YOUR STORIES MATTER

Meet our team

Legacy Interviews records the stories of individuals and couples so that future generations can know their family history. We will ensure you have a great experience and can create a recording that you are proud to share with your family.

Vance Crowe
Founder, Interviewer

  • Vance is a communications expert and the founder of Legacy Interviews.

    Vance has been a deckhand on a ship, worked on a paving crew, served in the US Peace Corps in rural Kenya, has been a spokesman for a Fortune 500 company and was on a board of directors for a community bank.

    Vance has a master’s degree in negotiations and has been named as a fellow with the US Center for Peace and Conflict studies and been awarded the meritorious communicator award for the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Vance lives in Saint Louis with his wife Ann, two daughters and their dog.

    Vance is an internationally recognized speaker teaching about communications, conflict negotiations and strategy development. To book Vance to speak at your next event visit: VanceCrowe.com

Sean Thiessen
Director of Film & Editing

  • Sean is a filmmaker originally from Springfield, Missouri. After graduating from Missouri State University in 2017, Sean moved to Los Angles, California, where he worked on commercials, music videos, reality shows, and movies. He also assisted on marketing campaigns for movies like Spider-Man: Far From Home and The Secret Life of Pets 2.

    After 5 years in Los Angeles, Sean returned to the Midwest to join the Legacy Interviews team and tell the stories of the real people who shape the world.

    Sean spends his free time watching movies, discovering delicious food, and exploring diverse genres of music. In 2022, his screenplay What Rhymes With Reason was turned into a feature film and is set to release in theaters nationwide October 10, 2023.

Jessica Weidhaas
Interview Coordinator

  • Born and raised in south city St. Louis, Missouri. She received her Bachelor’s degree in video production from Webster University and later moved to Chicago, where she wore many hats on a satirical news show called, WBS News America. She is also a freelance photographer and videographer who promotes musicians and small businesses.

Solomon Wilken
Production and Audio Editor

  • Solomon has experience in radio production, building podcast studios, maintaining radio towers & quality audio post-production. Outside of the studio, Solomon has worked in stage managing for Gateway Opera Theatre and behind-the-scenes work with Monroe Actors Stage Company.

    Solomon is a singer with the renowned Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, and is active with local theatre troupes.

WE’ RE HERE FOR YOU

About the Legacy Interview experience:

A Legacy Interview is a professional video recording of an individual or couple telling their stories and the lessons learned along the way. We will discuss ancestry/childhood, career, marriage, parenting and the wisdom learned along the way. These interviews preserve the memories of your loved, and captures how they looks and sounds when they are telling your family stories. Each interview is unique and will capture the stories you want to preserve.

Step 1

Preparation

We will mail you a preparation guide with questions that help you think of stories.

Step 2

The interview

Arrive at our private recording studio in Saint Louis, Missouri for a half or full day conversation with our host.

Step 3

The final package

In a few weeks, you receive a beautifully edited video of your interview via a shareable link & a physical DVD.

U N I Q U E E X P E R I N C E

Each Legacy Interview is unique

We tailor each interview to the needs and wants of the guest. Before the interview, guests and loved ones are given the opportunity to fill out a questionnaire that helps us ask the right questions

Our goal is to help our guest recall and tell stories about your past. Stories are what last.

Spotlight: Zach Smith

W E M A K E Y O U L O O K G O O D

Interview guests will:

  1. Be prepared but not over-prepared:

Our Memory Guide offers thought starter questions to help you recall the stories and histories you want preserved. No need to write down all your answers, your host will ensure we have an authentic conversation.

2. Feel relaxed and confident:

Our host will sit with you prior to the interview to address any concerns. During the interviews there is no rush and you can delete anything from the conversation and only answer the questions you want.

3. Look and sounds great:

We utilize professional lighting, audio recording and video that will help you to look and sound exceptional. You will feel confident knowing you will look and sound your best.

U N I Q U E E X P E R I N C E

What is it like to do a Legacy Interview?

Our host Vance Crowe is a skilled interviewer who has a special ability to make people feel comfortable and confident. He is known for his ability to connect with people from all walks of life and create a warm and relaxed atmosphere during each interview. Even the most apprehensive interviewees feel relaxed as they share their memories, insights, and valuable life lessons.

A collection of Legacy Interview guests and people that purchased interviews for their parents.

Our process in steps

The Scheduling Survey & Gift Package

01

If you purchase a Legacy Interview as a gift, we will send you a survey that will tell us about your loved one. Additionally, we will ask for where we can send the gift package and when we can reach out to schedule the interview without spoiling the surprise.

Preparing for the Interview

02

Guests receive a preparation package 2-3 weeks before the interview. This includes thought-starter questions to stimulate memories, a clothing guide to ensure they look their best on camera, and our terms of service for complete transparency on the process.

