STORYTELLING: ALEX SAROYAN

Alex Saroyan has had an esteemed career in U.S. politics, and as he approached his 90th birthday, he wanted to preserve his legacy.  His stories are rich with history that reflects many Americans of his generation.  His parents arrived at Ellis Island in 1921, leaving war and unrest in their home country of Armenia in hopes of providing better opportunities …

STORYTELLING: DAVID HESS

David is an attorney and an accomplished musician, having played guitar with many of the great bands of our time.  As he approached his 60th birthday, he was looking for a unique way to celebrate his life and share his musical experiences with his family.  David came to 11stories with the idea to combine a Life Story book with fine …

STORYTELLING: DANIELA FORTIAN

Daniela Fortian, an artist, is 92 years young.  She recently recorded her life story as a gift to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She recognized the importance of sharing the stories of her parents and grandparents, who came from Italy after the second world war to create a better life in New York City. Daniela reminisced about her grandmother making …

STORYTELLING: KAI & ISOBEL HAWES

Kai contacted 11stories to do a multi-part project, which would include a love story, a life story and a corporate history.  Kai is respected as one of the world’s formidable leaders in technology, with remarkable successes in internet systems and businesses.  Now in his mid-40s, he wanted a way to reflect on his path to success, to record his experiences …

STORYTELLING: ROBERT MATTSON

Robert’s project is a combination of a Life Story and a Corporate History, with an emphasis on reflection and lessons learned.  Before his 40th birthday, Robert has built a highly successful company in the field of investment banking, with an impressive roster of clients throughout the United States and abroad.  He recognized the relatively rapid shifts in his life with …

STORYTELLING: MICHAEL IANNOTTI

Michael’s Life Story book celebrates his 50th birthday, his remarkable successes in business, and his positive approach to life in the aftermath of a near-fatal car accident.  His wife Stella hired 11stories to create a one-of-a-kind birthday gift for the man who had everything.  She wanted to give him a rare opportunity to reflect on his accomplishments and to record …

STORYTELLING: JENA & JAKE

JENA:  With our kids, I definitely want to convey to them, “Marry the right person.” And that’s going to mean different things to different people, but to me that means, “Marry someone who ‘gets’ you.”  Who you don’t have to explain your sense of humor to them, you just don’t have to explain. I mean, certainly you’ll have to communicate …

STORYTELLING: JESS & BRENDAN

Brendan hired 11stories to do a Love Story as an anniversary gift for Jess.  Simple enough, but the catch was that the whole project was a surprise for Jess! The challenge:  conduct a 2 hour couple interview with Brendan and Jess while keeping the project a surprise for Jess.  This project included the couple interview as well as interviews with …

STORYTELLING: LEO PORTER

Leo’s children wanted to do something special to celebrate Leo’s upcoming 75th birthday, so they gave their father a gift certificate for a Life Story.  As Leo’s son explained, “my dad has given us so much, and honoring his experiences is just a small way that we can give back to him.” We agreed to focus the project on the …

STORYTELLING: LILLIA & JORDAN

Jordan: “I know I’m not supposed to say this, but I’m totally in love with you…” Lillia and Jordan’s interview was two hours of sheer fun! the two of them sat snuggled together on their couch on a rainy saturday afternoon, holding hands the whole time, sharing their whirlwind love story. they met in colorado on vacation – a one …

STORYTELLING: CAROL & MAURICE

11STORIES:  If you could change anything about each other, what would you change? MAURICE:  I’d make her 30 again! CAROL:  (laughs) Oh my god! carol and maurice are truly high school sweethearts. they met when she was 14, he was 15, at a local dance in their small town in upstate new york. maurice cut in on carol’s dance partner, …

STORYTELLING: FIONA & MAX

Fiona and Max are truly the Romeo and Juliet of their time.  They come from families with different cultures and religions, and for many years, they had to keep their relationship a secret from their families and most of their friends.  Fiona’s family is from Pakistan and are Muslim, and Max’s family is from India and are Hindi.  Their parents …

STORYTELLING: KIMBERLY & PATRICK

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kimberly and Patrick for a Valentine’s Day feature, celebrating love in Berkeley. 11stories is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I have proudly called Berkeley my home for nearly twenty years. Over the past few years, Berkeleyside has emerged as an important news outlet for the Berkeley community, covering everything from politics …

STORYTELLING: LIANA & JASON

I interviewed Liana and Jason for an 11stories Wedding Book. They were married in Sonoma wine country this fall, and Jason’s sister generously gave the happy couple a Wedding Book as a wedding gift. Their relationship is relatively young – they’ve only known each other a year and a half – but as Liana told me, their story is “short, …

STORYTELLING: HAZEL & ALEX

Hazel’s bridesmaids gave them an 11stories gift certificate so they could create a book to share with friends and family at their wedding.  Hazel and Alex have known each other since childhood – Hazel even remembers having a crush on Alex, her best friend’s older brother. But it would be long after both of them outgrew little league games and …