Faces of Public Service: The Power of Storytelling in Local Government
People Over Policy:
A city is more than just its infrastructure, budget allocations, and policy decisions—it is an evolving, living entity defined by the people who make it function. Traditionally, municipal governments communicate through policy announcements, economic development plans, and legislative updates. While these are necessary, they fail to connect with the people they serve on an emotional and relatable level.
By prioritizing the stories of public servants—the employees working behind the scenes—cities shift from being perceived as bureaucratic entities to being seen as communities driven by individuals with passion and purpose. This approach achieves two critical outcomes:
Humanizing Local Government – Citizens are more likely to trust and engage with a government they feel connected to. Seeing real employees at work fosters empathy and a sense of shared purpose.
Reframing Civic Work as Meaningful and Aspirational – Highlighting city employees' dedication and expertise elevates public service as a respected career path, helping to attract and retain talent.
The Richmond Works: A Day in the Life video series, produced in collaboration with S.I.R., was launched to showcase the diverse and dedicated employees of the City of Richmond. This initiative was designed to enhance the City's reputation, strengthen community engagement, and serve as a powerful recruitment tool.
With an emphasis on storytelling and cinematic visuals, each video offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a city employee—highlighting their dedication, expertise, and contributions to Richmond’s growth and success.
Benefits for Citizens
For residents, this perspective has tangible benefits that go beyond feel-good storytelling:
Strengthened Civic Engagement – When citizens see relatable faces behind city services, they are more likely to participate in community initiatives, attend public meetings, and view local government as an accessible institution rather than a distant bureaucracy.
Increased Public Trust – Transparency in government is often discussed in the context of data and open records, but human transparency—showing the people doing the work—is just as critical. When citizens see hardworking individuals maintaining their parks, repairing their roads, and ensuring public safety, it builds confidence in the effectiveness of their local government.
Benefits for City Employees
From an internal operations perspective, fostering a culture where employees feel seen and valued has significant managerial and organizational benefits:
Boosting Employee Morale and Retention – Civic employees often work in roles where their contributions are essential but rarely recognized. By publicly showcasing their work, the city reinforces the idea that their efforts matter, which leads to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover.
Attracting New Talent – The public sector faces increasing competition with the private sector for skilled professionals. By positioning city jobs as rewarding, dynamic, and purpose-driven, municipalities can improve recruitment efforts.
Creating a Culture of Pride – When employees see their colleagues being celebrated, it reinforces a sense of purpose within the workforce, leading to a stronger and more motivated team.
Impact & Engagement
The Richmond Works: A Day in the Life series has delivered measurable success, significantly outperforming the City’s similar content:
Similar employee-spotlight posts previously averaged 28 reactions per post with a total of 113 reactions across all posts.
These new videos averaged 217 reactions per post, accumulating a total of 1,302 reactions—nearly ten times the engagement of prior employee-spotlight content.
Why This Works For Cities
Cities thrive when their stories are shaped by the people who serve them—not just by policies and infrastructure. By placing civic employees at the heart of the narrative, Day in the Life offers a powerful communications tool that strengthens public trust, enhances employee morale, and redefines how cities connect with their residents. We make the process simple:
S.I.R. conducts audio-only interviews to provide a natural, unscripted voiceover.
Filming is completed on-location within 2-4 hours, minimizing disruption to city operations.
Post-production turnaround is 3-5 business days per video, with multiple videos edited simultaneously to ensure consistent content output
With its high engagement, efficient production process, and lasting impact, this series offers a model for any city looking to bring its workforce to life—one story at a time. If you are interested in telling the story of your city or organization, send us an email and we’ll get back to you right away.