Life story recording at home in Short Hills, NJ

What the storyteller does

A storyteller is part interviewer, part listener. They come with questions but follow the person's lead. One session might cover growing up and school; the next, the first job, the move to New Jersey, the wedding. The goal isn't a perfect timeline. It's the voice, the jokes, the details.

The family can send questions in advance: how did you and Dad meet, what was your mother like, what was it like when you first moved to town.

It also helps to plan the setting. A comfortable chair, a quiet room, the phone switched off, a glass of water. Storytellers who record video will look for good light, often near a window. None of it needs to be fancy.

Choosing a format

Some storytellers record audio, which feels the least formal. Some bring a camera and lights and help make a short film. Others help turn the conversations into a printed book, often with family photographs. Profiles describe what each pro does.

Families split across the country often want video, so everyone can watch. A book tends to be the thing that gets passed down.

Families sometimes worry their parent will clam up once a microphone appears. In practice, most people forget about it within ten minutes. Storytellers are good at making the first session relaxed, often starting with easy, happy subjects before moving on to anything harder. Nothing has to be recorded that the person doesn't want shared.

Local history as a prompt

Stewart Hartshorn built the Short Hills train station in 1879, at his own expense, so residents could commute on the Morris and Essex line. If your father rode that train into the city for thirty years, that commute is a story. So is the opening of the Mall at Short Hills, or the first show seen at Paper Mill Playhouse.

The Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society and the local history pages at the Millburn Free Public Library have old photographs that can jog a memory. A picture of Millburn Avenue from the 1960s can start an hour of talk.

Cost and how to plan it

Storytellers set an hourly rate between $50 and $150, with 1, 1.5 or 2 hour sessions, plus a $2.50 booking fee and a 10% service fee. Four weekly sessions is a good starting point. Ask the pro before booking how long editing a film or book usually takes.

Some families give the sessions as a birthday gift, using a gift card from $50 so the parent can choose a storyteller themselves.