According to Mark Twain, “There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of [every life] there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.” Video biographer Peter Andersen agrees with Twain’s assertion, and he lives it every day. Peter is the founder of Andersen Life Stories, a local company that offers a rich and highly personalized approach to the art of the video memoir.

“Video memoirs are the thing of the future,” Peter says. “Written memoirs require a lot of work. My approach makes it easier to tell your life story. You choose the topics that are important to you, and then we have a series of relaxed, enjoyable conversations in your home. I’ll help you tell your story with audio, video, printed books, even podcasts – whatever your needs and your budget require.”

Peter’s been celebrating people’s life stories for a long time. Over a 30-year career as a writer, videographer, journalist, and teacher, he found himself being drawn again and again to personal interviews that focus on the “extraordinary moments in the lives of ordinary people.”

A simple, highly personalized process

The process is both simple and completely tailored to each person, beginning with a “discovery call” where Peter meets with family members and friends to discuss main topics and goals for the final result. “This helps me set the agenda for the project and gives me the background I need to organize our recording sessions and work on follow-up questions.”

Then, in a series of one- or two-hour recorded conversations – he emphasizes conversations rather than interviews – Peter visits the “video star” in their home and works with them to remember and recapture their special experiences.

“Everyone has beautiful things they’ve completely forgotten about until they are prompted to remember them,” he says. “Reflecting on these experiences shows the person and their friends and families something extraordinary. You get to know them in full. And preserving all of this for posterity is the most thrilling job I can imagine.

“After several hours of this over a period of time, I can edit and create a piece that truly shines a light on each person. I love every project, because every life is amazing.”

Unique in the field of memoir work

Peter’s work is unique in the field of memoir work because he actually sits down face to face with the person and listens compassionately as they tell their stories, digging deeper and asking follow-up questions. There are some automated apps and programs today that help collect people’s stories, but they lack the all-important human element. “I’ve learned in my work that half of life is in the doing, and the other half in the telling.

Think of a Beethoven sonata – you can have the sheet music sitting on your shelf, but is that music? No! Only when you take it off the shelf and play it does it become music – alive, unique, and beautiful. In the same way, a life story doesn’t really come to life until you tell it to someone. Only then can you hear the story, know the person, and celebrate the life. In our world of increasing isolation, I truly believe this is vital work.”

The final video memoir product can include still photographs, audio and print, and always is created with plenty of feedback from family, friends and the client.

For more information and samples of Peter’s work, and for more information on scheduling a discovery call, visit AndersenLifeStories.com.