Verissima Productions

09/09/2025

Dear All:
I am looking for a videographer/interviewer to conduct a short interview (15 minutes to half an hour) in Sarasota, FL. An iPhone and some decent lighting will suffice. After the interview, we hope to edit it down to about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Payment: $1,000-$1500.
NO ZOOM.
please contact me directly: [email protected]

08/18/2025

Have you seen this recent article from the WSJ? What do you think? Please read the comments section for some of the most illuminating material:

Some just want their heirs to know they worked hard for their money, while others are more forthcoming; ‘My one and only acid trip’

10/09/2024

Exploring GRIEF with Dawn Roode of Modern Heirloom Books
Thursday, October 17 at 4 p.m. EDT
Meeting with grieving clients presents challenges and rewards for the personal historian. Dawn will speak about the emotional intricacies and best practices gleaned from years of working with clients who are grieving the loss of someone due to death, as well as the grief that comes from anticipating the loss of another( or the loss of self)through dementia.
Free to PHNN members, $13 for non-members. Pre-register at www.phnn.org
Thursday, October 17 at 4 p.m. EDT
Meeting with grieving clients presents challenges and rewards for the personal historian. Dawn will speak about the emotional intricacies and best practices gleaned from years of working with clients who are grieving the loss of someone due to death, as well as the grief that comes from anticipating the loss of another( or the loss of self)through dementia.
Free to PHNN members, $13 for non-members. Pre-register at www.phnn.org

10/05/2024

Sam and Rob capture the night sky

10/04/2024

As personal historians/memoirists, we are often called upon to interview people in their sixties and up. Do we look at our own ageism in the questions we ask ( or don't ask) and in the assumptions we make? October 9th is Ageism Awareness Day. What do you think?https://asaging.org/ageism-awareness

06/30/2024

The message below is part of an AI generated sales letter to our company. You might find it of interest:

I'm thrilled to connect with you on a sunny Boston day, where scattered thunderstorms are brewing, just like the exciting projects you've been working on at Verissima Productions! As the Director of Regional AI Sales at TalkingHeads, I've been following your journey, and I must say, I'm impressed by your dedication to finding the essence of each …

02/08/2024

I love the work we do as personal historians. Part of the joy is developing long and rich friendships with my colleagues. Just last week, celebrating 18 years of connection ( at a super diner) with colleagues Leah Abrahams and Anita Hecht.

06/30/2023

Boston Public Library introduces oral history backpacks!! How wonderful is this?

This is a guest blog post by Sydney Villegas, Oral History Intern at the Boston Public Library. As Boston residents, history…

06/25/2023

There’s the gardening Pam and the personal historian Pam. My hands took a beating—even with gloves—from planting and clearing brambles. Time for a simple manicure before traveling to our next book assignment!

05/23/2023

Just returned from the beginning of a job in Memphis. Elvis ( pinball machine is cover photo), artists, the Jewish community, and a ton of research. Such a joy to tell the story of a community within a city.

04/18/2023

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. The story below is remarkable, not only because 7 siblings survived the Holocaust together but because the next generation is creating a film to honor all victims of genocide and displacement. It's worth reading the entire article and linking to the film:

HandoutGinger Lane was at home with her mother in their Berlin apartment in the spring of 1943 when the Gestapo arrived. She doesn’t remember now, 80 years on, why exactly she hid behind a door as the two men led her mother—a Jewish woman born in Hungary—out of their home. But she does remembe...

03/26/2023

A fascinating “personal “ history of a building in New York leads to a musical composition.
What’s the history of your dwelling?

Every building in New York has some history. The house at 64 East Seventh Street has a lot.