“What if I recorded interviews with a client’s family member?” J.C. Cloonan, founder/owner of LifeMarks Media proposes. “Foster real conversations about their lives, their struggles and the world they grew up in and preserve that for the future?”
LifeMarks Media began service on Halloween 2024. Its mission is to capture the essence of every story through stunning visuals and compelling narratives.
Cloonan is leaning in on his Loved Ones Legacy Projects, where a client’s family gathers old photos, written stories and letters. He digitizes and preserves the materials to craft a 40-to-60 minute documentary for the subject’s family to treasure for generations. Unlike photo albums or handwritten notes, this method provides the feeling of one last conversation with them.
“When I sat down and interviewed my dad, he loved it, despite being nervous,” Cloonan says. “When we watched the finished product, family and friends became emotional.
“It was great sitting down with my dad and learning things about him I never knew,” he says of his personal production for his family. “I thought I knew what was going on in his life, but to go deeper into it and put pictures to names? It takes a lot of time to develop it into a consumable documentary.”
Included among the projects LifeMarks Media delivers are records of baby photos, family photos, corporate headshots, portraits and branding sessions. “I loved watching different camera angles and observing how the art form can work,” he says of his fondness for storytelling. “My folks bought camcorders for Christmas and we’d experiment with photography. We would have the neighborhood kids with us to make little home movies where we were fighting with fake swords.
“If your storyline is like an EKG of the human heartbeat it’s much like your story,” Cloonan explains of his company’s logo, “You have peaks and valleys on a line.”
Cloonan explains that as a journey, there are upticks/landmarks that show us where we’re headed and where we’ve been. “I call them life marks, as these are things in your life that show where you’ve been and where you’re going. I’m trying to show that these are moments in time are crucial to our development as people; it’s the philosophy behind what I do.”
LiveMarks Media has a high demand for producing these legacies. Seth and Carissa Norton wanted a Loved Ones’ Legacy Project of Seth’s grandparents for their family. “We interviewed Grandma and Grandpa together,” Cloonan says. “Their story was very touching because they’ve been married for 63 years.”
“It was probably one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had the honor of being a part of,” Carissa says. “It was something I couldn’t do for my own grandparents; to commission it for my husband is invaluable. To hear their voices, see them interact with each other, listen to their laughs and immortalize their life together has become our greatest treasure.”
Carissa encourages others to discover this memory opportunity. “If you have time and can invest a bit into not just your future, but also your children’s and your children’s children’s future, what a wonderful legacy to hear the voice of their ancestors and meet them.”
Cloonan plans to franchise his work to other videographers who can lean on LifeMarks’ name. He offers a photography summit. He crafts a story and works with other photographers to garner work by other artists. The results become akin to a comic book.
“Every participant is different and I’m curating the final product,” he says. “Not only did it give people an opportunity to try something new, improve their skills and learn from one another but we also made connections and cultivated friendships.”
When he has time for himself, Cloonan enjoys Ultimate Frisbee, riding his electric skateboard and spending time with friends, including an annual international trip.
Cloonan relishes sitting down with his clients’ loved ones, turning their lives into a documentary. He captures their voices, conserves their stories and provides them with something to hang on to when they need them most. “Even in a world of floods, fires and fragile memories, your legacy can be preserved,” he says of his Loved Ones Legacy Project. “Let’s tell their story before it’s too late.”
TO THE POINT:
LifeMarks Media
Address: 700 Tech Center Pkwy., Newport News VA 23602
Contact: J.C. Cloonan
Phone: 757-303-3227
Email: jc@lifemarksmedia.com
Website: lifemarksmedia.com
