couldn’t name all four grandparents in a 2022 Ancestry-commissioned U.S. survey.
Survey details · 2022 ↗MEMORIES · THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM PROJECT
A lifetime of stories.
A family heirloom.
The familiar laugh. The unexpected adventure. The stories only they can tell.
Turn the life you’ve shared into something your family can return to, together. Beautifully told. Personally made. Unmistakably yours.
Request your sample story Discover the experienceLIFE STORIES / VIDEO BIOGRAPHIES / FAMILY DOCUMENTARIES
Your voice. Your perspective.A thoughtful, guided experience.Made for your family.
THE LITTLE MOMENTS. THE WHOLE STORY.MORE THAN WHAT HAPPENED
Preserve what
it meant.
Your photographs show what happened. Your voice tells your family what it meant.
We make space for the childhood adventures, the people who changed everything, and the small traditions that became your family’s own. A relaxed conversation becomes a carefully crafted story.
For the storytellerYour pace. Your words. Room to laugh, pause, or skip a question.
For the gift-giverA meaningful way to celebrate a parent, grandparent, spouse, or milestone.
For the next generationA deeper connection to the people and experiences that shaped your family.
THERE’S MORE TO ASK
Familiar faces.
Undiscovered stories.
We may know a favorite recipe by heart—and still never have asked where it came from. Research points to gaps in family knowledge, and a real willingness to share.
were familiar with their mother’s life before parenthood in a 2023 Ancestry-commissioned survey.
Survey details · 2023 ↗of moms were willing to share stories about their past, according to that 2023 survey.
An invitation to listen ↗These commissioned surveys describe knowledge gaps and interest in storytelling. They do not measure how many stories are lost or predict what a family will forget.
THOUGHTFULLY GUIDED, FROM THE FIRST HELLO
You bring the memories.
We help bring them to life.
Imagine your story
Explore a personalized sample script and outline. Then talk through your hopes in a personal consultation.
Discover together
Choose the scope, gather photographs, and invite family voices. We plan the story and agree on recording dates.
Let it unfold
A guided interview at a comfortable pace. For your family documentary, we weave in other generations and meaningful places.
Make it yours
We craft the narrative, invite your review, and deliver your agreed heirloom with guidance for family sharing and care.
A consultation is a planning conversation. Recording and filming are scheduled separately after scope, participant consent, and booking details are agreed.
THREE WAYS TO TELL YOUR STORY
A meaningful beginning.
An extraordinary heirloom.
Each experience preserves something different. We’ll help you choose what feels right for your story, your family, and your plans.
GOOD · THE WORDS
Life Story
A life thoughtfully captured on the page.
- Guided virtual life-story interview
- Professionally written biography
- Personal life timeline
For the memories you want to read, revisit, and pass along.
Explore Life Story ↗BETTER · THE VOICE
Video Legacy
The expressions, the laughter, the voice you know.
- Everything in Life Story
- Professionally produced video interview
- Virtual or on-location options
- Digital memories profile setup
For a personal account your family can see and hear.
Explore Video Legacy ↗BEST · THE GENERATIONS
Family Heirloom
Documentary
One family. Many perspectives. A cinematic story.
- Life Story and Video Legacy foundations
- Primary, spouse, and adult-child interviews
- Optional grandchildren, siblings, and friends
- Family photos, home movies, and documents
- Historical research and meaningful-location filming
- Family timeline and genealogy graphics
- Documentary editing, music, and premium archival delivery
A multigenerational film shaped by the relationships that make your family yours.
Imagine your documentary ↗Make it personal with additional interviews, portrait photography, photo restoration, genealogy research, an heirloom book, or a private family screening. Scope and investment are discussed in your consultation.
A DOCUMENTARY WITH MANY VOICES
One story.
Every side of it.
How they met. Who made the first move. Why the family still disagrees about it.
Our premium documentary brings those perspectives together with family photographs, home movies, natural sound, and cinematic editing. The result is a family story with depth, warmth, and room for a little friendly disagreement.
