Services
At FamilyLore, we offer a range of different services for every type of client – whether that client is a family member or loved one, a colleague or a fellow student, they all share one simple and universal desire: to tell their unique and authentic stories and share them with others. I know that whatever the mood, color or purpose, your stories matter, and it is my honor and delight to help you unearth and record them.
FAMILYLORE ORAL HISTORY AND LEGACY INTERVIEWS “Tell me about the time when…”
Let’s face it. Oral history interviews conducted by those closest to us can be awkward or prove test. This can make it difficult for interviewee and interviewer to relax and open up. But a conversation with an experienced, curious, and neutral professional with “no baggage” keeps the atmosphere gentle and so the memories just flow. The client is given a rare opportunity to flesh out and give context to well-known family stories and lets him or her make room for fascinating, amusing and poignant surprises. And it’s cheaper than therapy!
COMPANYLORE & ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWS “It All Started With a Crazy Idea…”
Companies are “people” too! At its core, every organization is rooted in people and the relationships they form and the endless stories that inevitably arise and get passed down. Taken together, these stories determine the evolving personality and culture of an organization. CompanyLore interviews help clarify the key choices have been made and the opportunities and pathways that lie open going forward. I interview people both alone and in groups. Together, we talk to “old-timers” about the organization’s founding and early days, its mission and messaging as they’ve developed over time, and highlight the milestone moments that have led to the company’s challenges and triumphs.
PS: MARKETING and HR LOVE COMPANYLORE! If you opt to turn your organization’s interviews into a polished mini-doc, the marketing team can share the company’s all-important “story” to customers and investors. Human Resources can use it as an effective onboarding too, where new employees learn they are becoming a part of something substantial and inspiring with its own unique heritage and traditions.. That’s also great for overall organization morale. Trust us: posterity (and your present-day bottom line) will thank you.
COURSES / WORKSHOPS “I Got Such Useful Info for Interviews – and for Life!”
For decades, I have taught the learners of every age how to conduct excellent oral history and legacy interviews themselves, but who lack may the technical knowledge or background (or self-confidence) to do so. Using lectures, role playing and other exercises, my workshop participants explore what oral history is, why it matters, and the how to elicit authentic and meaningful responses.
Participants also learn how to establish rapport and pose neutral, open-ended questions, as well as how to use memory aids and pre-interview preparation to gently guide a conversation while also “letting the client lead.” Nitty-gritty concerns, like what equipment to buy and how to operate it, microphone placement, light audio editing and other technical skills are also taught in a fun and accessible way.
My courses can be geared to middle school, high school or college students, or for loved ones or organizations such ss history and community organizations, fellowship groups and families.
FEE: TBD according to the nature and scope of the project.
TRIBUTE INTERVIEWS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS “I’ll always remember the time he or she…”
FamilyLore offers loved ones a special (some would say “sacred” opportunity to celebrate and honor a friend or family member’s life by expressing and recording the depth and importance of what that person has come to mean to them. What has opened up for them or been made possible in one’s life if that loved one had never lived? What impact or legacy will that person leave behind? What will they be remembered for? What will they not be remembered for? Interviews can be done one-on-one, or in a group, with or without the person present. These interviews can be conducted in short bursts over Zoom, in the home or in a hospital or hospice.
FEE: $200 for first hour; $175 each add’l hour or part thereof or TBD based on project scope.
INTERVIEWS AT LIFE’S TWILIGHT “A Parting Gift Like No Other.”
FamilyLore offers those passing away a rare and profound opportunity to talk freely about their thoughts, feelings and reflections on the life they’ve led and on life itself. This is is the time to tell those funny stories, to review accomplishments achieved and challenges overcome and to give voice to whatever legacy they’d wish to be remembered for.
They can also share memories of key people they have loved, admired or even struggled with (all of whom can also be interviewed).
In short, I create a safe and welcoming space in which to express appreciation, and to say whatever “needs to be said” (warts and all.)
The broadcast quality recordings can be duplicated endlessly and passed on as a legacy heirloom to be heard and appreciated for survivors and by all who come after.
Note: Every Life’s Twilight interview can be sealed until a date at the storyteller’s discretion.
FEE: $200 for first hour; $175 each additional hour or part thereof or TBD based on project scope.
Additional Services
MINI-INTERVIEWS AT GROUP EVENTS “Who Was There and What Did They Say?”
It is my special “superpower” to instantly establish rapport and trust “on the fly” at weddings, birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, retirement parties, wakes and other group gatherings. I can interview up to 40 participants for three to five minutes each. For example, at a wedding, a basic questions might be “what is one cherished memory you have of the bride/groom?” or “what is a blessing or bit of advice can you offer the couple on their wedding day? The result is a unique and touching multi-person audio snapshot of the spirit of the day, to be enjoyed and shared now and over the years ahead.
FEE: $350 per hour with two hour minimum, plus flat fee for travel time
EDITING & POST PRODUCTION SERVICES (AUDIO OR VIDEO) “Adam and His Crew Really Nailed It!”
FamilyLore offers a wide range of professional, editing, post-production services ranging from simple “clean-up” to edit out long pauses and “ums” and repeats, to ordering disparate memories and stories according to a timeline or theme. We can also mix in music and photos and other images with sound bites. Additionally, we are expert at rounding out an interview by inserting clips that occur to the client after the core interviews are complete. (A separate fee applies for follow-up recordings).
FEE: To be determined according to scope of the project.