The members of Life Story Professionals of the Greater Washington Area offer a variety of services. We recommend talking to more than one Life Story Professional, in order to find the right combination of skills and personality for your project. After you review their bios here or visit their websites, here are some questions to help guide you before making a decision.
- Do you belong to any professional associations? Belonging to an association such as the Oral History Association or the National Storytelling Association is important. It means the personal historian takes his work seriously as a professional. Associations provide their members with opportunities to learn more and improve their skills.
- Can you show me samples of your work? Even if a personal historian is just starting out, she needs to be able to show you a sample of her work. You want to be able to assess the quality of her work.
- Could I talk to your previous clients about their experiences working with you? It’s useful to get evaluations from a previous client. While it’s not foolproof, it does give you a better sense of the person you may hire.
- Does the person operate in a professional manner? Does she show up for appointments on time? Does he have a contract that spells out precisely what each stage of the production will entail and how fees are to be calculated? If not, has he made costs and payment schedules clear? Does she answer all your queries in a prompt, courteous, and clear manner? Does he refrain from pressure tactics?
- Do you feel comfortable around this person? Whether you’re hiring a personal historian for yourself or another family member, you want to feel at ease. Personal history projects can take weeks, months, or years, depending on the scope and budget. You don’t want to spend that much time with someone you don’t like.
- What was your previous work experience before becoming a Life Story Professional? Personal historians come from all kinds of work backgrounds. It’s common to find former journalists, filmmakers, editors, librarians, and teachers who have “apprenticed” in the arts now working as personal historians. Someone with little life experience whose previous experience doesn’t include skills in interviewing, writing, and editing may not yet be ready to take on a professional assignment as a personal historian.
- What is your specialty? Be leery of anyone who answers, “Oh, I like to work on everything – books, video, audio – you name it!” There are personal historians who are multi-talented, and produce more than one type of product; but it’s a good idea to ask what the personal historian enjoys working on the most. If she has a preference and that doesn’t match yours, ask to see some concrete examples of her work. Bottom line: if you want a book produced, it makes sense to hire someone who has experience making books. Similarly, if you want a DVD, hire a personal historian whose specializes in video.
- How long have you been a personal historian? There isn’t a magical amount of experience that turns someone into a seasoned personal historian. However, depending on your project, you may want to hire someone who had been working professionally for at least a year or two. The longer a personal historian has been working, the more experience he will have, and the more samples of his work can provide. If a personal historian is just starting out, he may be offer to work at a discount in exchange for permission to use your book, video, or other media as a professional sample.
- What attracted you to this work? There isn’t any right answer to this question. But beware of a reply that sounds too contrived or rehearsed. Listen for an answer that suggests that this work resonates deeply with this person. For instance, she may have a compelling story to tell about the path that led her to this work.
Text copyright © Dan Curtis