By Jared Williams
The same team behind the SHERO Foundation’s ‘Protect Girlhood’ campaign first tested their approach on their own backyard — with the same result: a community that said yes.
The new Downtown Fort Walton Beach sign had just gone up. Tyler Trant needed an opener.
“That was just luck of the draw,” the cinematographer said. “We really wanted to take our time putting something out that we were proud of showing off. So when I was in the final stages, Sean had mentioned there was a new sign put up and I needed a good opener.”
The 65-second video that follows moves fast — pickleball at Beach Weekend Coffee, a yoga class at Dragonfly, food trucks packed with customers, nightlife at Jake & Henry’s, a musician performing at Docie’s Dock. The voiceover calls downtown “the place where it happens” and celebrates “the dreamers who open doors and invite the world in.”
Every frame was shot by Gannet Creative House, the same three-person production company that would soon land a national campaign for the SHERO Foundation. But this piece came first.
“We had just formed Gannet on July 25 and were trying to get a jumpstart,” said Sean Murphy, the company’s photographer. “Fort Walton Beach is so close to my heart, and with all the changes going on downtown, we thought it would be a great time to do a collaboration with a few of our favorite businesses.”
Murphy grew up in Fort Walton Beach and graduated from Choctawhatchee High School before spending decades building a photography career in Los Angeles. Now he’s back, with his studio within walking distance of downtown.
“Over the last three decades, the change has been slow,” he said. “Things have ramped up and are so exciting.”
The shoot took three full days, plus pickup shots afterward — the new sign, a reflection shot outside Suds N Cinema, additional B-roll to fill gaps.
Producer Skye Howard handled logistics, approaching businesses about opening their doors outside normal hours and coordinating talent for specific scenes.
“All of the businesses we approached were so excited to be a part of the shoot and happy to open their doors,” Howard said. “A lot of the businesses even helped by bringing in their own clients, friends and family to be in the shoot.”
Docie’s Dock scheduled specific musicians to ensure the performance scenes looked right on camera. Jake & Henry’s reserved its VIP section on a busy night so the crew had room to work while still capturing a packed house. Tom Tona opened up the Florida Place Food Trucks and helped draw a crowd. Dragonfly Yoga taught a full class midday. Jayme Nabors at Beach Weekend Coffee called in his best pickleball players.
“We literally could not have done it without the support of this community,” Trant said.
The team wanted to showcase a mix that reflected everything downtown offers without singling out specific spots. Not every location made the cut.
“It would have been great to show the waterfront aspect of downtown that makes it so unique,” Howard said. “But with The Landing still under construction, we didn’t feel like we could represent that properly.”
Trant wrote the script and storyboarded the entire piece before the crew ever hit record.
“That’s how it should always be done,” he said. “We had inspiration of what we wanted, but in the end it came down to the edit. I even went off script a little from what we originally planned, but I think it all turned out great.”
The language is deliberate. “The place where it happens.” “Proudly original and quietly brilliant.” “The dreamers who open doors and invite the world in.”
The voiceover was delivered by Dan Collins.
“There was no one specific business in mind,” Trant said of that last line. “It kind of encompasses all the local businesses, because they were all born from a dream or someone’s passion. Every business or person we included is passionate about what they do. And you inevitably invite the world into your dream — whether it be support or criticism, you open yourself up to it.”
The handheld shooting style — intimate, energetic, capturing small moments rather than staged poses — would later define their work on the SHERO Foundation’s national campaign. But they developed it here first, on familiar streets. “I wanted you to feel like you were a part of downtown and you could picture yourself in all the scenes,” Trant said. “I like shooting handheld. I feel that brings a lot of character into a piece like this.”
Murphy was clear from the start: this was a passion project. No client. No agency. Just Gannett’s own vision for a place they call home. “At some point, an agency will brand downtown Fort Walton Beach,” he said. “Maybe we will get a shot at that project, and maybe not. With our piece, there was no input from a client or the city, so we shot it the way we saw downtown.”
That freedom shaped everything — the locations, the pacing, the tone. “I hope that the people who know about Fort Walton Beach and hang out down here will be happy with how we captured it,” Murphy said. “And the people who maybe haven’t been here yet or don’t spend much time here will be pumped to come and check out some of the amazing things we have going on.”
His vision for downtown is simple: density, destination, community. “Our hope is to bring density to downtown and have this place be a destination spot for travelers and a super cool hang for locals,” he said. “I mean — it’s already cool.”
The video premiered at a Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce breakfast in February, alongside the Shero Foundation’s “Protect Girlhood” campaign. Hundreds of local business leaders saw both pieces back to back — one that traveled the country, one that never left home.
Both were built the same way: a small crew, no budget, and a community willing to show up. “We’re really lucky to live in a community where people are so willing to give their time and energy to projects like these,” Howard said. “SHERO supported an incredible cause, and downtown Fort Walton Beach was more of a passion project — something that truly showed how proud people are of where they live.”
Trant said the hardest part was deciding what to leave out. “It was hard to cut anything, and I think you could make endless versions and get the same feel of the piece,” he said. “It was all so good.”
Sixty-five seconds.
Three days of shooting.
A downtown in transition, captured by the people who live and work there.
To watch the video: https://www.getthecoast.com/the-place-where-it-happens-gannet-creative-house-captures-downtown-fort-walton-beach-in-motion/
To read more about the Shero Foundation’s “Protect Girlhood” campaign: https://www.getthecoast.com/protect-girlhood-filmed-in-fort-walton-beach/
