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For criminal justice reform & reentry nonprofits

The story the case file never captured. Start with 3 free videos.

Book a free Second-Chance Storytelling Session. We record a returning citizen, an advocate or a family member over Zoom, and our editors turn it into 3 finished videos. No cost. No clearances. Yours to keep.

  • Free for nonprofits, foundations & NGOs
  • Book in 2 minutes
  • 3 videos, yours to keep
▶ How the free session works1 Zoom call = 3 videosFree
National Down Syndrome Society logovectorSeriousFun Children's Network logovectorJA Worldwide logovectorDream.org logovectorLions Clubs International logovectorFeed the Children logovectorDKMS logovectorSearch for Common Ground logovectorBlue Zones logovectorThe Climate Reality Project logovectorProject HOPE logovectorWater.org logovectorHeifer International logovectorInnocence Project logovectorGoodPower logovectorKids in Need of Defense (KIND) logovectorSoles4Souls logovectorAll Hands and Hearts logovectorInheritance of Hope logovectorBaitulmaal logovectorChildren's Miracle Network Hospitals logovectorCrisis Text Line logovector
National Down Syndrome Society logovectorSeriousFun Children's Network logovectorJA Worldwide logovectorDream.org logovectorLions Clubs International logovectorFeed the Children logovectorDKMS logovectorSearch for Common Ground logovectorBlue Zones logovectorThe Climate Reality Project logovectorProject HOPE logovectorWater.org logovectorHeifer International logovectorInnocence Project logovectorGoodPower logovectorKids in Need of Defense (KIND) logovectorSoles4Souls logovectorAll Hands and Hearts logovectorInheritance of Hope logovectorBaitulmaal logovectorChildren's Miracle Network Hospitals logovectorCrisis Text Line logovector
National Down Syndrome Society logovectorSeriousFun Children's Network logovectorJA Worldwide logovectorDream.org logovectorLions Clubs International logovectorFeed the Children logovectorDKMS logovectorSearch for Common Ground logovectorBlue Zones logovectorThe Climate Reality Project logovectorProject HOPE logovectorWater.org logovectorHeifer International logovectorInnocence Project logovectorGoodPower logovectorKids in Need of Defense (KIND) logovectorSoles4Souls logovectorAll Hands and Hearts logovectorInheritance of Hope logovectorBaitulmaal logovectorChildren's Miracle Network Hospitals logovectorCrisis Text Line logovector

Sound familiar?

Reform is won by people. Most donors have never heard one speak.

Reentry programs, public defenders and reform campaigns run on lived experience. But filming inside a facility takes clearances, filming outside takes trust, and the person with the most powerful story is busy rebuilding a life.

×

Access is hard

Facility rules, clearances and releases stop most shoots before they start.

×

Small teams, big caseloads

Your staff are in court, in classes and on calls. Nobody has time to produce video.

×

Outcomes buried in a report

Program data never reaches a funder or a lawmaker as a face and a voice.

LG

“This pretty much blew us away.”

Lori Gruen, Freedom Reads
MM

“So compared to any contractors I've worked with, Happy Productions really stands out as one of the most professional, communicative, and thoughtful.”

Maya Mosher, Dream.org
Start this month. Your first session is free.Book my free second-chance session →

In their words

Reform and reentry teams, in their own words.

Freedom Reads puts libraries inside prisons; we filmed library builds, a reading in a Missouri prison and a performance at San Quentin. Dream.org works across divides on justice reform. The Innocence Project needed exonerees to tell their own stories. Here is what they told us.

228,000views in under two weeks for the Innocence Project

Read the Innocence Project case study

Start free today

Second-Chance Storytelling Session. Free.

One person, one Zoom call, three finished videos. No facility clearance needed.

FREE
Your cost
$0

What you get

  • 1
    A 45-minute Zoom recordingA returning citizen, an advocate or a family member. A Happy producer guides every answer, so nobody needs camera experience.
  • 2
    3 finished videosEdited and captioned, ready for your next appeal, legislative push or grant report.
  • 3
    Their story, their termsThey review anything sensitive before it goes live. You keep the videos and the raw recording.
Book my free session →

Love the videos? We'll plan the shoot inside and out. Don't? Keep them anyway.

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

Three ways to start

Three ways to put lived experience on screen

Start free. Film inside facilities and out when you're ready, quoted up front.

Prison ministry partner interviewed for MHA NebraskaStart here, free

Second-Chance Storytelling Session

We record one person over Zoom and our editors turn it into 3 finished videos.

  • 45-minute producer-guided Zoom recording
  • 3 finished, captioned videos
  • A returning citizen, advocate, family member or your ED
  • Yours to keep, files and raw footage
Start free →
Freedom Library bookcase build in a prison wood shopMost requested

Inside and out story series

We film your programs inside facilities and in the community, with clearances and releases planned first.

  • Facility rules and releases planned before we film
  • Returning citizens, staff and families on camera
  • Short cuts for social plus a longer story film
  • Stills for your annual report
Start with the free session →
Freedom Reads reading inside a Missouri prisonFor campaigns

Campaign and legislative package

Videos planned around your session calendar, a bill, a hearing or Second Chance Month.

  • Shot list built backwards from your campaign date
  • Versions for lawmakers, donors and the public
  • Short cuts for every channel
  • Captions on every cut
Start with the free session →

Built for reform work

What every second-chance story includes

Dignity, not pity

Returning citizens speak about change and what comes next, in their own words.

