The Importance of Storytelling: Honoring the Value of Each Life Experience

Nicole and Eric’s first introduction to FriendshipWorks came through Kyle Robidoux, a member of FriendshipWorks' Board of Directors. While filming a campaign video for Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, they met Kyle and immediately hit it off. After staying Facebook friends for over a year, one of Kyle’s posts about FriendshipWorks’ Annual Walk to End Elder Isolation caught Nicole and Eric’s eye. At the time, they were looking to get involved in an organization that focused on social isolation, and FriendshipWorks felt like the perfect fit. 

Nicole and Eric believe in the importance of storytelling and honoring the value of each person’s life experience. That’s what drew them to FriendshipWorks. Nicole says, “The idea that someone could feel so alone after living so many years is unnecessary. They have so many life experiences and stories that they can share.”

In addition to highlighting the stories of organizations they work with, Nicole and Eric also document individual family histories through Sevenpair’s sister studio, Shanachie Studios. There, they record and preserve family legacies through stories from the older generation. Nicole explains, “After losing a couple close family members, I realized that preserving stories specifically through photos and videos was so precious. Sometimes people don’t realize how important that is until it’s too late.” This personal motivation is reflected in the storytelling that they do for all of their clients, including FriendshipWorks.

While Nicole and Eric tell stories through mediums and techniques of the current day, their process is still very much rooted in the timeless value of human connection. “My favorite part of work is meeting new people,” Eric states. “The camera comes second.” When recording videos, they spend most of their time conversing with participants or community members, and joining in on every activity that they film. Eric and Nicole make sure every participant is comfortable and relaxed enough to feel that they are immersed in a friendly conversation and the camera has almost disappeared. Laura Willis, Marketing and Communications Strategist with FriendshipWorks says, “It's a pleasure to work with people like Nicole and Eric whose passion comes through in their ability to capture the facial expressions, movements, and words in the final video product that creates a deep emotional connection with the viewer.”

Nicole and Eric have been inspired by the older adults they have met while working on the FriendshipWorks projects and feel fulfilled knowing their videos support such a worthy cause. As they look ahead to their own aging, they hope to continue to find excitement in learning new things, staying connected to others, and tapping into organizations like FriendshipWorks should they need it.