Anne Marie Hagerty is ‘The Envoy’

When Anne Marie Hagerty ’18 was 6, a television reporter who asked her what books she liked to read made her realize how she wanted to help other people.

Later that evening, Hagerty and her family gathered to watch the interview on TV.

“I just had this sense of, ‘Wow, who I am matters, and what I have to share with the world really matters,’” Hagerty said. “I felt so strongly about that when I was little and remember thinking, ‘How could I do that for another kid?’ Handing that microphone over to someone or putting them in a position to really feel heard, special and seen.”

Now, Hagerty travels the world interviewing people for “The Envoy Show,” a docuseries about how food impacts health, economic growth and sustainable tourism in different regions. The work earned her recognition in the media category of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

“I’m a big believer that you create your own universe every single day and anything is possible,” said Hagerty. “My time at UNC really reinforced that. UNC set me up so perfectly for what I’m doing now, which is no surprise. I made my own adventure at UNC and then in life with my company.”

“You’re kind of this bridge between people,” said Hagerty. (Submitted Photo)

When she arrived at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Hagerty felt inspired to pursue international journalism to tell stories about people around the world.

Her first international reporting experience was in Panama in 2016. She met with the country’s president to discuss the future of integrating more modern practices into their traditional culture.

“You get such cool access all over the world when you work as a journalist, traveling to talk to interesting people or speak with athletes,” said Hagerty. “You’re kind of this bridge between people.”

Her senior year, Hagerty commuted between Chapel Hill and New York every week for an internship with Fox News Media.

After graduation, she worked at WBTV in Charlotte as a TV news journalist, then later in marketing for venture capital funds and technology companies. In New York, Hagerty learned about “food diplomacy,” using food to shape a nation’s image by building relationships and exploring different cultures. She immediately dove in to exploring the topic, finding only academic journals and blog posts. Hagerty eventually began attending trade shows to talk with government officials about the concept and quit her marketing job to pursue related work.

“Looking at food diplomacy, the goal is for you to come away feeling smarter, that you learned something that’s not on Google,” said Hagerty. “You feel optimistic about how the world could be a better place and want to be part of it. You feel a connection to places all over the world.”

Hagerty took a leap of faith and founded Alo Media, a startup media company.

(Submitted photo)

“The Envoy Show,” hosted by Hagerty and produced by Alo Media, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, launched globally on Prime Video in 2025 with an episode filmed in Senegal featuring Bill Gates and raised $250,000 from impact investors. She brought on travel journalist Anthony Bourdain’s former crew, including James Beard award-winning producer Diane Schutz, to build the next era of great storytelling.

In each episode, Hagerty and her team travel to a different country and explore that area through its food. The show engages with local residents to help stimulate the nation’s economy. “The Envoy” also touches on government policy and business outcomes.

“We go to a place like the middle of a forest in Finland to interview people so they can thrive in that environment,” said Hagerty. “As a journalist, I love to see the light in someone and help bring that out. That’s the greatest gift of journalism. Sometimes you have this superpower of seeing a light that they may not see.”