A triumph of the human spirit and a tribute to this uniquely American performance art of song and dance, "The Pursuit of Happiness, Inc" is a journey with America's oldest show choir west of the Mississippi. Our story follows the members of "Happiness, Incorporated", the varsity show choir from Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. The passion, creativity and drive of these young people take center stage during their abbreviated, yet extraordinary 2020 season.

Special thanks to Amadeus Borchardt, Sam Earl, Declan Green, Kira Manuel, Sydney Maxa, Madelyn O'Brien, Mya Rayhons, and Heather Raver (Ankeny Centennial High School), for their time and heartfelt contributions in the making of this film. Great thanks and appreciation to Storm Ziegler for his cooperation and unprecedented access to the Happiness, Inc organization.

News footage courtesy of KCCI News 8 (Des Moines, Iowa), and KCRG-TV9 News (Cedar Rapids, Iowa).

The overwhelming audience reaction (at 1:58 and 26:02) still elicits goosebumps. And the slo-motion sequence (at 26:16) is truly some of the finest video I've ever captured.

This video utilized a Sony A7iii camera, with footage shot at 4K, 24 fps, uploaded at 1080p, and a GoPro Hero 4 camera. Slow-motion footage was shot at 1080p at 120 fps. Audio was captured utilizing a RØDE video stereo microphone and a Sony PCM-D50 digital recorder. Original music by Pink Zebra. Edit and post-production in Final Cut Studio X.

This film is dedicated to the John F. Kennedy High School Class of 2020, and my daughter, Betsy Marlow, without whom this film would not have been made.