Happy Medium: Telling Stories with Heart

Started in March 2011 in Greater Des Moines (DSM), Happy Medium uses honesty and transparency in its approach to digital and traditional creative services that also launches its own projects over time. Founder Katie Patterson shares her journey of bringing the creative agency to fruition and the birth of Happy Boards, a startup component within the Happy Medium business model.

Happy Boards

The digital communicator, Happy Boards, allows clients to share their message through dynamic television marketing. Shops, schools, events and more can benefit from a Happy Board campaign.

Remotely accessing the firmware within Happy Boards allows for quick and easy fixes without having to travel to where the boards are located.

The Start

Pulling in dynamic content, the Happy Boards software only allows one piece of content on the screen at one time. Katie explains how having too much going on doesn’t allow potential customers to absorb the message and why she was adamant that Happy Boards should focus on one piece of content.

Happy Medium focuses on culture and that is what makes the company different, but one issue is describing internally and externally what that culture is. Happy Boards helps the small business do this.

Finding Balance

Katie explains how balancing Happy Boards, its new product, with Happy Medium’s original mission is simplified as they move to an online support system. And since their new startup product, Happy Boards, plugs into the television, its simplicity allows for fewer issues.

After attending a few tech conferences, Katie explains bringing new ideas back, such as no office hours. They did a trial run with few parameters before moving into the new policy permanently. “Managing to the task” is what allows Happy Medium to continue with the innovative employee policy.