By Hanna Ranch
{{ image(2582, {“class”: “flor round”, “width”:”197″, “height”:”298″, “method”: “img”}) }}You probably know Eric Schlosser as an investigative journalist (Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Nation), bestselling author (Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness, Chew on This) and film producer (Fast Food Nation, There Will Be Blood, Food, Inc.).
Over the years, he has followed the harvest with migrant farm workers in California, spent time with meatpacking workers in Texas and Colorado, told the stories of marijuana growers and pornographers and the victims of violent crime, gone on duty with the New York Police Department Bomb Squad, and visited prisons throughout the United States.
It was Schlosser’s first book, Fast Food Nation (2001), that helped start a revolution in how Americans think about what they eat. At the start of director Mitch Dickman’s journey in making this film, he had not yet read the seminal book. But when he sat down with Ann Hanna for that initial meeting, Schlosser was the first person she told him to call for an interview. Their paths had crossed years before since it was none other than Kirk Hanna that Schlosser chose to drive the beef focused Chapter 6 “On the Range” in the book.
Not only does Schlosser appear in Hanna Ranch, but is also a stalwart member of our team as an executive producer along with Karl Kister. His guidance throughout the production process was instrumental in making our film what it is today and his expertise was relied on heavily.
In the clip of extra footage, Schlosser sheds light on the immense amount of pressure Kirk was put under in order to operate in a business climate increasingly hostile for independent ranchers.
This post originally appeared on HannaRanchMovie.com, a content partner of Slow Food USA.
