If you were to take a brief look into Allison Argo’s life, you’d see the definition of what it means to follow your passion - written in large neon letters. She grew up in the theater on Cape Cod and as soon as she was old enough and able, she moved to NYC with a hundred bucks in her pocket ready to pursue her dream of acting. She walked dogs and cleaned apartments until she landed on her first role on Broadway. After acting in a few Broadway productions, she moved to Los Angeles and had another successful career on television.

But her real life’s work didn’t begin until she left acting. In 1990, without having any idea as to what she was doing she made her first documentary, The Urban Gorilla. She wrote, directed, produced, and edited it – learning all of the above on the job. It was picked up by National Geographic and was nominated for two Emmy’s.

She’s gone on to make another 18 films and has won six Emmy’s and scores of other awards. Her documentaries focus on animal welfare, endangered wildlife and conservation. They have brought awareness and change to the plights of many species around the globe, including: gorillas, chimpanzees, snakes, dogs, elephants, and most recently, pigs.

The Last Pig is Allison’s documentary about a pig farmer named Bob Comis and his final year of sending his pigs to slaughter. It’s an incredibly beautiful, meditative film, narrated by Bob, while he struggles with the monthly trips to the slaughterhouse, ending the short lives of the pigs that he has grown to love.

Allison Argo: On Passion, Purpose, and the Wisdom of Following Your Heart