Excerpt: A media start-up behind a culinary docuseries approved for USAID funding is struggling after the agency’s funds never materialized amid the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID.
A promising media start-up producing “The Envoy Show,” a culinary docuseries poised to debut on Amazon Prime Video in summer 2025, is facing unexpected financial strain. The show, styled as an heir to Anthony Bourdain’s legacy, aims to spotlight seven “food wonders” of the world while exploring how food fuels local economies.
Despite receiving approval for sponsorship with funds from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) during the Biden administration, the show’s co-founders, Anne Marie Hagerty and Rachael Scott, have yet to receive a single payment. This has left “The Envoy Show” shouldering the entire financial burden, depleting its start-up resources without the promised government assistance.
The trouble began shortly after President Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration. Trump issued an executive order freezing foreign development assistance for 90 days pending assessment, which was further reinforced by the State Department’s stop-work order on existing and new aid programs. The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID are already facing legal challenges, which Trump plans to appeal, leaving affected agencies in a state of uncertainty.
“Wild surprise,” Hagerty told CNN, expressing her frustration. “Now we’re on the hook for paying people that the government was going to pay.” To cover the shortfall, Hagerty has taken out a six-figure personal loan to ensure timely compensation for the entire team.
The debut episode of “The Envoy Show” focuses on fonio, a West African grain. Discussions with USAID began in June, and sponsorship logistics were approved on August 27. USAID, trade group Prosper Africa, and the agency’s Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) Activity aimed to confirm sponsorship before October to secure funding from USAID’s 2024 budget, according to Hagerty and Scott.
The purchase order was issued to Alo Media, the show’s parent company, in December, yet the payment never arrived. On January 20, Hagerty followed up with ATI and was informed that the agency was investigating the matter. On that same day, Trump was inaugurated and signed the executive order freezing all foreign assistance.
During a January 22 meeting, a USAID contact reportedly apologized for the delay and assured resolution. However, less than a week later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the stop-work order. Subsequently, in late February, the administration disclosed the termination of approximately 5,800 USAID awards, followed by the elimination of 5,200 out of 6,200 USAID programs in March.
On January 30, “The Envoy Show” received an automated email, five days after Rubio’s stop-work order was announced. The email, reviewed by CNN, informed “subcontractors, grantees, vendors, and consultants” of the order and urged them to “avoid incurring new costs as of January 27, 2025.” This notice arrived just two weeks before the show’s production team was scheduled to travel to Senegal.
“By the time it became clear the payment wasn’t coming, we were already too deep into production,” Scott explained, emphasizing that assurances of funding had been given as late as January 22.
Hagerty repeatedly followed up with ATI in the following weeks. On February 21, an ATI representative responded, stating, “Pursuant to the attached email and Executive Order and (stop work order) notification sent to you, we are not in a position to confirm this sponsorship. Should the situation change, we will reach out as soon as we get more guidance.”
A State Department spokesperson confirmed that “The Envoy Show” is a subcontractor with USAID partner DAI and that USAID has not made any payments to the show. However, the spokesperson did not provide any details on the current status of the funding or whether USAID would honor its sponsorship commitment. DAI has not responded to requests for comment.
As of more than 50 days after Trump’s USAID freeze announcement, Scott and Hagerty remain uncertain about whether they will ever receive the promised sponsorship funds. While the lack of USAID funding “won’t tank us,” Scott emphasized that every penny is crucial for a start-up. They declined to disclose the specific amount owed in sponsorship funding or the total cost of producing the episode.