Listen to this article
Below is our recent interview with Allison Miller, the Founder & CEO at Happy Camper Live:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your company?
A: Happy Camper Live brings the magic of summer camp to every kid in the world 365 days a year. The company’s website and app include hundreds of activities (run by real counselors and coaches), live broadcasts, an original forty-one-episode web series, a 360-degree virtual reality camp, the world’s biggest “campfire” (where kids can upload videos and share their talents), an informative family blog, an extensive summer camp directory and a global community dedicated to community awareness. This comprehensive platform was designed in order for kids to discover their passions, show their creativity, and inspire others, all within a safe COPPA-certified community. It is a subscription model with a one-month subscription for $4.99, a three-month subscription for $11.99, and an annual subscription for $42.99.
Happy Live has entered into brand partnerships with Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, Kraft Heinz (Lunchables), SC Johnson (Off! Repellant), Staples, GoGo squeeZ, Abrams Publishing (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Konami (Yugioh), and other major brands.
Q: Any highlights on your recent announcement?
A: Happy Camper Live is excited about the opportunity at KidzCon to provide live interactive camp experiences to kids in three major cities. Those kids who cannot attend will be able to access free content on the happycamperlive.com website right at home.
Recommended: An Interview With Ed Flickinger, Founder Of Grackle Publishing
Q: Can you give us more insights into your offering?
A: We offer a subscription based website (see above) and COPPA certification which makes our site a safe space for kids. We provide great ideas and resources for parents through our camp listing, active blog and podcasts. We are everything summer camp.
Q: What can we expect from your company in the next 6 months? What are your plans?
A: You will continue to see Happy Camper Live at live events bringing the joy of summer camp to kids throughout the county. Our partnerships continue to grow as well as our affiliate partnerships with summer camps. The Happy Camper Project, our non profit, will be providing camp kits to meet the needs of summer camps. Our podcasts, My Camp, Raising A Happy Camper and the Camp Shopping Channel will continue to entertain audiences that share our passion for the camping world.
Recommended: An Interview With Robert, The Founder At Not Scared Always Prepared
Q: What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?
A: Happy Camper Live was developed three years prior to Covid.The idea of bringing summer camp to kids who were unable to access it due to socio-economic, geographic, or health reasons was clearly a forward-looking one.
The Happy Camper Live website was launched in January of 2020. In March, when summer camps began to cancel their 2020 plans, Happy Camper Live had already begun the process of building private portals so affected campers could attend virtually. Soon, many camps began seeing the value in year-round programming and started partaking in it through the HCL website.
Happy Camper Live united Happy Trails for Kids, Comfort Cases, and Alternative Family Service to create Happy Camper Hangouts. Happy Camper Hangouts provides accessible and safe extracurricular activities to kids in the foster care system. Weekly virtual hangouts hosted on the Happy Camper Live program provide virtual camp activities and connect campers in foster care during “cabin time” (i.e. small zoom break out sessions). This program is designed to inspire, empower, and educate youth who are aging out of the foster care system. “Cabin time” ” brings these youth to a better understanding of their passions and helps them develop the leadership skills to show younger campers the value of hard work and persistence. Through relationships with established leaders, these young adults can explore their interests, connect with other young adults across the globe, and complete a “passion project.”
The Happy Camper Hangouts program includes monthly Happy Talks with well-known celebrities like Tony Gonzalez, guest artists, and inspirational speakers; content creation based on each student’s passion; and the establishment of a community where young adults learn to lead and be led. Happy Camper Hangouts is built on the belief that every young adult has the potential to be an empathic leader who inspires through compassion and inclusion.
From this the Happy Camper Project, the philanthropic arm of Happy Camper Live was born. Our mission is to inspire giving and sustain youth center programs by funding informal learning experiences.
The Happy Camper Project raises funds and provides programming support to help summer camp and youth programs meet their financial and operational needs and attain their goals to continue to offer their activities to their students, campers, families, and community.
