Short-form video is one of the fastest-growing ways public agencies share information and connect with their communities. Platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts offer new opportunities to expand reach and present government information in clear, engaging ways.

This webinar will explore practical approaches for planning, filming, and publishing short-form video in a government setting. Participants will learn how to stay on top of emerging trends, apply simple storytelling techniques, and produce effective video content, whether working as part of a full communications team or as a team of one.

Participants will learn how to:

• Identify opportunities for short-form video in government communications
• Stay current with emerging trends and platform best practices
• Turn everyday content into engaging short videos
• Produce effective videos with limited time and resources
• Film and edit simple videos using a smartphone

Date: June 30, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to noon

Cost: $30 members/Free for Professional+/$45 non-members

Register

This session is good for: APR Continuing Education Unit
CAPIO J Lindsey Wolf Certificate in Communications – Digital Media Credit

SPEAKERS:

Wendy Aguilar

Media & Communications Specialist

Office of the Chief

Sacramento Fire Department

Tom Christensen

Communications Specialist

County of San Diego

Kristy Dalton

Founder & CEO

Government Social Media LLC

Ariana Donley

Social Media Manager

Government Social Media LLC

BIOS

Wendy Aguilar

Wendy Aguilar is an award-winning communications professional and passionate storyteller with a unique blend of communications, media, and business management expertise.

As a Media & Communications Specialist with the Sacramento Fire Department, Wendy leads media relations, public information efforts, event coordination, content production, and social media strategy. She is responsible for producing many of the department’s viral videos and has significantly expanded its digital presence across platforms. Her creative storytelling has produced standout series such as Loki, I Am Sacramento Fire, and the award-winning What’s for Lunch? with several videos reaching millions of viewers. Wendy’s innovative work has earned industry recognition, including being named CAPIO’s Communicator of the Year (2023) and Rising Influencer of the Year (2023) by PRSA California Capital Chapter.

In addition to her public service role, Wendy is one of the founder and owners of Second Alarm Communications, where she helps public safety agencies strengthen their social media presence and media relations through workshops, training, and strategic consulting.

Her career in public relations began in 2018 as part of the award-winning Communications team at San Juan Unified School District. Prior to transitioning into public relations, Wendy spent a decade as a multimedia journalist, working as a television reporter, producer, and anchor for CBS, ABC, CW, and Telemundo affiliate stations in Arizona, California, and Texas. She is a graduate of California State University, Northridge.

Wendy’s professional journey began in business management, where she managed a financial services office in her hometown of Santa Clarita while attending college, becoming a licensed insurance agent, tax preparer, and certified notary public. Born in Guatemala, Wendy is bilingual in English and Spanish and is currently learning Italian. When she’s not developing her next storytelling project, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and practicing yoga.

Tom Christensen

Tom Christensen leads the social media efforts for San Diego County, the fifth-largest county in the nation. He coordinates and monitors nearly 75 accounts as part of the County’s nationally-recognized social media efforts. He was the CAPIO Communicator of the Year in 2021, and he was part of the team that won the 2018 CAPIO Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader Team Award.

He has been with the County for 20 years, and has worked on crisis communications during several wildfires, COVID-19, a county-wide blackout and an outbreak of hepatitis A. Besides emergencies, he is responsible for connecting residents with their government’s programs, initiatives and community outreach efforts.

He has done presentations, webinars, and interviews on government use of social media for CAPIO, the National Association of Counties (NACo), Government Social Media Organization, Social Media Strategies Summit, National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC), the California Department of Public Health, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Philadelphia Health Department’s 12 Days of Social Media in Emergency Management, California Office of Binational Border Health, and several local governments and community organizations.

Prior to joining San Diego County, Tom was the Communications Director for the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for 11 years and was a daily newspaper reporter and weekly columnist in Minnesota for more than a decade. He also hosted a morning Top 40 radio show.

Kristy Dalton

Kristy Dalton is the Founder of Government Social Media®, offering an ecosystem of support for government social media managers. A longtime advocate for public sector communicators, Kristy has helped agencies across the country strengthen their social media programs through training, events, and practical guidance grounded in real-world government experience.

Kristy previously served in government and launched one of the first city social media programs in 2008, at a time when many public agencies were just beginning to explore social media. She later became widely known as the creator and host of GovGirl and has been a leading voice in the government social media space for well over a decade. In 2015, she founded the Government Social Media Conference to support professionals who manage social media for public sector agencies. #GSMCON® is the largest social media conference in the world for government entities.

Ariana Donley

Ariana Donley is the Social Media Manager at Government Social Media®. A former TV news reporter, Ariana brings a strong background in journalism, public engagement, and storytelling to her work supporting government communicators. She joined Government Social Media in 2021 and has since helped lead training, content, and community engagement for public sector professionals across North America.

Before joining GSM, Ariana worked in television news in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama, covering crime and courts and serving in on-air anchoring roles. She also served as Crime Prevention Officer and later as the first Public Relations Manager for the Birmingham Police Department. Ariana is passionate about helping government social media professionals do their jobs more effectively and confidently.