PSST! Digital Stories... Pass it on!

 It’s hard to believe that there are those among us who, 121 days out, are talking about the holidays—then again, my local Target is schlepping seasonal décor while it's still 100 degrees outside, so what do I know? So for all you early birds, a gift:

Let me introduce you to the digital narrative—a personal documentary featuring anecdotes and photos that, woven together, serve as a sort of timeline of one’s life. Consider it the next evolution of “slides,” only those you actually want to see.

Intrigued? Then check out Reel Tributes, a DC-based company that produces “Documentaries of a Lifetime” for everyday folks with the assistance of legit filmmakers, an oral historian and a genealogy expert who are far more skilled at digital storytelling than your iPhone.  Their aesthetically slick tribute films reveal compelling backstories, unearth little known stories and reveal commemorative insight about someone you suspected may have been on the lam, but could never confirm. (I’m pinching myself too.)

Or, you could make it a real production out of things and try your own hand at filmmaking. On the West Coast, the Center for Digital Storytelling, a Berkeley non-profit, holds workshops for those who want to manage their own digital story project or wider community initiative.  Here, experienced facilitators offer creative direction and technical assistance to novice digital filmmakers.

Learn more about how the art of personal history here: http://www.reeltributes.com/view/.

The Whole Tory: Designer Gives “Thanks to the Memories”

 I just finished reading the September issue of O Magazine and must trumpet its brief Q&A with designer Tory Burch.

The stylemaker offers an intriguing list of “bests,” but it is her response to “Best Gift to Myself”—an ongoing letter to her children that she has been writing since their birth—that struck me as an especially good example of personal history. Burch’s lengthy dispatch to her twin boys already has filled the pages of two journals with keepsake recollections and memories. I can think of no more literal interpretation of “the gift that keeps on giving” than honoring and passing down one's history to those who means the most.

Read O’s entire Q&A with Tory Burch and let me know what family heirloom best reflects your history.

Spotlight on the CBS Evening News and “Assignment America”

I simply cannot resist a “slice of life” story. These deceptively simple snapshots of everyday life are usually about complications and conditions that we all can relate to, and thus have a homespun quality that recalls a bygone era. 

Recently my friend, well aware of my weakness for the anecdotal, turned me on to journalist Steve Hartman’s “Assignment America” on the CBS Evening News.

For two minutes every Monday night, Hartman tells a uniquely American story in way that is both charming and compelling (credit ace reporting, witty writing, and the human factor).  Most amazing is how in the telling Hartman manages to tug at the heartstrings without over-sentimentalizing or manipulating the subject matter or the viewer.  Two of Hartman’s more memorable snippets—“Man and Goose Form Unlikely Friendship” and “Father Read to Daughter Every Night Until College" --are super examples of fine sketch journalism (and I dare you to not get sucked in).

Both accounts touchingly illustrate the beauty in unlikely connections—and isn’t that what history is? The great connector of all things, people, and experience? If reality TV were anything like it is on Monday eve, I’d reconsider my decision to ditch cable.

Got a story that you think deserves 15 minutes of air-time (or at least two)? Email your ideas to Steve Hartman online via the CBS Evening News.