Find out more about our founder
Hello
My name is Simon Watts and I am an active journalist with over 20 years experience working in Radio and Television broadcasting.
Firstly may I thank you personally for taking the time to look at our website.
This is an idea I had been sat on for a number of years, but only had the time to finally get it off the ground during the crazy periods of lockdown.
Why I love story telling
I’ve been in the privileged position to have met and interviewed many big names from the World of news and sport, working for the likes of the BBC and Sky among others. However over the years, my most memorable interviews have come from meeting “ordinary” people. Because I believe we ALL have amazing stories.
Whether that be inspirational torch bearers at the London 2012 Olympics, survivors of the Holocaust, people who went out of their way to help others in their community during the Coronavirus outbreak, or hearing the every day stories of listeners interacting with the various radio stations I have been lucky enough to represent.
What has always been clear is that EVERYBODY has a life tale. I just love listening to people’s stories, their backgrounds and finding out about the lives and experiences of others.
My motivation
20 odd years ago while I was still at University, I was driving home from a football match with my grandfather – Don. He chose our journey to reveal his experiences while carrying out National Service in Malaya. We went on to talk about his experiences living in the jungle, his years racing stock cars, how he happened across a friend who taught him how to fly a hot air balloon and spending time living in South Africa.
These were revelations, I knew Don as just a humble plumber by trade, born and bred in Buckinghamshire who loved football and motorsport. He passed away less than a year later and only when I had two young children of my own did I really regret having not made some sort of recording Don’s life stories.
With the benefit of modern recording and editing technology, it is now so much easier to sit down and record an audio interview.
We are able to track our family tree through websites like Ancestry, Genealogy and Find My Past to discover records of our ancestors dating back hundreds of years. My aim for this service is to provide substance to this precious family history, so your story can be heard for generations to come.
It’s easier and more personable than writing an autobiography, it means you can voice your own stories – think ‘This Is Your Life’ or ‘Desert Island Disc’, but without the live studio audience!
My team of people
This is a genuine start-up, driven by my passion for providing a high quality service with an end result that can be kept for years to come. A family legacy. As I am still actively working as a journalist, I also have a pool of respected colleagues working regionally, fellow broadcasting professionals who I can trust to deliver and who I can guarantee you will enjoy speaking to!
The whole idea is that we come to you, we make it comfortable and FUN, without any time pressures, using our years of interviewing and social skills to make it a fantastic experience and trip down memory lane, with a high end final result. An oral history for life.
Please feel free to get in touch and I will happily discuss how we could make something bespoke to you and answer any questions.
We don’t have a sales team, we’re not pushing for a hard sell, there will be no pesting or pressure for an answer.
Thank you once again for reading.
Simon.