AgriLife Studios is a commercial agriculture photography and video production company based in Minnesota, serving the continental US and North America. Our “bread and butter” is creating brand-smart content through farm-smart production. We know and love food and agriculture communications and media production.
“Farm-smart means we know how to work with producers, in rhythm with their operation.”
We’re a collaborative team of talented multi-taskers, each wearing several hats. We operate on black coffee and hearty hometown cafe cooking, and nobody sits in their fancy trailer – unless it’s a stock trailer, and we need the shot!
Like our ag clients and location hosts, we know something about putting in a day’s hard work, and we take pride in doing a job right. We operate efficiently, within a small production footprint, capturing compelling visual content while striving to make the process enjoyable. Our creative team is equally comfortable on farm locations, in production plants or in the studio. We maintain a tightly run set, but don’t mind getting our boots and hands dirty.
“Brand-smart means when it comes to creative storytelling, we deliver more horsepower than your average production crew.”
Our core team brings top-grade shooting talent, plus experience in Brand Story message planning, storyboard development, visual concepting and design, journalistic reporting, script-writing, digital animation and cinematic film direction and editing.
Ultimately, our goal is to help you tell your story with authenticity, passion and impact, to represent agriculture – and your brand – in the best possible light.
Where it began – Building Custom Agriculture Content Libraries
We launched AgriLife Studios in 2006, fueled by a desire to create custom agriculture media with meaty content and sizzling visuals. We love to collaborate with creative teams like yours to produce exclusive images that uniquely tell your story.
That same passion has driven us to build an exclusive library of top-grade creative images – both still photography and video – to serve the demands of a discerning and dynamic agriculture industry.
The AgriLife Studios Team
Shawn Nielsen
The creative engine of AgriLife Studios, co-founder Shawn Nielsen combines a passion for his craft with a fearless and relentless drive to capture the unique nature of his subjects. While Shawn shoots for numerous commercial clients out of his Red Barn Studio in Rogers, Minnesota, he thrives on location and is a master of the environmental portrait who loves capturing farmer or factory worker in his native habitat. Shawn, as a 25+ year veteran photographer is energized by the process of solving interesting communication challenges through imagery.
Scott Whitman
AgriLife Studios co-founder, Scott Whitman, has a background in production agriculture and 25+ years experience using visual media in marketing and educational communications to tell stories that move people. As a writer, photographer, producer and story facilitator, Scott helps AgriLife Studios’ clients plan and produce visual content to tell their unique brand stories with relevance and technical accuracy. Originally from a beef cattle operation in Wyoming, Scott now works from his home in Dayton, Minnesota.
Scott Regan
Scott Regan, a world-travelling commercial and documentary cinematographer based in Northfield, Minnesota, joined the AgriLife Studios team in 2016 serving as cinematographer, director and editor on a number of client productions and AgriLife promotional videos. Scott is a location production daredevil and professed technical video geek, who’s been skydiving and ice skating with his subjects, ridden atop grain trucks and tractors with his rigged cinema camera, and piloted drones in pursuit of combines, cows and the epic aerial landscape. Since 2008, Scott has been shooting commercials, series, and branded content for a range of agencies, production companies, and corporate clients all over the world. Scott’s work with AgriLfie Studios has included productions for Minnesota Corn Growers, Wyffels Hybrids, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance and Iowa Premium Beef. His non-ag standout clients include: Best Buy, Target, 3M, Arby’s, Red Bull, United Health Group, Boston Scientific, Procter & Gamble, and Buffalo Wild Wings, among others.
Trent Hilborn
AgriLife Studios designated editing mastermind, Trent Hilborn, is a true wizard in the art of weaving a story. It’s no surprise then, that he’s also an Emmy® award-winning freelance director. Trent’s work reflects his passion to explore, influence, spark and uncover. Trent has directed for notable brands such as Otterbox, YMCA, 3M, Target, American Express and more. He has also directed and produced a variety of independent short films, including the award-winning short: A Friendly Encounter. Trent’s credits with AgriLife Studios include numerous productions for The WaterMain (American Public Media), Wyffels Hybrids and Iowa Premium Beef, among others. Trent resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota.