Feedback to treasure

I commissioned Rosie to produce a surprise Spoken Portrait for my mum’s 80th birthday. I was quite nervous about the process and Rosie guided me through with reassuring professionalism and sensitivity. She expertly broke down this big undertaking into manageable stages and I knew I was in good hands all the way through.

Rosie has a way of setting people at ease with her warmth and genuine interest. She managed to collect some moving and priceless memories that will be treasured forever. It was a huge success – a very highly recommended gift and altogether rewarding experience!

— Naomi, London

 
I was delighted with this recent feedback.
 
No doubt about it, a surprise Spoken Portrait is a big piece of work. First there’s the thought that goes into coming up with ideas for the shape and tone of the feature; mapping out events and topics to talk about; and identifying good people to speak. Then there’s all the work contacting people to invite them to take part, and setting up and recording interviews. In this case I spoke to 20 people from Islington to Israel. After that, I’ll spend days carefully editing the material together into a seamless, entertaining feature (leaving all the hesitations, repetitions and deviations on the cutting room floor).
 
I love the project management side of things. I think that’s where my background as a lawyer handling multi-billion dollar cases comes in! But I also love connecting with people on a very human level, making space for them to talk, and drawing out their stories and experiences.
 
Ultimately, though, this is about celebrating a person’s life, their friendships and relationships – which is why getting feedback like this makes it all so very worthwhile and rewarding.