Our two Vice Pleasidents for Global Happiness Allan and Tim are, as of now, both responsible for making sure that global serotonin levels go through the roof.

For FREITAG’s 25th birthday, we wanted to give ourselves a not-so-modest gift: a happier world. So we searched far and wide last fall for someone with an idea and a plan for how to make this happen in 2019. During the festive period, we even tried to make the world a slightly happier place ourselves. We’ve finally scrutinized and analyzed all 220 of your application videos, and have appointed Allan Dransfield and Tim Krohn as Executive Vice Pleasidents for Global Happiness (EVPfGH). Both have the task of increasing global happiness levels, but they are by no means joined at the hip in their quest. 
If you suspect that choosing two people for the role is a sign that we can’t make decisions, well, that’s just not true.  The reason we chose two happy makers is down to the mammoth size of the task and one simple rule: the more, the merrier.

THE ONE WITH THE JUMP

Allan Dransfield comes from a tiny town in the north of England and studied automotive design at Coventry University. He now lives in Lodz, Poland. The fact that he once worked for Volvo Trucks’ design team just happens to be a happy coincidence; it doesn’t actually have anything to do with his new role at the truck tarp bag company. Allan is convinced that something very small (e.g. a jump) can turn into something great (e.g. happiness). 
On his travels on behalf of FREITAG, he will research the key to universal happiness by carrying out a series of social experiments.  
Find out more about Allan and his recipe for happiness in this interview.

 


#Donthurry_challenge

Allan’s current happiness project is a series of creative Instagram challenges. That’s how he describes it: “Participants may experience a form of mild elation through what might be described as ‘artistic escapism’ followed by a sensation of well-being and community spirit as their pieces are united onto a collective mosaic of ideas”.

See more results of his first challenge “create a home totem” here.


THE ONE WITH THE HOUSE

Tim Krohn has written a number of bestselling novels and is one of the most important Swiss authors of the present day. He lives with his family in Santa Maria. Even from his isolated location in the mountains, behind the Fuorn Pass, he’s committed to making sure that happiness finds its way out into the world. Haus Parli, which he restored together with his wife, will provide creatives with the time and space in which to create something great. Something that is small and unassuming, yet will travel around the world to remind people that they already carry the key to happiness within themselves. You can find out a bit more about Tim and his plan here.

If you still don’t really know what’s going on after reading the interviews, then just be happy that we’re happy; it’ll all kick off soon!
We’d like to thank all of you who applied, and wish both our new EVPfGHs a happy start in their new roles and bucketloads of happiness to the rest of the world.

P.S. If you want to know exactly what requirements our EVPfGHs had to meet, click here to read the old job ad.
P.P.S. Click here to see the F-crew’s 25 attempts at happy-making during Xmas 2018.