For criminal justice reform & reentry nonprofits
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.

































































































































Sound familiar?
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.
Facility rules, clearances and releases stop most shoots before they start.
Your staff are in court, in classes and on calls. Nobody has time to produce video.
Program data never reaches a funder or a lawmaker as a face and a voice.
“This pretty much blew us away.”
Lori Gruen, Freedom Reads“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.orgIn their 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.
One person, one Zoom call, three finished videos. No facility clearance needed.
What you get
Love the videos? We'll plan the shoot inside and out. Don't? Keep them anyway.
Three ways to start
Start free. Film inside facilities and out when you're ready, quoted up front.
Start here, freeWe record one person over Zoom and our editors turn it into 3 finished videos.
Most requestedWe film your programs inside facilities and in the community, with clearances and releases planned first.
For campaignsVideos planned around your session calendar, a bill, a hearing or Second Chance Month.
Built for reform work
Returning citizens speak about change and what comes next, in their own words.
Facility rules, consent forms and approvals are planned before anyone picks up a camera.
Anyone sharing something sensitive reviews it before it goes live.
Vetted local crews from our network of 20,000+ creators.
Cuts for lawmakers, donors and the public from the same shoot.
You keep every finished file and all the raw footage.
Beyond video
Stories only matter where decisions get made. We deliver the pieces around the films too, all from the same shoots.


How it works
Your programs, your people and your next campaign date.
We record one person over Zoom and deliver 3 finished videos, free.
Inside facilities or out, with clearances and releases planned first.
Your team posts all year. Funders and lawmakers meet the people behind the data.



Public proof
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.
Read the Innocence Project case study · Read the MHA Nebraska case study
Start free like they did →Real client videos
Real client videos from organizations working on reform, reentry and human rights.
Who we work with
Questions
Tap a question. Each answer comes with a 20-second video.
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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →Tell us who to put on camera. We'll record them over Zoom and send you 3 finished videos.
We record a returning citizen, an advocate or a family member over Zoom and edit 3 videos for you. Free. Takes 2 minutes to book.