Happiness launches ‘Believe the HAIPE’ for its 21st anniversary

AI productions opening new creative horizons.

“Over the past few years, we have all seen how spectacularly fast the possibilities of generative AI have evolved. But we have also seen how quickly AI content can make communication feel generic when the technology itself becomes the starting point. We embrace AI for the ever-growing opportunities it offers to bring our imagination to life, even within tight timelines and budgets,” says Karen Corrigan, founder and CEO of Happiness Group.

From first idea to final frame

With ‘Believe the HAIPE’, Happiness brings a bigger part of the production process closer to its creative and production teams. In a traditional production process, an agency will often hand over an idea to an external partner, potentially losing control over its own idea and creative vision during the process. With its new entity, Happiness aims to bring creative development and production much closer together, wherever appropriate.

‘Believe the HAIPE’ does not work exclusively with generative AI. Depending on the idea, a production can be created entirely with AI, but it can just as easily be hybrid. AI can be combined with live action, photography, animation, VFX, editing, sound design and other production techniques. The technology follows the idea, not the other way around.

International AI talent

To offer high-end AI craft, ‘Believe the HAIPE’ has built on the existing creative and production expertise within Happiness and BLISS, while developing a curated international network of specialised AI makers. Over the past few months, the agency has actively sought out AI talent both in Belgium and abroad.

Depending on the brief, AI artists, prompt specialists and AI directors are brought together with photographers, animators, editors, sound designers and/or VFX specialists. For every project, a dedicated ‘HAIPE team’ is assembled with the skills best suited to bring the creative idea and its story to life.

“Both within Happiness and BLISS and beyond, we are seeing a new generation of makers emerge who offer far more than the ability to write good prompts. They have their own visual language and a strong sense of cinematography, storytelling and craft. For them, AI is simply a new medium to bring their vision to life. These are the people we want to build on with ‘Believe the HAIPE’,” says Mattias Vermeire, Managing Director of ‘Believe the HAIPE’.

More possibilities, but more control as well

‘Believe the HAIPE’ also aims to address another AI production challenge: control. Throughout the generative production process, Happiness’ creatives, strategists and clients/brands need to stay in control over visual identity, tone of voice, brand personality and the final execution of the idea.

The HAIPE team remains closely involved throughout the entire process. All output is reviewed and approved by the team, while rights and usage are carefully assessed and documented for each project.

“AI gives us an incredible amount of freedom. But professional production for major brands requires more than freedom. It also requires control, consistency, responsibility and people who are willing to make the call at the end of the process on whether a result does or does not meet the required standards and objectives,” says Geoffrey Hantson, Chief Creative Officer and Co-CEO of Happiness.

Born from Happiness

The timing of the launch of ‘Believe the HAIPE’ is no coincidence. The new entity comes to life exactly 21 years after Happiness was founded.

‘Believe the HAIPE’ will become part of Happiness Group, alongside the group’s creative agencies and its on- and offline production studio BLISS.

“‘Believe the HAIPE’ was not born in a technology lab. It comes from 21 years of developing ideas, building brands and producing work. We understand AI, but we also understand brands, ideas, budgets, deadlines and production. Bringing those two worlds together is exactly why we created ‘Believe the HAIPE’,” concludes Karen.

See the HAIPE. Believe the HAIPE. At Haipe.studio.

About ‘Believe the HAIPE’

‘Believe the HAIPE’ is the AI production entity of Happiness Group. It combines the creative and production expertise of Happiness with an international network of specialised AI artists, AI directors and other makers. ‘Believe the HAIPE’ produces film, photography, animation and audio using AI-generated, AI-enhanced and hybrid production techniques.

Press contact
​Mattias Vermeire
​mattias@haipe.be ​
​+32 477 67 51 27