Cory Hepola wins regional Emmy for ‘Rural By Choice’ series

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Perham’s Cory Hepola won an Upper Midwest Regional Emmy on Saturday night from the National Academy of Television Arts and Science for his long-form lifestyle docu-series, “Rural By Choice.”

Hepola starred in and narrated the series about going back to rural Minnesota after trying to escape it initially when he was younger.

Hepola co-produced the series with  Micah and Jenna Kvidt and Erik Osberg, a former member of the Wadena Chamber of Commerce Board.

In a social media post, Hepola said his life was forever changed in 2019 when he received an “out of the blue” phone call from Osberg who pitched the idea for the series that wanted to uplift Otter Tail County and inspire healthy living.

The series makers received the regional Emmy for the second season of the show.

All 11 episodes of the series can be found on the Otter Tail Lakes Country YouTube page.