Releases done right

Facility rules, consent forms and approvals are planned before anyone picks up a camera.

They see it first

Anyone sharing something sensitive reviews it before it goes live.

Crews near your programs

Vetted local crews from our network of 20,000+ creators.

Built for campaigns

Cuts for lawmakers, donors and the public from the same shoot.

You own everything

You keep every finished file and all the raw footage.

Beyond video

Everything your campaign and your grant report need

Stories only matter where decisions get made. We deliver the pieces around the films too, all from the same shoots.

Freedom Library build in a prison wood shop
Photography of your programs and people

Social graphics + a ready-to-post content calendar

Freedom Reads reading inside a Missouri prison
Filming at readings, graduations and events

Clips for grant reports, testimony and your website

A reach summary for every campaign

Start with the free session →

How it works

From case file to a story lawmakers remember

01

Tell us who you serve

Your programs, your people and your next campaign date.

02
FREE

Start with the free session

We record one person over Zoom and deliver 3 finished videos, free.

03

We film and edit

Inside facilities or out, with clearances and releases planned first.

04

Everyone uses it

Your team posts all year. Funders and lawmakers meet the people behind the data.

Guard tower at San Quentin
San Quentin
Freedom Library build in a prison wood shop
Freedom Library build
Reading inside a Missouri prison
Missouri

Public proof

Filmed inside and outside the system

For Freedom Reads we filmed Freedom Library builds, a reading in a Missouri women's prison and a performance at San Quentin. For the Innocence Project we filmed exonerees in Florida, Pennsylvania and New York: 228,000 views in under two weeks. For MHA Nebraska's reentry work, the Nebraska Department of Corrections asked for a video to play inside its facilities.

San Quentin, CaliforniaMissouriFlorida, Pennsylvania, New YorkReleases planned first

Read the Innocence Project case study · Read the MHA Nebraska case study

Start free like they did →

Real client videos

Stories we told for justice organizations

Real client videos from organizations working on reform, reentry and human rights.

228,000Views in under two weeksInnocence Project
2xGrowth on InstagramDream.org
250,000Organic reachHuman Rights Foundation
40Interviews in 48 hoursMHA Nebraska

Who we work with

Built for teams working for second chances

Reentry programsJobs, housing and support after release
Public defenders and legal aidShowing what fair representation looks like
Reform campaignsMoving lawmakers and the public
Prison education and librariesPrograms that work inside the walls
Family support programsSupporting the families who wait

Questions

Questions reform and reentry teams ask us

Tap a question. Each answer comes with a 20-second video.

Is the free session really free?+

Yes. The Zoom session and the three videos our editors cut from it cost nothing. No contract, no card, and you keep every file with no obligation to buy anything afterwards. Book your free session and see your story on screen.

Book my free session →
What happens on the free session?+

You pick one person close to your work, and our producer interviews them live over Zoom for forty-five minutes while we record. Our editors then turn that conversation into three finished, captioned videos for your website, your social channels and your next appeal. All you have to do is show up, so book your free session.

Book my free session →
Who can we put on camera?+

Anyone whose story moves people: your director, a program lead, a volunteer, someone your program served, or a grantee overseas joining from a phone. Our producer guides every answer, so nobody needs camera experience or a script. Bring your people to a free session and we'll handle the rest.

Book my free session →
How do you protect people with a record or a case pending?+

Every shoot is planned around consent and dignity. People sign releases in their own language, we never show minors' names or identifying details, and anyone sharing something sensitive reviews it before it goes live. Your safeguarding policy always overrides ours, starting with your free session.

Book my free session →
How do you tell hard stories without exploiting anyone's pain?+

We tell stories of strength, not pity. The people on camera speak in their own words about change, progress and what they want the world to know, because donors give more when they see dignity and agency. See how we'd frame your story on a free session.

Book my free session →
Can you plan videos around a bill, a hearing or Second Chance Month?+

Yes. Tell us your calendar, from Giving Tuesday and awareness months to galas and year-end appeals, and we plan every shoot and edit backwards from those dates. Book your free session early and your first videos are ready before the moment arrives.

Book my free session →
How much of our team's time does this take?+

Very little. You point us to the story and approve the cuts, and we handle the planning, filming, editing and captions. For the free session, that means one hour on Zoom and a quick look at the finished videos.

Book my free session →
Who owns the videos?+

You do. Your organization owns the finished videos and all of the raw footage, including everything we record on your free session. Use them on any channel, in any report, for as long as you like.

Book my free session →
How long until we get the videos?+

Your three free videos land in your inbox within two weeks of your session, with a simple review link if you want a change. For bigger shoots, we plan backwards from your gala, board meeting or appeal date. Tell us the date on your free session.

Book my free session →
What does it cost after the free session?+

Whatever comes next is scoped to exactly what you need, from a single film to a steady stream of videos for every program, and you get the price in writing before any work starts. No surprise change orders and no pressure. Your free session shows you what that scope should be.

Book my free session →
Start free today

Give one returning citizen the story the case file missed. Free.

Tell us who to put on camera. We'll record them over Zoom and send you 3 finished videos.

  • Free for nonprofits, foundations & NGOs
  • Book in 2 minutes
  • 3 videos, yours to keep
FREE: 3 videos from one Zoom sessionStart free →
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