The Jiffy's mission

The Jiffy's origins start with the pandemic. My wife and I moved to the Hudson Valley during lockdown's peak, both working remotely in the journalism industry. It was an isolating and scary time — the day we signed the contract on our house was the same day The New York Times broke news that my workplace was being sold to a private equity firm.

Not great timing!

Having already been affected by rounds of layoffs in a previous journalism job, I knew tenuous times were ahead for my team and me. Sure enough, layoffs became an ever-present and growing reality across the company, and corporate life just also started to feel more and more negative. If each quarter brought an increasing threat of losing my job, would it be any riskier to try and build something of my own?

After many (many, many) discussions with my wife, we decided that I would quit my job as the global editorial director of branded content for Yahoo and start an independent project, The Jiffy, as a way of getting to know my community in the Hudson Valley through documentary work.

My mission 

With The Jiffy, my goal is to help my neighbors in the Hudson Valley learn about each other as I get to know them more deeply, and share these stories in ways that reflect the human experience and inspire connection and reflection wherever you may live. Each video, newsletter issue, and podcast episode is produced to document life in rural America through the lens of upstate New York, so that the Hudson Valley can feel a little more knowable and a little more connected.

I approach this work with curiosity and a commitment to transparency, so I want to show you a bit about why I'm here and how I do it.

I’m a one-person studio, but I report as if I'm a guest in someone else’s home (because, often, I am!): with respect, patience, and a belief in accurate storytelling.

The Jiffy covers life in the Hudson Valley and rural upstate New York: Oour histories; cultures; people; environmental, political, agricultural, and underrepresented issues; hidden and often cozy corners; and the everyday stories that make this place so fascinating.

This is a regional project, but the themes are universal: stories of creativity, work, memory, change, resilience, humor, and what it means to belong to a place.

I cover documentary stories about the people (and sometimes animals, like Hank the Miniature Donkey in Saugerties) who live and build their lives here: farmers, artists, chefs, historians, county clerks, small business owners, longtime locals, and new neighbors, and I look for stories that add context to our lived experiences.

My work spans regional history and overlooked narratives, from centuries-old houses to the stories of migrant farmworkers. Because the Hudson Valley’s identity is so integrated with four full seasons, with the land and the waterways, I also focus on agriculture and rural work, environmental preservation, science, and nature.

Much of my reporting comes from community curiosity: questions from neighbors and readers about things like mysterious-looking houses, major headline news, pop culture events, book releases, and more. And occasionally, I explore the region through humor: You may see some stories from The Travel Log (the only log with a blog), The Hungry Eye (my anonymous food critic), and our fashion photographer James C'Avedon — using satire to illuminate local culture without losing accuracy or respect for the subject.

I practice slow, documentary-style reporting.

I spend time with people, return to places (sometimes spanning several years), and pay attention to details that often get overlooked when a story is rushed. My goal is to understand a subject well enough to explain it clearly, fairly, and with context.

I ask people where to go, and let those questions lead me into archives, libraries, court records, old maps, academic papers, and conversations with local experts, historians, scientists, and longtime residents.

I report on location whenever possible.

I shoot my videos and record my interviews myself and in person as much as possible, because as a travel editor in a previous life, I learned you can't achieve depth from a desk. I believe physical presence helps build trust and reveals things you can’t learn from a screen.

I verify information through multiple sources.

I double-check records, cross-reference documents, interview subject-matter experts, and confirm details with the people who lived them. If something is uncertain, I say so. If a story has gaps, I acknowledge those gaps.

I don’t parachute in, and I don’t assume.

This project exists because I live here. I want my neighbor on the right to learn something new about my neighbor on the left, even if they've both lived here their whole lives. And if we're to understand each other more deeply, it's my responsibility to represent their stories with accuracy and respect.

I show my work when it matters.

I include links anytime I cite a story or public record, and when someone informs my understanding, I name them. When I’m learning from someone, I say how I learned it.

I collaborate with the community.

Readers send questions, photos, tips, corrections, mysteries, family memories, and local lore. These notes often shape entire episodes. And I work with them to share their stories, showing them works in progress, example footage, research I've found, and imagery along the way.

I believe reporting should come from a place of respect and humility.

People open their lives and stories to me. I honor that trust by approaching their stories with patience, humility, and care, and I am always learning about how to make these experiences valuable for everyone, even when the subject matter is difficult.

I don’t cover:

Why do you cover the Hudson Valley?

I live here full-time, and I want to get to know my community through this work. A mic and a camera really gets people to open up. Otherwise, I'm just a horribly nosy person asking a lot of questions.

Are you a one-person studio?

It's just me: the researcher, producer, audio mixer, videographer, photographer, newsletter publisher, graphic designer, marketing team, ad sales, and writer.

How do you choose your stories?

I'm constantly asking people questions wherever I go: If we're dining out, I'm talking to the server, bartender, or people sitting next to me; if someone DMs me, I'll follow up to learn more; I check in with local historians and small business owners across the region; and I read the Times Union and my local paper, The Columbia Paper.

How are you funded?

I’m largely funded by readers, listeners, and viewers, with a smaller mix of sponsorships, grants, and client work.

Do you accept pitches or tips?

Always! You can send them to me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram: @jamescave

Do businesses pay to be featured?

Only if part of a sponsorship package, and it is always disclosed as such in each sponsored social post, newsletter, podcast, etc.

For example, if I partner with organizers of an event (that is, they pay me to post in collaboration with their event) that I think looks really interesting and fun and post a video about it on Instagram, you’ll see it labeled as a paid partnership, and I’ll write #ad in the caption (like I did here in partnership with the Taconic Antiques Fair in 2025).

People really want transparency around how creators like me are funded, so I worked with Trusting News, a research and training project that works with journalists and newsrooms to demonstrate credibility with their communities, to write this mission statement and FAQ page.

Trusting News believes that no matter where you turn for your information (whether newsletters, podcasts, social media, TV, or websites), you should be able to easily identify if what you’re reading, watching, or hearing is credible and factual. If I’m being paid to share or amplify certain stories, it’s crucial to building transparency and trust that I clearly disclose these partnerships.

Do you work with sponsors?

Yes, I have flat rates and flexible custom packages available to anyone who wants to sponsor my newsletter, social channels, and/or podcast. You can reach out to me at: [email protected].

How can I support this work?

You can become a sustaining member and join our community, and you can make a one-time donation here.

What's your corrections policy?

If you spot something that seems incorrect, incomplete, unclear, or missing important context, you can reply directly to any newsletter, email me ([email protected]), or message me on Instagram (@jamescave). I genuinely welcome those notes.

If you have a question about how I reported something, I’m happy to explain what I know, how I know it, and what sources informed the story. Transparency is part of the work, and I take those questions seriously.

When a correction is needed, I update the web version of the story as quickly as possible (once a newsletter is in an inbox, there's nothing I can do at that point) and note what changed and why. If the issue affects the reporting in a larger way, I’ll address it in the following newsletter so the full audience sees the correction.

If a correction is needed on social posts, I’ll note the update in the caption; unless the error is egregious, I’ll keep the post up.