Meet Mel Foster | Producer, video memoirs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mel Foster and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mel, every day, we talk about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I was watching television on a Saturday night (yes, my life is that exciting!) and there was a news snippet announcing the death of a rock band member. Ten hours later, the Sunday morning news shows had a five minute segment on the man. It was an “aha” moment for me. Or maybe more like a “huh?” moment. I wondered how they managed to assemble all of those photos and video footage in order to tell the full story of his life.

Then, I asked myself, “What happens when the rest of us die on a Saturday night? Who tells our story?”

And I found myself volunteering for the job.

Then, about 25 years ago. the federal government had a competition for $100 million Empowerment Zone grants. Dozens of cities vied for the money. I met with the mayor of Detroit who showed me a four-inch binder. “I’ve got all the facts and figures we need in here. But I don’t think it will be enough. What we need is someone to put a heart and soul to this.” Little did I know that experience would prove to be the first “memoir” I produced. As it turned out, it was worth a hundred million dollars!

That experience formed the blueprint for Your Video Memoir. During our interview we, of course, gather all the facts, dates, schools, jobs and special occasions of a client’s life, but our job is incomplete until we find the heart and soul of the person that will inspire his or her grandchildren for years to come.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At Your Video Memoir we walk into someone’s home armed with a camera, lights and questions. A lot of questions. Our clients are primarily in their 80s and 90s, yet we chat for three to four hours. We want to find out what life was like for them in their childhood. When they met their sweetheart. What their first job was like. Beyond that, we want to get at the deeper questions — what is their passion, what have they learned in life, what advice would they offer. By the end of a session, our clients aren’t the only ones who need a nap!

The true challenge for us is turning that long conversation that wanders from decade to decade — and back again — into a compelling narrative. We aim to produce a video that’s about one hour long and evocative of the people and times that influenced our clients’ lives.

We are, more often than not, hired by our clients’ children or grandchildren. With each memoir we are rewarded with the phrase, “Wow! I learned so much about them.” We turn grandma and grandpa into people who once faced the same issues as our customers and, importantly, managed to overcome them. At their best, our video memoirs are full of surprises and inspiration in equal measure.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up in Detroit and spent most of my advertising career working in Downtown Detroit. There are gems to discover throughout the area. First and foremost, however, a first-timer to Detroit must take a trip with me to Lafayette Coney Island. It’s been there forever. In the 1960s on a Saturday night you’d find college kids in jeans and symphony goers in formal wear all seated together ordering two-on-one. (Newbies get a pass if they can only handle one.)

From there, it’s a short walk to the Guardian Building which has some of the most amazing art deco architecture in the Midwest.

The Detroit Institute of Arts, down the road a mile or so, has one of the top ten collections in the country.

And if you’re up for a ten minute drive, Belle Isle, on the Detroit River, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted — the same person who designed Central Park. Besides offering amazing views of Detroit to the north, you get a great view of Canada to the south.

If you enjoy gawking, continue along the Detroit River a few miles until you reach the Grosse Pointes (yes, there are more than one). Take a drive along Lake Shore and try to imagine which automotive baron built that mansion. Or the mansion next door to it.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I quickly discovered that shooting, editing and producing the story of someone’s life was a daunting task. I had, after 30 years creating television ads and videos at a large ad agency, some of the skills. But I was deficient in a few essential ones. So I found a partner, Brian Chidester, who had worked with me as an editor over the years. He had all the skills I lacked. Fortunately, he was intrigued enough by the idea to work for gratitude alone. The company would never have got off the ground without him.

Website: yourvideomemoir.com