Today is Saturday, November 29th. After the holiday break, we want to talk about something a bit more

lighthearted and personal than usual. It's all focused around one question. Are you happy?

My guest today is Atta Trapka, who spent years asking perfect strangers on the street that very

question. Are you happy? TikTok videos of his conversations went viral, getting millions of views a month,

and he's put them all together for a documentary. His video production company Happy Productions

has also gone on to help nonprofits use the power of storytelling to grow on social media

and expand their donor base. Today, he'll explain the patterns that emerged when people

started getting honest about happiness,

and he shares how the viral series changed his own life.

And yes, we ask each other to answer, Are You Happy?

Welcome, welcome to The Newsworthy Special Edition Saturday,

when we sit down with a different expert or celebrity every Saturday to talk about something in the news.

Don't forget to tune in every Monday through Friday for our regular episodes where we provide all the day's news in 10 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. It's now time for today's special edition Saturday.

Auded Trepka, thank you so much for joining us here on The Newsworthy. Thank you so much for

having me. So first, what made you want to do this documentary?

And what did you expect starting out?

As a filmmaker, I was looking for a story that would move people, that would inspire people.

I ended up quitting my job.

I was working at one of the film studios in LA.

And I packed my car,

canceled my lease, and started driving across the country. What were you expecting this experience to be? And then did that align with how it actually went? The thesis was what would happen

if I just set out and started talking to random strangers and let them guide where the film went.

...