Preserving and honoring the stories that matter

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Let’s work together

Based in the San Francisco East Bay, GEMS designs thoughtful, creative storytelling projects tailored to your goals, your community, and your resources. From community and place-based storytelling to family legacy projects and Event Gems, we find meaningful ways to capture, preserve, and share the stories that matter.

Each project is shaped through creative collaboration and deep listening. That might be an audio keepsake for a special occasion, honoring a loved one through life reminiscence, preserving family histories, or integrating oral histories into the built environment. Let’s connect!

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  • “The work you did with my parents has been a solace…I am so glad you were able to capture him while he was still here”

    Client, 2022

  • “GEMS Oral Histories (Elena) helped me create a memorable gift for my mother when she turned 80. Everyone had always told my mom she should write a book about her life, but she was too busy. Elena met with my mom in-person four times and provided the recordings and cleaned up transcripts of those sessions. I'm so happy to have these stories and memories documented, and my mom enjoyed the process. Elena was really easy to work with and on top of communication. Thanks, Elena!”

    —SF Bay Area client, 2025

  • “Elena is helping my family capture my grandmother’s 99-year life story. During our consultation call she gracefully and thoughtfully covered every important detail, making me feel confident that our final product will be meaningful and high-quality. Elena’s professional experience shines through, as does her deep understanding of the human condition. I am so looking forward to moving through this project with her help and find myself thinking of all the ways I might want to use her service in other areas of my life.”

    Client, 2022

  • “I’m happy to have the opportunity of speaking with you and you’re so wonderful in terms of your listening, your patience, your empathy, you get it. And it’s wonderful to be able to know that you are there on the other side, which frees me up on my side to be a little freer as well.”

    Narrator, personal oral history, December 2022

  • “Me and my grandma had the BEST time doing our oral history session – she and I both said we can’t wait for the next one. Thank you!!!”

    Client, 2021