Happenstance
Hear Something New
Select Your Tastes
Hear unique Chicago stories (Haps) that are specific to your selected tastes.
Explore Your Surroundings
Haps are limited to a one-mile radius, encouraging you to explore new areas.
Enjoy Your Haps
Listen, learn and share the content from our exclusive story library.
LISTEN TO A SAMPLE HAP
Sample Hap Audio
Please press play to hear one of our Haps
Meet the team
Stephanie Choporis
Co-Founder/Managing Editor
Stephanie oversees Happenstance’s story production. A city native, she has been involved in the Chicago journalism scene for the past seven years, when she began double-majoring in Journalism and Communication and Media Studies at DePaul University. She has since worked as an editorial intern, freelance writer and reporter/editorial assistant for various publications across the city. Most recently, she earned her master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she began dabbling in audio and video. While founding Happenstance, she polished her skills as a reporting intern at the independent education watchdog publication Catalyst Chicago.
Kathy Bartlett
Co-Founder/CEO
Kathy manages the nuts and bolts of Happenstance’s operations. With more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, she has held positions in a range of industries, from finance to restaurants. Among her accomplishments, she turned one financial storefront into 40-plus locations in multiple states, helped create a nationwide online lending program and developed procedures that positively transformed restaurant profit margins. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and an Executive M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Jasmine Sanborn
Co-Founder/Marketing Manager
Jasmine leads Happenstance’s social media and marketing team, constantly working to find Chicago’s #nextbigthing. She has been involved in media from a very young age as a radio host for various World of Warcraft fansites. Her skills have continued to develop after attending Loyola University Chicago, where she majored in Digital/Visual Journalism and Environmental Studies, and after receiving her master’s from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a focus on interactive design and science reporting.
Let us know what’s happening in your area
Drop us a note with great story ideas and we will try to include them in the app.