At Axon, we want everyone to get home safe. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to create the most cutting edge technology for public safety so we can help protect life. But our goal doesn’t stop there: while we want to ensure our customers have the tools for de-escalation and transparency so they can return home each evening to their loved ones, we want that person having a bad day to get home safe too. And the mother who entered a store where that person is having a bad day, to get home safe. And that student who sat alongside their classmate who is having a bad day, to get home safe. We recognize that with technology, we can work on solving some of society’s most challenging problems.

We relayed just this in our recent brand video that portrays a number of people whose lives are interwoven by one person’s bad day. A police officer, a store owner, and a man suffering from a mental health episode each represent so many members of our community that we walk alongside each day. This is the story of why we do what we do at Axon.

We recently sat down with Tony Biaggne, Axon’s VP Brand Creative, to hear more about the importance of telling the story of “why” we do what we do. Read below for a glimpse behind the scenes at how this video came to be:

What inspired you to bring your creative experience to Axon?
It’s a great question that started around a plate of nachos. I was working as a lead creative at Amazon, creating advertising campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands. It was exciting and there was always something new to tackle. So, when Axon called I initially wasn’t interested simply because I was pretty happy with where I was at. They convinced me to meet up at one of my favorite Mexican places just a stone’s throw from my office. That’s when it happened. I heard audacious ideas around making the bullet obsolete, about ending school shootings and modernizing public safety. In about 20 minutes I went from “I’m doing this for the nachos” to “I really want a job here.” A few months later I landed the position and got to work.

Why this video?
After looking at all the creative assets I realized there was a big hole in one key area—storytelling. The team had created amazing product videos, developed a strong brand identity and was working on a new website. But there was this massive gap between telling the story of why we do what we do. Rick Smith, our founder and CEO, was doing it on his own through channels like Reddit and LinkedIn, but a brandcentric video of our mission was missing. I shared my opinion with the entire leadership team that our story is not only strong, it’s essential. We needed to tell the world why we exist. This video is a result of some of those conversations, and really, the first conversation I had with Axon over nachos.

What makes this video different?
First and foremost it’s not a product video. Yes, they’re in there, but they aren’t the focus. Our focus was to find the thread that connects us all. After talking with several people in law enforcement, around the office and some of my friends and family, I realized the biggest thing we all have in common when it comes to public safety is the idea that we all want to get home safely. The goal of this video was to connect people—both the general public and law enforcement, as a means to offer hope and position Axon as a place that is truly working hard for the safety of everyone in mind. You’ll notice we don’t call out any products by name. Instead, we focus on what these products were designed to do, including our empathy training, which is one of the products I’m most excited about. This video is designed to start a conversation between law enforcement and the public by expressing a sentiment both share.

At Axon, we are solving some of the hardest problems in the world. Now is the time tell the story of how we are revolutionizing technology for public safety. Because we believe everyone should get home safe.