The Recording Studio

03

Our recording studio resembles a comfortable living room with artwork and furnished with specially selected couches that support good posture for hours of conversation. The waiting room provides a stunning view overlooking the financial district of Saint Louis from the 16th floor.

Interview

04

Your interview will be guided by host Vance Crowe. He will ask insightful questions and based on guests’ responses, encouraging them to share deeply cherished stories in a completely confidential setting.

Half or Full day?

05

A Legacy Interview is ideal for capturing a person’s life arc or describing a farm or business. This can be done as a couple or as an individual.

A full-day interview is designed for a couples or individuals that want to talk even more in-depth about their life and work. The full day includes a chef catered lunch in our 16th floor studio office.

Post-Interview Process

06

Editing will take approximately 1 month from the interview date. Our team does minimal content editing to preserve the authenticity of the conversation. Guests can have remove any part of the interview upon request. We will focus on making sound and color edits to increase the quality of the recording.

Optional Transcript: An Autobiography in a day.

07

Guests have the option to have their interview transcribed and printed in either a hardback or leather bound book. This will help your family preserve the ideas for generations.

“One parent is an extrovert, the other, an introvert who was anxious about participating. Vance adjusted, making them both feel at ease.

They answered questions I’d never even thought to ask.

We watched their interviews on Christmas Eve. A memory I’ll cherish forever!”

Hannah Neuenschwander

T H E B I G G E R P I C T U R E

Why Your Stories Matter

We live in an age of rapid social and technological change. What will never change is the timelessness of family values and the wisdom stored in every story.

Your Legacy Interview will ensure that the thread that runs through your family history can be known, understood and learned from.

Family stories are the ultimate inheritance, a powerful way to improve the future.

Appreciating the beauty of grandparenthood: Legacy Interview Open Sessions

WE’ RE HERE FOR YOU

You have questions and we have answers

  • Each interview is unique but we will ask questions in a trajectory; childhood/ancestors, career, marriage, parenting and the wisdom learned along the way.

    The host will ask follow up questions that will allow you to explain further.

    Before your interview starts, you will have an opportunity to tell the host if there are specific questions you want to be asked, or any areas you want to avoid.

    This is your interview, if you decide afterwards that there are parts of the interview you would like deleted- that is no problem.

  • We take security seriously. Your stories and thoughts are not shared with anyone outside of the people producing the Legacy Interview. We have a strict confidentiality agreement.

    All of the people associated with Legacy Interviews have been vetted and have signed a non-disclosure agreement stating that they will not share anything heard in these interviews.

  • Some of the most important stories shared, are not easy to talk about. Our guide will help you decide what to say and how to say it.

    Occasionally we are asked to stay away from certain subjects. We will take the conversation where you want it.

  • The experience of being interviewed surprises a lot of people. They anticipate that it will be an awkward or uncomfortable situation, but soon realize it is relaxed, fun and insightful.

  • The guest being interviewed owns the interview. If at any time the guest wants to stop the conversation or wants us to delete all or part of the interview, their request will be fulfilled immediately.

    If you purchase this gift for another person we will ask the guest for permission to share their interview with you, it is their choice.

    We will alert you once the interview has been scheduled, when it has been conducted, and when we have delivered the interview. If they choose, we will also give you access to watch or download.

    After we have delivered the interview we will store a copy for a fee. Otherwise we will delete all copies of the interview to ensure your family’s confidentiality.

    To learn more see our privacy policy

  • Yes. You can have both parents, brothers, sisters, cousins or friends. Whoever will contribute to a great inteview.

  • We recognize that every life is unique, if any of the 5 topic areas (childhood, career, marriage, parenting, legacy) aren’t relevant to your interview, simply tell us and we will supplement that section(s) with alternative questions that are equally as illuminating about their life.

  • Yes. Some of the first Legacy Interviews we ever did were purchased by the person we were interviewing.

    Often these are to be left in a trust, or given to younger family members at a future time.

  • It is common for some people to feel modest about sharing their stories with a professional interviewer.

    This is a blog post about people feeling nervous before a Legacy Interview.

    Vance is always patient before beginning the interview. He will generate a conversation with your loved one, explain the process, and answer any questions or concerns they have.

  • In the rare event that your loved one declines the interview, simply write an email to contact@legacyinterviews.com and we will refund your purchase.

  • You are welcome to reschedule your interview up to 72 hours before your interview for free. Any reschedules within 72 hours will require a $750 rebooking fee to cover the costs that we cannot recoup within 72 hours.

  • Yes, we are willing to travel to the guests at an additional cost. On the checkout page you can add travel options for regional requests.

    For trips further than 500 mils, send an email to contact@legacyinterviews.com to inquire about us traveling to your location to do the interview.

Common questions for this unique experience.