Dear Amazing HAPPY Community!

Happy New Year!  We hope 2012 has started off happily for you.  We remain so grateful for all of your generous support of HAPPY.  We're excited to begin this new year with very HAPPY news!

On February 11, 2012, World Happy Day, thousands of people will unite in their communities to view HAPPY and start journeys toward healthier and happier lives! 
www.WorldHappyDay.com

We hope you will join with us in sharing this news with friends, family, colleagues --- everyone you know!  Together we can create a happier world!  Please forward the following video along: http://vimeo.com/33300562  HAPPY People = HAPPY World

You can find a screening near you at www.WorldHappyDay.com/map - tickets are on sale now at discounted rates. 

If there is not a screening near you, we hope you will consider hosting a screening of your own - screenings can be private in your living room for a few friends or large public events.  AND you get to keep the not yet released HAPPY DVD after your screening!  www.WorldHappyDay.com/screening

Let's unite to spread happiness!  Thank you for spreading the word about World Happy Day and for all of your amazing support.  We feel very fortunate to be on this HAPPY journey with you! 
In Gratitude - Wishing you much happiness!
The HAPPY Team

Dear HAPPY Friends,

We wanted to take a moment to thank you again for your support.  We hold a special place of gratitude for all that you have offered to help make many HAPPY things possible.

We also wanted to update you on the latest HAPPY happenings.

Sneak preview screenings have been held in LA, San Francisco, San Diego, and Phoenix.  We’re happy to report that the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  HAPPY has also been selected for film festivals (screenings have already taken place at the Independent Film Quarterly Film and New Media Festival and the Durango Film Festival).  More to come.  You can keep up-to-date on the latest screenings by joining our newsletter (go www.thehappymovie.com and complete the form on the upper right), through the HAPPY facebook page (facebook.com/happymovie), and the HAPPY website (http://thehappymovie.com/wordpress/screenings).

HAPPY has also been welcomed into this year’s Happiness and Its Causes conference, June 16-17 2011. Happiness experts from around the world, including many from our film (Robert Diener, Matthieu Ricard, the Dalai Lama) will be speaking! Roko will screen the film the first day of the conference, spreading HAPPY vibes down-under.

Currently, we are planning the theatrical release of HAPPY!   Very exciting!  Stay tuned for the latest and greatest details. 

HAPPY: the movie, the movement is definitely spreading.  We need and appreciate your continued involvement as this journey continues. Become part of the HAPPY community oon facebook (Facebook.com/Happymovie) and follow on Twitter (TheHAPPYMovie).

Please keep sharing HAPPY with everyone you know. Using Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email list, and good ole’ conversation, talk about happiness and tell people about HAPPY and www.TheHappyMovie.com. You have a powerful ability to spread the word. We don’t have a Hollywood studio behind us or a major PR firm promoting our film - what we have is even more amazing…. YOU.

Also, if you haven’t seen ‘em yet, check out the awesome HAPPY tshirts and posters.  They can be purchased at http:thehappymovie.com/buy. All proceeds go directly toward getting HAPPY into movie theaters around the country.

Lastly, and most importantly, we wish you much happiness.  Being happy not only has a positive effect on your own life (better health, better, relationships, better job, and longer life, among other effects) – but also reaches beyond what you might realize. Happiness is contagious - it spreads among people up to three degrees removed from one another.  When you feel happy, it increases the likelihood that a friend of a friend of a friend will be happier.  Happiness is good for you… good for everyone.

Today, we encourage you to take a minute to consider what really makes you happy and begin living it - Write a letter of gratitude, make a list of things that you appreciate, try something you've been wanting to try, exercise and play, make time to see your family and friends, forgive someone, or help a person who needs help – whatever you feel. The more happiness you experience the more potential you bring to world happiness.

Thank you so much for your valuable time, support, and energy.  It makes a powerful and positive difference. 

With Love,

The HAPPY Team

Hey Happy People!

We're pleased to announce that the results of our poster vote have been carefully analyzed and we can now unveil the official poster for HAPPY! We hope you like it. We'll be rolling out some very cool new promotional materials in the coming months, so thanks to you all for helping us pick a design!

In other news, HAPPY will be screening at the first ever Global Happiness Summit in Alameda, CA (across the bay from San Francisco) this Sat., October 9th! This special rough cut screening of the film is part of a two day conference that brings together leading figures in happiness research with authors, speakers, and many others to discuss and share ideas on how to spread happiness around the world. Tickets are on sale and you get a special discount for being a fan! Just follow the link below.

http://globalhappinesssummit2010.eventbrite.com/...

For those who pledged $250 or more, you will be very privileged to participate in our very first ONLINE TEST SCREENING, which will occur for several days at the end of this week, coinciding with our screening at the Global Happiness Summit. However, YOU GUYS will be given a special comment card via email to fill out and return to us. This comment card is your chance to tell us what you thought of the film, what we should change, and any other idea you might have to make the film even better! We're counting on your voices, so don't be shy! Details will be sent out to backers in this reward category later tonight, so stay tuned!

Thanks again for all your support! This weekend will be a landmark in our journey to the finish line, and we're so HAPPY you've helped us get here. Thank you all!

Much happiness to you
Kevin and the HAPPY Team

Hello Happy People!

