Family Bio-documentaries
What they won’t read they’ll watch.
Don’t let your family slide down history’s gullet undocumented
It’s been widely lamented how few people, especially young ones, like to read long-form texts anymore. In addition, commissioning someone like me to produce a book about a corporate titan or the Unsinkable Aunt Marge, is time-consuming and expensive. Frankly, most people underestimate the cost of doing a full-length book, at approx 220-pages / 55,000-words. They require interviews, research into events and contexts, writing, editing, scores of hours and tens of thousands of dollars. So here’s an alternative.
Who is Paul Fenn?
I’m a writer who began his career in travel writing, switched to magazine reportage and editorial, then expanded into copywriting in advertising and digital, then to video, TV & film screenwriting and now… biographies. As a copywriter, I’ve long inhabited a strange paradox in which I communicate on behalf of others things they know better than me. So writing biographies and, more recently, producing bio-docs came as a natural extension of all that. I bring a life experience that’s international and beyond unique; a Brobdingnagian vocabulary, which I know when and when not to apply; a love of research and historical context; a need to read everything under the sun; and a fierce addiction to daily writing.
I have a team of killers
In my two decade-plus work in the advertising and motorcycle worlds, I’ve made valuable contacts worldwide, including top-drawer video storytellers. Professional teams who produce TV & digital ad campaigns, action sports docs, corporate stories and others. In early 2026, I forged partnerships with two video production groups who bring the full offering – pro-grade camera, lighting and sound tech, plus editing and musical chops. Collectively, we bring an enthusiasm and craft to what we reckon will prove a popular and economical alternative to printed family biographies. Or a worthy adjunct to them.
"If you have family, you have a story. And I have the team to document it.”"
- Paul Fenn, Toronto Biographer
Biography
Picture your family saga as a video-doc
Okay, I’m no Ken Burns, but you can’t afford Ken Burns. What I am is someone who absorbs, then tells, great stories. I’m adept at conducting interviews that allow subjects to relax and talk at length about events, tragedies, eccentrics, ghosts and all the other components of the riveting dynastic epic. The Boomers are aging, not to mention their parents. Collectively, they carry important mental catalogues of a pre-internet world, the Cold War, the whole postwar rise of the world, WWII and the Great Depression. Many played fascinating roles in this pivotal period. This is your moment to record and sanctify their histories for generations.
Biography
Your family’s story, uniquely rendered
We begin with a production plan presentation. Once you’ve signed off on a final draft of it, we begin interviewing on camera (or off) all key and ancillary figures, shot in the most interesting locations available. We set them at ease, get to know them, enabling them to unspool their stored recollections hour upon hour, while thoughtfully lit and beautifully recorded. We can add drone tours of estates, farms, cottages, businesses, favourite haunts, anything and everything to capture the essences of the stories within the story.
Content
That’s the A-roll footage
B-roll comes from scouring all the facilities, archives, photos, documents and closets you choose to allow us access to, using a combo of video, still and drone cameras. Once we’ve bagged our shoot list, we take it all away for editing. After an agreed-to timeline, we provide an initial rough cut for your approval. We review this with you, noting the amendments, additions and deletions you request, then get to work on a second cut. We review this with you as well, add any tweaks and details, then deliver it in glorious hi-res 4k. Your completed documentary comes on a thumb-drive and/or password-protected Vimeo, YouTube or other channel of your choosing.
Biography
What You Get
Pre-shoot Consultation
We discuss main story, interview subjects, questions, story arcs, locations, family artifacts, shooting style, tonality and length of the work.
Master Plan
Detailed description (in contract form if desired) of proposed A-roll & B-roll shoot locations and dates, people to be interviewed, estimated production timelines, 1st and 2nd cut deadlines, total cost and time estimates to deliver a polished final product.
Quality of Execution
A carefully planned, shot and executed work of video documentary art for current and future generations to treasure.
Craft
A religious devotion to brevity, poetry and poignancy.
Promises Kept
On-time delivery of everything as agreed to by both parties.
Customer reviews
What My Clients Say
Paul Fenn is an experienced, talented and strategic copywriter. He has a magical way of taking a concept or a feeling and translating into words that resonate and inspire the audience. I don't hesitate to recommend Paul to others in the marketplace of ideas.
Paul, is advertising talent personified. He is one of those rare 'naturals' that are able to deliver warm, human communications. He even has the advertising pedigree, perhaps you could argue, genetics, to make this case as his father was one of Toronto's original Admen. Highly recommended talented individual!
ExpandaBrand was new to the U.S. and although we'd been doing business here for 15 years, we lacked an online presence. Paul was very easy to work with, created exactly what we wanted… from little more than a few bullet points and an overall feel. He never missed a deadline. We’ll have additional needs… Paul will be our go-to guy.
Paul Fenn is a talented big ideas guy. He is thorough, creative, and filled with enthusiasm. I often turn to Paul for help with major campaigns that I am developing for my clients, and he pulls through every single time.
Working with Paul on the Deloitte campaign, I found him to be a holistic thinker, interested in going beyond the ask to create bigger and more engaging work. Once that happened, the words just sort of fell into place. He's also incredibly collaborative and supportive, and a lot of fun to work with. I hope to work with Paul again.
Genius writer – and clearly one of best copywriters that ever existed. Paul's creative skills coupled with his extraordinary sense of humor can be that element of awe your campaign and marketing needs. I would hire Paul again in a heartbeat!
I had the pleasure of working with Paul on our major fundraising gala The Autists for two years running. Paul's leadership, insight, enthusiasm, sense of humour and creativity are an inspiration to all who come in contact with him. His vision is grand, and his creative instincts are both highly refined and intuitive.
I gave Paul 80,000 words of semi-coherent rambling (and yes, several hundred AI-assisted clichés) and asked him to make it “sound smart.” He not only made it sound smart, he made it readable, which is no small feat when the subject matter is utility corridors and regulatory reform. Grateful doesn’t quite cover it… Paul turned chaos into clarity.
Don't Be Shy
Contact
Get a quote, check on availability or just run an idea by me. I’ll usually get back to you within a business day.