About the hosts

BEN BROOKS was born and raised in North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University for his B.A. in History & Spanish. After, he attended Boston University, receiving his M.A. in Latin American Studies. He continued his education at the University of Miami, earning his J.D. with a concentration in Asylum and Nationality Law. Ben is currently an anti-poverty and immigrant advocate in North Carolina, and regularly contributes analysis for LACarolina, Fried Green Tomato Media’s premier newsletter.

ABBY VIRGIL is passionate about partnerships, storytelling, and her home state of North Carolina; all of which led her to co-found Fried Green Tomato Media in 2024. Originally from Wilmington, NC, she is so grateful to have recently moved to Raleigh following several years working in international policy in Washington, DC. She is fluent in Spanish, has professional and educational experience across the Western Hemisphere, and earned her M.A. in Latin American Studies / Political Economy from Georgetown University and her B.A. in Philosophy and Spanish from Wake Forest University. Outside of work, Abby is obsessed with absorbing culture through travel, live music, and podcasts.