Our Mission

Some stories only get
to be recorded once.

"I set up the microphone, asked the questions, and felt the magic of his stories fill the room. Then, in post-production, the recording became corrupted. I told myself I'd do it again when he came back from a winter in the Caribbean. He never came back."
— Geo, Founder  ·  Kingston, Ontario

That moment — a corrupted recording, a plan to redo it, and a loss that made the redo impossible — is why Family Histories Recorded exists. Not as a business idea. As a response to grief.

During the COVID lockdowns, I found long-lost recordings of my own family: my father's audio log, a great-uncle's road-trip tapes, and one that stopped me cold — my grandfather, on his 75th birthday in 1972, recording the milestones of his life into a Dictaphone. What a gift. And yet — so incomplete. Nobody was there to ask the follow-up questions.

That's what we do. We come with the equipment, the questions, and the patience. We give your family member the experience of being truly listened to — and we deliver something that will outlast all of us.

The process

Simple from the first call
to the final delivery.

We handle everything. You make one call. We take care of the rest.

01

We talk

A short discovery call — no obligation. We learn about your family member, what matters most, and which session suits your family.

02

We arrange an interview

We come to you with professional equipment, carefully developed questions, and the experience to draw out the stories that matter.

03

We edit

Every recording is professionally edited, mastered, and transcribed. We make it sound the way the moment felt.

04

You receive

A private link, a full transcript, and a recording your family will still be listening to fifty years from now. Delivered within 30 days.

Our sessions

Choose the depth
the story deserves.

Every session is professionally facilitated, edited, and delivered with full transcripts. All recordings are stored on Canadian servers — private, permanent, yours.

Story Starter
A Proust Questionnaire
The session that makes the decision for you.
  • 30–45 minute facilitated session
  • 15 carefully chosen questions
  • Lightly edited audio file
  • Short transcript excerpt
  • Private streaming link
  • 7-day delivery
  • Credit toward any full session within 60 days
Book a Session

Most families upgrade within the week.

Audio
The Keepsake
Their voice, in your hands, forever.
  • Up to 2-hour facilitated interview
  • Professional audio — edited & mastered
  • WAV + MP3 files included
  • Full verbatim transcript
  • Private streaming link via Vimeo
  • Canadian data residency (PIPEDA)
  • 30-day delivery
Enquire Now
Video
The Portrait
See them as they truly are, one more time.
  • Up to 2-hour facilitated interview
  • 4K video — professionally lit & framed
  • Edited with chapter markers
  • Full verbatim transcript
  • Private streaming link via Vimeo
  • Canadian data residency (PIPEDA)
  • 30-day delivery · one revision included
Enquire Now
Documentary
The Chronicle
A life told in full — as it deserves to be.
  • 3 facilitated sessions (up to 6 hours)
  • 4K cinematic video, professionally edited
  • Archival photo integration
  • Printed keepsake book + full transcript
  • Private streaming link via Vimeo
  • Canadian data residency (PIPEDA)
  • Priority scheduling · white-glove delivery
Enquire Now
The Proust Questionnaire

Fifteen questions.
A lifetime of answers.

Our Proust Questionnaire session is built around questions designed to open a life, not interrogate one. Warm, unhurried, and quietly profound — these are the questions families wish they'd asked years ago.

1What is your happiest memory?
2What quality do you most admire in a person?
3What has been your greatest joy?
4What has been your greatest sorrow, if you're comfortable sharing?
5What place in Canada — or anywhere — has meant the most to you?
6What season speaks to you most, and why?
7Who has had the biggest influence on who you became?
8What did you believe when young that you no longer believe?
9What would you want your grandchildren to know about the world you grew up in?
10What piece of advice have you carried your whole life?
11What's something you wish you'd said to someone, that you never did?
12What has Canada meant to you — what does it feel like to have lived here?
13If you could relive one ordinary day from your life, which would it be and why?
14What do you want to be remembered for?
15What still makes you laugh?
The Proust Questionnaire session is $149 + HST. Credit applies in full toward any Keepsake, Portrait, or Chronicle session booked within 60 days.
Get in touch

Tell us whose story
you'd like to capture.

We respond to every enquiry personally — usually within one business day. Tell us a little about the person whose story you'd like to record, and we'll take it from there.

Not sure which session is right? Start with the Proust Questionnaire. It's the easiest way to begin — and most families know they want more after they hear the first edit.

We serve Kingston, Ontario and the surrounding region. Remote sessions available nationally.

geo@familyhistoriesrecorded.ca Kingston, Ontario · Canadian data storage PIPEDA compliant · All recordings private

We respond personally to every message, usually within one business day.