See how your story could unfold ↗EVERY FAMILY HAS A FIRST CHAPTER
Let’s find yours.
Start with a personalized sample script and story outline.
A few simple details help shape an opening scene, interview prompts, and a nine-chapter outline. There’s nothing to rehearse and no need to share private family information.
A GLIMPSE OF THE POSSIBILITIES
“Take me back to
the kitchen…”
Who was there? What could you smell? Which story always made everyone laugh?
YOUR STORY, IN FULL SPECTRUM.Celebrating a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or reunion? Tell us the occasion when we talk.
- 1. Your sample
- 2. A conversation
Try the experience Create a sample privately in your browser. Nothing is sent until you choose to submit an inquiry. Use a first name or nickname.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STARTING POINT
Template-based preview, not a finished script or a submission. These are prompts—not invented memories.
STEP TWO · MEET YOUR STORYTELLER
Let’s talk about your story.
Send an inquiry or choose a personal consultation. Recording and filming are scheduled separately after we agree on the project.
Schedule a personal consultation
A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING
Good questions.
Thoughtful answers.
What if I don’t think my life is extraordinary?
Family stories don’t need headlines. The way you made a home, found your path, or kept a tradition alive can mean everything to the people who love you. We help you find those moments.
What if my loved one is camera-shy?
We begin with a conversation. There are no memorized lines, and breaks are welcome. Life Story also offers a written biography if a film isn’t the right fit. Participation should always be their choice.
Is this something I can give as a gift?
Yes. It can celebrate a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or simply your family. Involve the person whose story it is before arranging interviews so the experience feels comfortable and welcome.
Do we need boxes of old photographs?
No. Your voice and memories are the starting point. We’ll help identify meaningful photographs, objects, home movies, or documents you already have, and agree on research or restoration if needed.
How is the documentary different from a video interview?
Video Legacy centers on a professionally produced interview. Family Heirloom Documentary combines the main storyteller with spouse and adult-child perspectives, archival materials, meaningful locations, music, and a crafted narrative. Additional relatives and friends can join the agreed scope.
Who controls what’s shared?
We discuss participants, sensitive topics, review, ownership, delivery, and permissions before production. Public use requires separate permission. Third-party profile access and storage terms should be agreed in your proposal; we never need your account password.
What does it cost, and how long does it take?
The investment and timeline depend on interviews, locations, research, editing, and delivery. Your consultation leads to a written scope and proposal, including review rounds and an agreed schedule. Your consultation does not commit you to a purchase.
Does choosing a time here book filming?
No. A consultation helps us plan your project. Actual filming is arranged separately after the project and participants are confirmed.
THE NEXT CHAPTER STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION
You’ve spent a lifetime
creating your story.
Let’s preserve it.
Request your sample story ↗Made with you. Treasured by your family.
Research, image credits & your information
Research behind the numbers
Ancestry / OnePoll, March 2022 ↗: 2,113 Americans surveyed March 17–22; 1,911 from the top ten designated market areas and 202 from Salt Lake City. The 53% finding is specific to this commissioned panel, not a universal family-history loss rate.
Ancestry / OnePoll, April 2023 ↗: online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, evenly split among millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers, April 12–17. The release reports 37% familiarity with mothers’ pre-parenthood lives and 79% willingness among moms to share. These are sponsor-reported findings, not evidence of a percentage of stories forgotten.
Photography
Illustrative stock photography; pictured people are not represented as Gradient clients. RDNE Stock project, cottonbro studio, and Mikhail Nilov via Pexels.
Your information
Your sample is generated in this browser. Sample answers are not submitted automatically. If you send an inquiry, the details shown in that form are sent to Gradient Productions and stored privately to respond to your request. Booking details are handled by the consultation booking service. Downloaded files remain on your device. “Clear my sample answers” clears the sample on this page; it does not remove inquiries already submitted or downloaded files.