This summer, Henry Cremers, a California Polytechnic State University student studying Agricultural Communications, brought together his passion for agriculture, storytelling, and digital media through an internship with the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) in Salinas. As he winds down his summer at the WGCIT, we want to tell you about his summer at the WGCIT and everything he accomplished on behalf of our startups.
As a student preparing for a career at the intersection of agriculture and communications, Cremers was tasked with helping tell the stories of emerging agricultural technology companies working to address some of the industry’s most pressing challenges. Throughout the internship, he worked directly with agtech startup founders, producing professional multimedia content that highlighted innovation across the agricultural sector.
One of Cremers’ primary responsibilities was interviewing agtech entrepreneurs and company leaders. Over the course of the summer, he conducted interviews with more than a dozen startups housed within the Western Growers innovation ecosystem. These conversations provided valuable insight into technologies ranging from automation and robotics to sustainability and labor solutions, while also giving Cremers firsthand experience in professional interviewing and content development.
Beyond just conducting interviews, Cremers professionally documented these conversations. He captured extensive B-roll footage designed to showcase each company’s technology in action. The visual content helped bring complex agricultural innovations to life for growers, investors, and industry stakeholders.
After gathering footage in the field and at startup headquarters, Cremers managed the post-production process for each project. Using his background in digital media and creative software, he edited and produced a series of videos that highlighted the mission, technology, and impact of each startup. The finished videos were developed for social media distribution and industry outreach, creating engaging content that helped increase visibility for participating companies.
Cremers also played a key role in coordinating the publication of the content. He organized and scheduled the completed videos for weekly promotion, with supporting outreach efforts led by Walt Duflock and the WGCIT team. The consistent publishing schedule will help maintain engagement with audiences interested in the latest developments in agricultural innovation.
The internship was a natural extension of Cremers’ academic and professional experiences. At Cal Poly, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications with a minor in Law and Society, while building expertise in agricultural publications, digital communications, and media production. His previous work with the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau included writing articles, producing digital media, and communicating the value of agriculture to community audiences.
Beyond communications, Cremers brings practical agricultural experience to his storytelling. As Organic Farm Production and Social Media Manager at Cal Poly Farm, he has worked across farm operations, operated heavy equipment, became familiar with organic compliance, and managed social media content. His agricultural background allowed him to better understand the technologies being developed by startups and communicate their value to growers and industry professionals.
The internship also leveraged many of his technical skills, including photography, videography, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and social media management. By combining these abilities with his understanding of agriculture, Cremers was able to produce authentic and engaging content that connected innovation with real-world farming applications.
Through his work at the WGCIT, Henry Cremers has hopefully gained valuable experience in agricultural communications, multimedia production, and startup engagement. The opportunity strengthened his professional skills and hopefully allowed him to add several agtech startup packages to his professional portfolio for the future. If you are interested in seeing the finished agtech videos, please follow Henry Cremers Media on YouTube.
