Face Your Dragon Wins a Capital Emmy
An all-veteran PSA built to save lives has earned one of television’s highest honors.
Face Your Dragon, winner of a Capital Emmy
Face Your Dragon has won a Capital Emmy. Director Ryan Curtis and star Rudy Reyes, both Veterans, accepted the award on stage for the suicide prevention PSA they helped create with the VA and the Department of Defense. The Capital Emmy Awards recognize excellence in television across the Washington, D.C. region.
For a team of Veteran storytellers, the honor carried extra weight. Ryan and Rudy took this project to a level few thought possible, and they were the ones standing on that stage when the category was called.
Watch Ryan and Rudy Accept the Emmy
Why the Work Earned It
The PSA brought together an all-Veteran team on both sides of the camera. It uses a symbolic dragon to represent the unseen battles that follow military service, and Rudy Reyes’ confrontation with that creature reframes a difficult subject, secure firearm storage, as an act of courage rather than restriction. That authenticity is what set the work apart, both on screen and with the audiences it was made for.
Truly a labor of love. Addressing the need for winning the battles that we brothers and sisters fight on the inside, after the uniform comes off.
The Results Behind the Recognition
Awards recognize creative work, but reach is what turned this PSA into a movement. Face Your Dragon launched on September 1, 2025, the start of Suicide Prevention Month, and became the #1 most-watched VA video on YouTube. Across its full run, the campaign has generated more than half a billion impressions, carrying the Keep It Secure message about secure firearm storage into communities across the country.
A Campaign Built by Many Hands
More than 200 people worked together across creative, production, media, partnerships, and outreach to make the campaign what it became. Gig Line Media is grateful to the teams at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Suicide Prevention, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, our nonprofit and Veteran Service Organization partners, Red Duke Strategies, Refuel Agency, and the entire Gig Line Media team.
A few people shaped the work in lasting ways. Chase Millsap helped shape the idea. Jonathan Epstein architected the audience strategy and media effort that turned a single PSA into a national outreach campaign, because more than half a billion impressions do not happen by accident. Jeni Smith was the operational backbone of the effort, and Kristen Kropf’s design work carried the message consistently across countless formats, platforms, and placements.
The Mission Continues
The Emmy sits on a shelf. The mission continues. Veteran suicide remains one of the most urgent public health challenges in the country, and secure firearm storage remains one of the most effective and least discussed ways to address it. This recognition is a milestone, not a finish line.
For us, this was never about awards. It was about the mission, saving lives and supporting our fellow warriors. If this campaign helped even one person pause, reach out, or realize they weren’t alone, then every hour spent on it was worth it.
View the full case study and watch every version, or watch the full PSA on YouTube.
About Gig Line Media
Gig Line Media, Inc. is an SDVOSB and full-service commercial and brand video production company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with hubs in Washington, D.C and Austin, TX. With our sister company, We Are The Mighty, and our years of unique insights, guidance and project leadership we provide distinct value to brands, businesses, and anyone looking to authentically connect with our nation’s Military-Veteran community. For more information go to www.giglinemedia.com or We Are The Mighty, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Veterans Health Administration
The VHA is our nation's largest health care system employing more than 400K full-time health care professionals and support staff at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 VA Medical Centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics). Learn more about the VA here www.va.gov.
Media Contacts:
Mark Harper · click for email here