The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is one of the most dynamic arms of the State Department — tasked with protecting U.S. diplomats abroad, visiting dignitaries, and the Secretary himself. This episode aimed to give the public an authentic look at that mission, while also serving as an outreach tool for future recruits.
The Walks with Tony series is designed to inform and humanize — a balance of engagement and substance. Each episode is a casual tour guided by someone within the featured bureau or office. For this installment, we chose an active-duty DSS agent currently serving on Secretary Blinken’s protective detail. The two had worked together, but hadn’t had a chance to connect in depth. This on-camera walk was their opportunity — and ours — to reveal the human side of an elite, high-pressure job.
Though the episode had clear messaging goals, this was first and foremost a live, real-time visit. We coordinated closely with DSS and the Secretary’s team to identify five moments in the schedule that could double as narrative scenes — each one alternating between action-driven visuals and more personal, reflective conversations.
We couldn’t rehearse. We couldn’t ask for retakes. And we had just minutes for each sequence. To make it work, we built a light narrative scaffold: every scene had a focus and a single prompt the Secretary could use to guide conversation. That gave us just enough structure to hit messaging points, without overproducing or slowing things down.
The resulting scenes ranged from tactical maze navigation and vehicle ramming drills to walk-and-talk reflections on public service, motivation, and mentorship. It was equal parts adrenaline and authenticity — entertaining first, but meaningful throughout.
We also developed two short promos as part of a forward-looking content strategy. One teaser — featuring a motorcade shot originally meant for the episode — was reworked into a high-energy standalone piece. Another, cut from the ramming sequence, paired with a playful line from the Secretary (“What are we doing today?”) to hint at the chaos to come. Both teasers were designed for vertical platforms and served as high-performing social hooks to drive traffic toward the full episode.
Despite the complexity of the shoot, the final video was tight, watchable, and deeply effective — outperforming other episodes in the Walks with Tony series in both engagement and reach.
It offered the public a rare look at one of the State Department’s most physically demanding and operationally crucial bureaus. For DSS, it became a compelling recruitment piece — one that didn’t just showcase gear and tactics, but captured the values and motivations behind the work.
Stakeholders praised both the clarity of the message and the energy of the storytelling. From strategic planning to boots-on-the-ground execution, this project proved that even in the highest-stakes environments, great content is possible — with the right prep, the right team, and a clear sense of story.
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