FEATURE STORY CONT .
So , after a quick call to city officials , Mike and his cameraman , Branson , were scheduled to meet with Gene Cruz at a San Francisco intersection in the Tenderloin District .
From the moment he climbed into the manhole with Gene , Mike was completely out of his element .
Mike explains : “ The sensory overload is so intense that your brain doesn ’ t know what sense to focus on first . As your eyes adjust to the gloom of the sewers of San Francisco … you ’ re standing up to your knees [ in sewage ], the ceiling is 5 feet high … you spend a couple of minutes watching the flow of this terrible chocolate tide .”
It was at that point that Mike knew he needed to document the moment for his grandfather . He asked Gene to stop his trek , made sure Branson was rolling , and began his opening .
“ Good evening , San Francisco . Welcome to ‘ Evening Magazine ,’” Mike began . “ Tonight , I ’ ve brought you to a different sort of place , a special place , an important place I ’ d dare say any of you have ever been before …” As Mike candidly shared with us , “ And that ’ s as far as I got .”
At that moment , a gurgling noise caught Mike ’ s attention just in time for human excrement to hurl toward Mike ’ s face , and the second piece soared over his head .
Mike stared in disbelief . His cameraman puked .
Gene just rolled his eyes and said the line that would become Mike ’ s mantra : “ Down here in the sewer , it ’ s best to keep your mouth shut .”
Yet , Mike didn ’ t learn at that moment . In his time spent in the sewer , Mike tried his line two more times , resulting in a tidal wave of sewer cockroaches — one of which crawled in his cameraman ’ s mouth — a rat perching on his shoulder , which would later crawl into his boot , and face planting into the “ chocolate ” pool beneath him . All Gene could do was shake his head before finally asking if Mike was ready to work . “ Mike , when you ’ re done screwing around with the local wildlife , maybe you can come over here and give me a hand .”
Still rolling , Branson recorded footage of Gene and Mike rooting out rotted sewer bricks , and for the first time since he had climbed down the manhole , Mike shut up and listened . Gene then regaled Mike on his background and expertise as a sewer inspector for the city of San Francisco . He learned about replacing bricks and the sewer system that keeps one of California ’ s major cities humming day in and day out . He also learned that Gene was a skillful engineer .
Back at the studio — after many showers — Mike ’ s peripeteia unfolded .
Mike recalls : “ As I watched our conversation , it killed me because what I saw was me at about 10 years old working with my grandfather in 1,000 different ways . Digging a spring cellar , putting in fence posts , running electricity , doing basic plumbing — this whole apprentice-expert relationship was suddenly unfolding in front of me at my desk .”
At that moment , Mike created the first show he knew his grandfather would be proud of . He listened to Gene and didn ’ t force being the host or expert on the show . He let the real worker speak instead .
The viewers of San Francisco were a different story . After the segment aired that evening , hundreds of letters poured into the studio . Half of the viewers were upset that their dinners were ruined , but the others were much more excited .
“ The other half of the letters were from people who were saying , ‘ Oh my god , you should meet my brother , my cousin , my uncle , my sister , my mom — wait until you see what they do ,’” Mike said . “ I got into my head that there was a possibility to do nonfiction television in a different way .”
He was right . THE AUTHENTICITY OF HARD WORK
Mike ’ s idea landed him at the Discovery Channel , which bought his pitch to turn from TV host to apprentice who just happens to have a camera following him to the jobs that keep America functioning .
That ’ s how “ Dirty Jobs ” was born , and today , the eight-season show , its reruns and its spinoffs continue to amass fans . Mike has transformed his talent of selling , pitching and hosting into a platform for America ’ s workforce , teaching him and his viewers along the way the value of authenticity , acknowledging your discomfort and finding satisfaction in the opportunity to work .
But it wasn ’ t so much the strange and creepy jobs that had America watching ; it was the people Mike featured . With an innate sense for storytelling and an ability to get people to listen , Mike let those he featured on “ Dirty Jobs ”— and today on his Facebook show , “ Returning the Favor ,” which gives back to those helping their communities — command the attention of the public .
At this article ’ s publish date , Mike ’ s personal Facebook page has more than 6 million followers , with interactions on his posts ranging anywhere from 50,000 likes to more than 3 million views . ( For the record , Peggy ’ s Facebook page is quite popular , too .) Unlike other users in today ’ s politically charged landscape , Mike veers into the controversial without choosing a side .
In 2020 , Mike ’ s foundation , mikeroweWORKS — which advocates for trade jobs and funds scholarships to lessen the skills gap in the U . S .— began creating and selling masks to raise funds for scholarships , Mike didn ’ t choose to endorse masks , other than to say how politically charged they had become and how much he hated those conversations . Instead , Mike did what he has always done : He steered the narrative into the benefit of purchasing the mask . The funds go directly into the workforce and help fill America ’ s skills gap with qualified , young , excited
6