A Conversation You'll Never Forget: A Guide to Capturing a LifeStory

I have written this book as a guide to help you record the life stories of your friends and loved ones so you will no longer have a reason not to record a LifeStory. This book combines the training I received in the 1990s while preparing to interview Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation (now the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education) with the practical experience I’ve enjoyed gaining from my interviews with hundreds of people since I started LifeStories Alive in 2006.

My hope is that this guide will give you the basics to take the plunge and capture the life stories of someone you love. Even though you may have never before interviewed anyone, you will feel (as I do every time I finish a LifeStories Alive interview) that goose-bumps-causing rush after your subject answers your last question and sighs that familiar sigh, knowing that his or her stories are now recorded for generations to come. You can then feel the satisfaction of knowing that you gave your loved one’s life more meaning and helped them share a legacy.

Mike O'Krent, founder of LifeStories Alive, LLC, specializes in making personal history videos for families that value their heritage. They create family heirlooms in video – digitally mastered records of life stories with personal accounts, photos and mementos of family history. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduating from Southern Methodist University with a BBA in Marketing and Management (and a minor in History), he entered his family’s retail floor covering business as the 4th generation in that business.

Between 1996 and 2000 Mike interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. During that incredible experience, he discovered the process and the importance of recording the life stories of our loved ones. Mike moved to Austin in 1998 when he bought and managed a local floor covering business; then sold it in 2004. He finally found his passion in business when he started LifeStories Alive.

Since the beginnings of LifeStories Alive, the business has expanded its expertise beyond capturing personal histories for families to now include recording the histories of businesses and non-profit organizations. The professionally produced videos can be used externally to promote the organization or internally as a training tool for new employees/volunteers.

Mike's unique interviewing skills bring out the heart and essence of the interviewee, thus making powerfully valuable connections to the intended audience.