The Lorax may “speak for the trees,” but your family tree should, and literally can, speak for itself with Storied.
The “next chapter” in family history, Storied allows users to connect through stories that add up to one extensive and interactive family tree. Users can upload memorable, interactive media such as audio recordings, photos and videos of loved ones that will be available for future generations. Rather than having to recall where a great-grandmother grew up, for example, Storied users can visit the platform to hear her talk about her hometown—in her own voice.
“For me, the most powerful way to convey family history is to convey it through a story,” says Storied CEO Kendall Hulet. “I felt like there was a big gap in the market around storytelling and family history.”
Once great-grandma has uploaded an audio recording of her story, relatives can upload their own stories about a time they were in her hometown and photos to go with it. Now, both of the stories are connected through Storied.
“The underlying technology we have is to connect everything together. You’re tapping into a set of stories that are shared experiences,” Hulet says. A picture is worth a thousand words, and when combined with an audio recording or a short blurb, the result can be priceless.
Storied’s technology aims to connect people from all walks of life. This is family history reimagined, as users’ stories will tie together with more users than just blood relatives and familial members.
“Everyone defines family differently, so we want to account for connections to a best friend, a beloved pet, a professional colleague, a trusted mentor or chosen family,” Hulet said in a press release. “Storied’s unique approach unlocks a fuller view of our past.”
Prior to joining Storied, Hulet worked as the SVP of product management at Ancestry. “I helped [Ancestry] build out their family tree system, I helped with their DNA product and helped them go to other countries and launch international product features,” he says.
Storied came to be through a rebrand process. The company was previously known as WorldArchives, which was acquired by Charles Thayne Capital and was a global leader in historical newspaper content.
Alongside Hulet is CMO Brandon Camp, who also previously worked at Ancestry for nine and a half years.
“I love being in an industry that makes a difference for people,” Camp says.The Storied team consists of individuals who are passionate about genealogy and the impact it has on families, friends and communities. Hulet says his team of family history experts continues to be inspired by the New York Times article “The Stories That Bind Us,” as it shows the impact of family history on children. The team is also inspired by writer Bruce Feiler and the Emory University research paper “How family stories help children weather hard times” by Robyn Fivush and Marshall Duke.
“They found that kids who knew more about their family history scored way higher in resilience and self-confidence,” Hulet says.
Camp has directly applied this finding to his personal life. Storytime using Storied is now a part of the bedtime routine with his wife and eight children.
“Every night when I go to tuck them in and make sure their room is clean, they say, ‘Tell us a story from Storied,’” Camp says. “So, I will pull up Storied, and I will share an experience from when I was a kid. This has been one of the most rewarding aspects.”
Through the platform, Camp is building an interactive family tree that his children will have access to for life with the click of a few buttons.
While the majority of the big family history platforms are a lot more expensive, Hulet says, the Storied team aims for the platform to be more affordable. “We just believe that there are a lot more people who are sitting on the sidelines because of the price point,” Hulet says.
The free version of Storied allows users to build a family tree, record and share stories, and find information about people in your tree. For $4.99 per month, Storied Plus users can also share their family tree through groups and access United States historical records. At the highest price point, Storied Ultimate starts at $11.66 per month and comes with access to United Kingdom historical records and NewspaperArchive, along with more options for groups.
Within the next 10 years, Camp says he hopes Storied will be available globally and in more languages than just English.
“I want to maximize the impact around the world so that people can get the benefit of it that I am getting right now with my family,” he says.