by Taylor Bryant
University of West Georgia sophomore Brandon La Sure experienced a new level of happiness on this year’s International Day of Happiness. On March 20, Grammy winner Pharrell Williams chose Brandon’s #UWGHappy video for the 24 Hours of Happiness competition. The video was created showing UWG students and staff doing their “happy” moves to the Grammy nominated tune. The video can be viewed here.
“I was on the phone with a friend, scrolling through the posted videos on the website when I first saw my video,” says Brandon. “I immediately started screaming. I had no idea I would be that excited. I just couldn’t believe Pharrell had chosen my video.”
The website, 24hoursofhappiness.com, includes a timeline of videos submitted and chosen from each time zone. The webpage was featured on Pharrell’s site, just after the seventh hour, reminding people that everyone has the chance to be happy. The site showcases videos from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea, to name a few. Pharrell also partnered with the United Nations Foundation to celebrate the day, encouraging viewers of the site to support the UN’s worldwide humanitarian efforts.
Brandon, who’s been creating videos since high school, first heard about the contest from his mother, who loved her son’s video and thought it would be a great opportunity for him.
“UWG is such a cool, happy place, so I wanted people to see that,” says Brandon, a 19-year-old mass communications major from Georgia. “It was about creating something that I thought would make people smile. It’s been amazing to have UWG’s support. Seeing the UWG official page tweet about it really made me feel special.”
The video was created under Brandon’s production company, Sean Louis Productions, after his two middle names, Louis and Sean. He also has two additional production companies as a way to venture out into various types of production. Currently, he creates an estimated 30 videos per semester in his spare time to hone his skill.
“Making videos is my happiness,” says Brandon. “For me, being happy means being satisfied with what you have in life and being able to do what you were born to do. I could create videos for free, and that truly makes me happy.”
Upon graduation, Brandon wants to work for Turner Broadcasting for five years while freelancing. His ultimate goal is to work on an award-winning movie and end his career working at HBO.
