Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A dishwasher feeds Google employees who earn six figures — then goes home to a shared garage in a trailer park with no heating or running water. Welcome to Silicon Valley.
Title: Hard Earned (2015)
Directors: Katy Chevigny, Maria Finitzo, Ruth Leitman, Brad Lichtenstein, Joanna Rudnick
Writers: David E. Simpson, Liz Kaar (editors/co-directors)
Stars: Emilia Stancati, De'Juan "DJ" Jackson, Jose Marino, Elizabeth Bowen, Hilton Kennedy III, Diana Gonzalez, Percy Evans, Beverly Evans, Takita Edley
Executive Producers: Steve James, Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan
Genre: Documentary
Country: United States
Language: English, Spanish
Also Known As: Hard Earned: Working in America
Release Date: May 3, 2015
Network: Al Jazeera America (Kartemquin Films)
Filming Locations: Chicago IL, Montgomery County MD, Silicon Valley CA, Milwaukee WI
Synopsis: Episode 2 introduces Hilton Kennedy III, a US citizen raised in Mexico who works 80+ hours a week washing dishes at Google's cafeteria and now picks up a second job — all while living in a $300/month garage in a Silicon Valley trailer park. His pregnant girlfriend Diana returns from Mexico as they face an uncertain future. Meanwhile, Jose's Iraq war backstory reveals the trauma behind his quiet determination, and the couple's mortgage application gets buried under 14 demands from the loan officer. DJ breaks down his family budget on camera — and ends up with $179 left for everything. His mother Shantell commutes an hour in -45°F windchill to a job that hasn't valued her loyalty in 19 years.
Chapters:
00:00 — Previously: Five Families on the Edge
01:44 — Hilton & Diana: $300/Month in a Silicon Valley Garage
03:24 — Inside Google's Cafeteria: Free Food for Googlers, Minimum Wage for Workers
05:39 — Diana Returns from Mexico: A Pregnancy and a Borrowed Car
07:55 — Emilia's Roots: Immigrating from Italy as a Child
09:10 — "That's the House We Moved Into from Italy"
11:34 — Emilia's Lost Years: Addiction, Rock Bottom, and Recovery
13:07 — A Mother's Guilt: Missing Her Daughter's First Six Years
14:08 — DJ & Takita: Starting Over After a Burglary
16:30 — Shantell's Commute: One Hour in -45°F for a Job That Doesn't Value Her
19:00 — Jose in Iraq: Two Tours, Three Deaths, and Coming Home Broken
22:02 — The Mortgage Nightmare: 14 Documents and a Denied Loan
23:32 — "We Could Potentially Lose the House"
31:20 — DJ's Job Hunt: No Computer, No Internet, Mom to the Rescue
34:02 — "Two Strikes Against Him: Black and Male"
42:14 — Moving to Garfield Park: Fresh Start in a Dangerous Neighborhood
44:52 — DJ's Budget Breakdown: $2,860/Month for a Family — $179 Left Over
Also Known As (AKA):
SUPPORT US!
✘ Membership - youtube.com/@UCoOHTipX1_cNiC9seIPfUXA
MORE DOCS!
youtube.com/watch?v=yLZUVsmUwZY
youtube.com/watch?v=S0MZ6cXmYKo&t
youtube.com/watch?v=F5TNiggsH1A&t
PLAYLIST!
► Orignals: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBESnLf1oSWHOSwOolLUncxdIOGsGcGC
► World Economy: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBESnLf1oSUYMacJEwYxDqiB7hJABi11
► All Playlists: youtube.com/@Moconomy/playlists
#finance #documentaries #economy
COPYRIGHT: All of the films published by us are legally licensed. We have acquired the rights (at least for specific territories) from the rightholders by contract. If you have questions please send an email to: info[at]moconomy.tv, Moconomy GmbH, www.moconomy.tv.
A dishwasher feeds Google employees who earn six figures — then goes home to a shared garage in a trailer park with no heating or running water. Welcome to Silicon Valley.
Title: Hard Earned (2015)
Directors: Katy Chevigny, Maria Finitzo, Ruth Leitman, Brad Lichtenstein, Joanna Rudnick
Writers: David E. Simpson, Liz Kaar (editors/co-directors)
Stars: Emilia Stancati, De'Juan "DJ" Jackson, Jose Marino, Elizabeth Bowen, Hilton Kennedy III, Diana Gonzalez, Percy Evans, Beverly Evans, Takita Edley
Executive Producers: Steve James, Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan
Genre: Documentary
Country: United States
Language: English, Spanish
Also Known As: Hard Earned: Working in America
Release Date: May 3, 2015
Network: Al Jazeera America (Kartemquin Films)
Filming Locations: Chicago IL, Montgomery County MD, Silicon Valley CA, Milwaukee WI
Synopsis: Episode 2 introduces Hilton Kennedy III, a US citizen raised in Mexico who works 80+ hours a week washing dishes at Google's cafeteria and now picks up a second job — all while living in a $300/month garage in a Silicon Valley trailer park. His pregnant girlfriend Diana returns from Mexico as they face an uncertain future. Meanwhile, Jose's Iraq war backstory reveals the trauma behind his quiet determination, and the couple's mortgage application gets buried under 14 demands from the loan officer. DJ breaks down his family budget on camera — and ends up with $179 left for everything. His mother Shantell commutes an hour in -45°F windchill to a job that hasn't valued her loyalty in 19 years.
Chapters:
00:00 — Previously: Five Families on the Edge
01:44 — Hilton & Diana: $300/Month in a Silicon Valley Garage
03:24 — Inside Google's Cafeteria: Free Food for Googlers, Minimum Wage for Workers
05:39 — Diana Returns from Mexico: A Pregnancy and a Borrowed Car
07:55 — Emilia's Roots: Immigrating from Italy as a Child
09:10 — "That's the House We Moved Into from Italy"
11:34 — Emilia's Lost Years: Addiction, Rock Bottom, and Recovery
13:07 — A Mother's Guilt: Missing Her Daughter's First Six Years
14:08 — DJ & Takita: Starting Over After a Burglary
16:30 — Shantell's Commute: One Hour in -45°F for a Job That Doesn't Value Her
19:00 — Jose in Iraq: Two Tours, Three Deaths, and Coming Home Broken
22:02 — The Mortgage Nightmare: 14 Documents and a Denied Loan
23:32 — "We Could Potentially Lose the House"
31:20 — DJ's Job Hunt: No Computer, No Internet, Mom to the Rescue
34:02 — "Two Strikes Against Him: Black and Male"
42:14 — Moving to Garfield Park: Fresh Start in a Dangerous Neighborhood
44:52 — DJ's Budget Breakdown: $2,860/Month for a Family — $179 Left Over
Also Known As (AKA):
SUPPORT US!
✘ Membership - youtube.com/@UCoOHTipX1_cNiC9seIPfUXA
MORE DOCS!
youtube.com/watch?v=yLZUVsmUwZY
youtube.com/watch?v=S0MZ6cXmYKo&t
youtube.com/watch?v=F5TNiggsH1A&t
PLAYLIST!
► Orignals: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBESnLf1oSWHOSwOolLUncxdIOGsGcGC
► World Economy: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBESnLf1oSUYMacJEwYxDqiB7hJABi11
► All Playlists: youtube.com/@Moconomy/playlists
#finance #documentaries #economy
COPYRIGHT: All of the films published by us are legally licensed. We have acquired the rights (at least for specific territories) from the rightholders by contract. If you have questions please send an email to: info[at]moconomy.tv, Moconomy GmbH, www.moconomy.tv.
