The photos, the will, the estate plan—maybe even social media profiles—capture pieces of someone’s life after they’re gone. But what about the sound of their voice, the stories only they could tell, or the advice only they could give?
Too often, peoples’ legacies are summed up with tangible things such as wealth, a business and even their prized peonies. What’s often missed is the essence of a person and their lived experiences.
Aiming for a more comprehensive approach are Canadian businesses LegacyNex and CONTEXT Studios. They are, in effect, storytellers who document on video, or using audio or other formats, stories that can help families pass down wisdom and treasured memories to future generations.
Andrea Lekushoff, founder and CEO of CONTEXT Studios in Toronto, was inspired by her own family.
“As my parents got older—they’re both in their mid-80s—I thought to myself, when they’re gone, who will remember their stories?” she says. “Because I certainly won’t, and I’ve heard them so many times, but I don’t remember the details.”
Toronto-based Elena Iacono, founder of LegacyNex, was inspired by leadership lessons from her dad.
“It’s really about consciously reflecting on them and upholding them … but also using them as guideposts for the way I want to continue to behave or grow as a professional.”
How they get started
Lekushoff describes her work as creating shows about people’s lives and companies, similar to high-end cinema.
“Think of a streaming platform where you can watch the founding and the growth of the business, or the founder’s childhood, which often will inform why and how they made their decisions,” she says. The result can be divided into episodes, so viewers can pick and choose what they want to watch.
Many multigenerational businesses have documented their values and governance practices for future generations. Lekushoff’s company takes the same idea and transfers it to a visual platform.
For those who want a combination of text, audio and film, Iacono’s company offers all options.
“We’ll have an interview process that lasts about an hour to start, working through some of their insights,” she says. “Then it’s the client’s choice to either have written life books, written life guides, legacy letters, audio or video segments.”
Benefits of the format
Family businesses are also making use of these media creations.
“Companies are taking little snippets and putting them in their social media channels, because it brings clients and customers closer to the brand,” Lekushoff says. “It’s a beautiful technique to really showcase values, showcase the people behind the brand. Companies are putting this on their website to tell their history.”
Iacono is also drawing interest from other kinds of organizations. She’s partnering with Unsinkable, a mental health non-profit founded by Canadian Olympic rower Silken Laumann.
Another benefit of taking the storytelling approach of LegacyNex and CONTEXT Studios is that family members can bestow the next generations with role models showing their knowledge and resilience and navigation of life challenges.
“It’s a values-based exercise,” Iacono says. “People are doing this in their early 40s, and it allows people to rethink about living with intentionality. It allows people to offer insights for future life challenges.”
Spotlighting one’s financial legacy is commonplace, Lekushoff says. Her work fills in the missing pieces of a family’s legacy.
“When people talk about legacy, it’s the stories that shaped their childhood, it’s the emotional connection to your parents,” she adds. “So when they’re gone, you can still watch them and listen to them and be with them.”
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