We're very pleased to announce (officially!) that Marci Shimoff, author of the worldwide bestseller "Happy For No Reason", has recorded the voiceover for HAPPY! The recording took place early in September, and we've just now finished putting the final touches on everything. This is the next step towards completing the film, and we can't wait to finish it so we can share it with everyone! Your support has been critical in coming this far, so please keep spreading the word about our little film and sharing happiness across the world.

Stay tuned for further important updates about your rewards as well!

All the best
and much happiness!

Kevin and the HAPPY Team

Dear Kickstarter Supporters and Happy Friends!

I hope you are all doing wonderfully this September! We're nearing the finish line with our film HAPPY - but we have a few more things to address before we're done with post-production. We'll be rolling out some big news regarding the film's voiceover very soon, so stay tuned for a further update about this.

In the meantime, we'd like to use YOUR expertise (and good eye) for helping us pick a theatrical/promotional poster for the film. We have a few poster ideas to share with you. They're not hugely different from each other, but we would like to know which nuances you prefer...so please let us know the one(s) you like the best!

We're counting on YOU. The poster survey ends this Saturday evening, Sept. 18, so put your poster face on and start critiquing! You can leave feedback and your poster vote here and at our website, TheHappyMovie.com.

With eternal gratitude (and much, much happiness!),
Kevin at The HAPPY Team
Thanks so much!

Poster designs are below. They are (going down) #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5. Be sure to vote accordingly! :D

Hello dear backers!

It's been a while since we sent out an update, so here's a little bit about what's been going on with the film and the Happy world in general! We're making excellent progress (thanks to all of you) and we hope to have further updates down the line as the film creeps ever closer to completion.

- Music Composing/Graphics and Animation: Nearing completion! We'll be posting some cool video blogs about this soon, and maybe some other things too!

- Sound Mix and Color Correction: Getting ready to start it up! We're looking around for some good places and we'll update everyone when this is happening...it's the final step of the movie!

In addition to almost being finished, HAPPY has been featured prominently in the media. Here are some of the things we've been getting into...

CNN - World One
Roko got to talk a week ago on this CNN program about the film. Check out the video at CNN.com!
Watch Here
Roko on WGSO Radio
A phone interview on this Louisiana radio station!
Listen Here
The New York Times
Roko was mentioned (and featured in a great picture!) in the New York Times Business section a few weeks ago. If you haven't read the article yet it's a great piece on happiness.
Read the Article
We've only come this far with your help, and with your continuing support, we can make HAPPY known across the world! Keep it up and keep telling your friends and family about us. Also stay tuned for updates on your rewards, too, which we're in the process of organizing right now. Please note that those people who requested DVDs of the film will naturally have to wait until we are done with the film, but we're working as quickly as possible to ensure you get a copy soon!

Much happiness to all of you,
The HAPPY Team

From everyone on the Happy Team to all of our backers and supporters.

-Roko

WE ALL DID IT!!!

With an incredible outpouring of love and support from so many of you, we managed to raise the critical $33,000 for the film. I will do my best to repay your kindness and generosity with a film that is worthy.

I am nearly speechless.
Thank you!

With love and eternal gratitude,
Roko

Well everyone, thanks to the amazing support, love, and generosity of so many hard working people, we've managed to come very close to our goal! Just $33,000 more and 4 years of effort will finally be able to pay off. We couldn't have done this without you.

With that said, we have 36 hours to find the remaining $3,000. So we're humbly asking for everyone to pitch in and spread the word like wildfire! Tell your friends and family, your coworkers, strangers on the street...whoever you think might want to see a film about happiness! We're almost to the finish line!

Thank you so much for everything you've done. We never thought this many people would support us. Happiness and love to all of you!

Thank you again!
The HAPPY Team

Dear fans and backers

We've added 4 extra awards to the $500 category, so if you or anyone else was not able to pledge this amount because we were out, you may now do so! Keep up the love and support...we've raised over $2,000 this morning with 56 hours left to go. We can do it!

All the best,
The Happy Team

Dear fans and backers

Well, it's the final 4 days! We're nearly there! Many thanks for all of your pledges! We received over $10,000 in pledges over the holiday weekend, and we are so grateful that so many of you are supporting a film on happiness. With only 4 days left to go and more than half way to our fundraising goal, we are humbly asking you to continue sharing our project with your friends and family and whoever might be interested in helping out! We’ve posted some links below that are the best ones to share. Be sure to check out the new photos and videos we've uploaded, too. In addition, HAPPY is featured in the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy entertainment section and on IndieWire.com, so share these links with your friends!

Again, many thanks! We can't do this without you.

Roko and the Happy Team
HAPPY on Facebook
HAPPY on Twitter HAPPY - Website
HAPPY on the Wall Street Journal
HAPPY on lndieWire.com

Introducing the story behind the longevity of the Okinawan people.

Introducing Richard Davidson, neuro-science guru and happiness expert.

GOAL DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Well everyone, our deadline is fast approaching and we still have a ways to go. Thank you all for your generous pledges. We still really need help to reach the finish! If you know any friends or family who might dig what we're trying to do, we would be ever so grateful if you could pass along word about our project (and our impending deadline!). Here are some other places you can find info about us and the film.

The Happy Movie.com
HAPPY on Facebook
HAPPY on Twitter
Director's Journal @ Tumblr
HAPPY on Youtube

Roko has also attached a special video explaining a little more about the project for you, our loyal supporters.

Thanks again!
The HAPPY Team