The origin story of Happs and where it’s headed next
“You don’t need to edit anything; just take us there.” A Q&A with Happs co-founders Mark Goldman and David Neuman.
Happs founders Mark Goldman and David Neuman recently joined Peter Bittner, Head of Community at Happs, to discuss the origin story of the company. They dove deep on how it all began, the company’s pivot beyond current events, how Happs contrasts with traditional media companies, and how Burning Man has been an inspiration. Below are some excerpts from the conversation. [Note: Drew Shepard, the third founder of Happs, was busy putting the finishing touches on an update to the product when this conversation took place and was unable to attend.]
How did Happs get started?
Mark: What David and I wanted to do was allow everybody to really be part of the process of explaining what’s going on in the world, as opposed to that being left to a handful of big corporations who were just telling the stories they wanted to tell and only in the way they wanted to tell them. We felt technology had evolved to a point where those barriers didn’t need to be there anymore. It was time to empower all of these voices to tell their stories. That was the original origin of Happs. Now it’s evolved into a much broader form of storytelling where we have people telling stories, not just around news and current events, but around their specific areas of interest and expertise, including music, cooking, wellness, sports, business, etc. Happs also gives people the tools to do that in a way that’s collaborative — we believe broadcasts become way more compelling when you’re able to do them with others. And then there’s the connection with the audience. The most compelling broadcasts on Happs are done by people who are able to really engage with viewers and the comments coming through. It just makes it so much more of a compelling and rich experience when somebody is able to do that.
It’s evolved into a much broader form of storytelling where we have people telling stories around their specific areas of interest, including music, cooking, wellness, sports, business, etc.
Over time, Happs has shifted from a news-oriented brand into different genres beyond current events. How did that come about?
David: We were doing some really cool news stories in our alpha phase of Happs, some stuff I’ll be as proud of as anything I’ve done in my career. We had a contributor in Syria doing these amazing stories about what was happening with refugees inside Syria. We had all sorts of enterprising, compelling journalism coming from Venezuela, Chile, China, Thailand, and more. Amazing stories with really talented and promising broadcasters. Very early on in that process, we realized our vision was growing. Our amazing tools allow people to switch cameras, add graphics, and much more. Our vision grew to giving all these tools away to everybody for free in a way that could really impact broadcasters and the world in general.
Mark: Journalism is still a big part of our plans at Happs. We want to see people talking about important issues and covering stories all over the world, in every country — and even down to every city and small province. But our vision for Happs expanded when we realized we were thinking too much like a media company. We realized there were bigger possibilities if we began to think like a technology company instead of a media company. That way, we could empower storytellers all over the world to connect with others and share their experiences. That meant embracing every form of storytelling and not just journalism. And that’s what we’ve embarked on with the latest iteration of Happs. As a result, we’re onto something bigger and more impactful.
What are the key ways Happs differs from traditional media companies?
David: I used to work with an extremely talented producer named Mitchell Koss. A real legend. He used to use this quote that was said by this really shrewd CIA guy in one of John le Carre’s novels: “I don’t want to read the report, give me the raw intel, show me the raw intel.” And that was our vision for what Happs can be: the raw intel. We’ve all recognized where the big media companies are limited. Happs is part of the solution to that.
“I don’t want to read the report, give me the raw intel.”
How else will Happs help move the media ecosystem away from this broken model?
David: The ability of broadcasters to monetize their audience and to get support for their journalism, discussions, teaching, and other information is such a game changer. That’s the way to change the system: Change the way the money flows. Happs has basically created a micropayment system that can scale — and that’s a game changer. I’ve opened my wallet for journalists and contributors on Happs who are doing a great job and are telling stories that need to be told. Our dream would be that in 20 years, we look back at Happs and say, “So many people got their start, found their voice, built their audience, and found a way to make a living here.” For example, from our alpha phase, look at Oren Rosenfeld. He’s an example of a terrific journalist out there putting himself in harm’s way for the right reasons and bringing truth, reality, and real reporting to the world.
