the Dirty Jobs crew came to look around and said they would love to shoot an episode here about the Richard E. Meyer & Sons tannery. So, the next day, they were here bright and early (8 AM) with a van full of cameramen, sound guys, and assistants, not to mention a virtual traveling movie studio. Mike Rowe and friends put in a 14 hour day filming anything and everything we could show them. We did our best to come up with some seriously dirty work worthy of a show called Dirty Jobs. The crew got just as dirty as Mike and got more material than they could have hoped for. After a day that long, even we would be a little cranky, but Mike Rowe and his crew took it all in stride - after all, they have had a lot of practice. During breaks, we were even regailed with some great war stories from other jobs they've visited. All around, Mike and the crew were fantastic to meet, and it was a great experience that we'll always remember.
Needless to say, to have one visit from Mike and his friends was great. But apparently, there was too much to cover for just one episode, because about a year later they called us back! While the Dirty Jobs crew had filmed a lot of the work we do at the tannery the first time around, they hadn't covered one of the big facets of our production: parchment making. So, it was great to see Mike again and we had another memorable time showing him a different side of the work here. Our friend Ellen - who got some screen time (and some admirers...) - came up with the great idea to make up some Pergamena T shirts for us. Mike even helped us do some shameless product shilling at the end of the show (that tour of duty at the QVC shopping network came in handy!).
All in all, it was another amazing experience, and if any of you happen to see Mike Rowe, please thank him again for the visit... and the great exposure for the family business...
See us on the show? Check out some of the products Mike mentioned!