Mark: I can’t wait until we cross the threshold where Oren doesn’t have to pitch mainstream media companies to get hired to go cover a story. Instead, he’ll be able to go out and broadcast it himself on Happs and earn a very good living doing so. Boy, I can’t wait for that day.
David: I look at local news. It’s atrophying in so many places, so many small town newspapers have shut down. It’s hard for local news to operate how it used to. But Happs presents a whole new model, platform, set of tools, and ways to monetize that I think could be a game changer for smaller communities where the only infrastructure you need is Happs and your mobile phone. It can create a system of news gathering.
Mark: It’s also exciting to see Happs moving beyond journalism. We’ve got all kinds of broadcasters taking off on the platform. Musicians are doing a super job of using Happs to go live and make money. For example, I’ve really enjoyed watching the broadcasts of Serina E, a Swedish singer/songwriter. It’s also fascinating to watch broadcasters show us their local environment, like an amazing Alaskan sunrise or cherry blossoms blooming. There are endless possibilities for what people can do on the platform.
How does Happs deal with all the fake news and conspiracy theories floating around?
David: We’ve had to clarify our philosophy regarding misinformation. We are extremely tolerant of diverse points of view, provided they’re not hate speech or anything else that most reasonable people would not accept as okay. We’re not trying to tell people how to think or take anybody’s first amendment away, but we want to create an environment at Happs that’s conducive to a civil exchange of ideas. And we don’t want to become a kind of platform for factual misinformation or conspiracy theories. It’s like my friends at Burning Man say, “We’re not telling you what to do. We’re just telling you that this is the set of rules we have if you want to be at Burning Man. And if you don’t like our rules, we invite you to start your own event.” That’s our philosophy too.
How does going live on Happs change the way people tell stories?
Mark: One of the most amazing things about Happs is you don’t need to edit anything; just take us there. Allow all of us to share in the experience along with you and put some context around that experience and the story will speak for itself. I think that’s a much more powerful form of storytelling than what we’re currently getting through the media.
David: Exactly. Raw intel.
Mark: One of the most powerful elements of Happs actually is the social nature of it. Somebody can be on the ground reporting on a news subject and other people can join the broadcast and give perspective on what’s happening. Let’s say there’s a protest happening and a constitutional lawyer comes in and weighs in on it. Or imagine somebody’s broadcasting a rocket launch and there’s an expert on space travel who joins. And then the community offers incredible questions in the comments stream, bringing additional knowledge and insight. That’s where this is all headed. And our notion of news as this pre-produced “precious” product that has to be controlled and managed will evaporate. There’s a lot of power in this model that we’re building.
With Happs, you don’t need to edit anything; just take us there. Allow all of us to share in the experience along with you and put some context around that experience and the story will speak for itself.
How did Burning Man impact the development of Happs?
David: Burning Man directly inspired Happs. The concept with Burning Man is you create this community that’s open to everyone and everyone can come and contribute, but there’s a set of rules and principles that guide everything. There’s a framework and you can do your own thing and shine within it. I was inspired by the way they created an environment that was conducive to the creation of really cool art and experiences.
How can fans of Happs do to help?
Mark: There’s really one very simple answer to that: Bring more people into the Happs community. The power of this platform is in the people who are broadcasting on it. Happs becomes impactful when broadcasters get their voices heard. The more everybody can help bring interesting, respectful, and compelling voices onto this platform, both as broadcasters and as guests, the better it will be for everybody involved. So please, get as many amazing quality broadcasters and voices involved in this platform as quickly as you can, because that’s when it’ll really start to have an impact. And not to get too corny, but we’re also just incredibly humbled and appreciative of everybody who’s part of this community and the way they’ve rallied around what we’re trying to do with Happs. They’ve helped us expand in a way that’s beyond our wildest dreams.
The power of this platform is in the people who are broadcasting on it.
The above Q&A has been condensed and edited. Watch the entire conversation below.
