The documentary begins with sepia- toned family photos fading in and out with the passage of time until you see a baby picture, but hear the voice of an elderly gentleman explaining that he was born at exactly the right time. The video is the family biography of Elmer Wavering, who was fascinated by the radio as a child and grew up to invent the car radio.

The video was made for the Wavering family as a memorial to Elmer and his legacy.

It is one of about 30 biographical documentaries Robert H. Jordan Jr. and his company, Video Family Biographies, has produced for ultra-high-net-worth families, who look upon the movies as a way to preserve forever the family's philosophies, ideals and origins. The stories are sometimes about building a family business into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Others are meant as a memorial to be passed on to future generations. Sometimes the project is prompted by a family tragedy or transitional event.
"Foremost among the concerns is the awesome task of preserving the wealth for future generations," Jordan says. "The heirs face the complex task of preserving the wealth-passing on to succeeding generations the important values which guided and enabled the benefactors to reach the pinnacle in the first place."

Jordan, who is a news anchor for WGN-TV in Chicago, has a small production crew that helps him put together the documentaries, which are generally 90 minutes to two hours long and can take months or up to a year and a half to produce. He does it on his days off and on vacation time from his anchor job. The projects generally cost between $80,000 and $100,000 to produce, not including travel expenses, but costs can go higher on some projects, he says. Those who have decided to preserve their family histories in this manner feel it is well worth the cost, he adds.

"Doing the biographies seemed to be a natural offshoot for me of telling stories as a television journalist," he says.
Jordan's business grew out of his own personal tragedy. He had his own production company and was producing television shows for several years when, nine years ago, a friend of his died unexpectedly while he was out of town.

He called each of his friend's five children and gathered some family pictures, put music to them, and produced a four-minute profile to give to the family.

"The family went crazy. They loved it," Jordan recalls. He then started talking to fellow members of the board of Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and asked if any of them, all high-net-worth individuals, had ever had a biography done. Only one had.
He put together a business plan and got funding. Through word of mouth, and later referrals, the business grew. Video Family Biographies, at www.videofamilybiographies.com, now caters to families, family businesses and family foundations with assets ranging from $5 million to $10 million and up. The business joined Family Office Exchange and other organizations catering to high-net-worth families to get more exposure.

Jordan also is head of Jordan & Jordan Communications, which is a full-service video production company that has done videos for the Tribune Company, which owns more than two dozen small television stations, and for Odyssey, a religiously affiliated cable station. He also has done television productions for foundations and for private companies. However, Jordan says, most of that work has taken a back seat to the family biographies business in recent years.

"I learn who the big family offices are and tell them what I do. Many are not aware this kind of service even exists," Jordan says. His nearest competition is based in Canada, he adds. Most other services provide a collage of video clips, without narration or a coherent story, he says.

The Brumley family in Atlanta is among Jordan's satisfied clients. The family had been a huge, but quiet, contributor to the Atlanta community for years when Dr. George Brumley Jr., his wife, three of their five children, seven other family members and two pilots were killed when their plane crashed into Mount Kenya in 2003. The remaining twin daughters, Nancy Robitaille and Marie Brumley Foster, decided to make a video so their children and future generations would know about the pediatrician and his wife, Jean, who created the Zeist Foundation to help children.

"At the five-year anniversary of the crash, we felt it was time," Foster explains. "We were far enough away that we could talk about it but we did not want to wait too long and lose anything. The biographies Bob showed us seemed to catch the essence of each family."

Robitaille says Jordan helped the sisters along as they revisited the family tragedy.

"Bob was very understanding and patient," she says. "He seemed genuinely moved by our story. He went to where my parents grew up and took footage. A lot of it was very hard to go through but it was well worth every step."

Foster says the documentary's focus on the family foundation, and the family members who were killed in the crash, was an eye-opening experience for some family members.

"My youngest child didn't know any of these people," she says.

One of the most touching parts of the documentary is a segment showing her father giving a eulogy at his mother's funeral.
"I didn't even know that video existed and it was the first time since the crash that I had heard my father's voice," Robitaille says.

The Miniat family in Chicago decided to make a movie to preserve the history of the family meat-packing business and to delve into what drove the founders to succeed and what their philosophies of life, business and community were.

Chuck Nolan is a fourth-generation member of the family business and is an in-law, married to a Miniat. He hopes the biography, which is still in production, will be a cherished item to members of future generations that join the family business, as well as those who pursue different careers.

"Michael Miniat was a Lithuanian immigrant who came here about 1894, began buying meat at the stockyards and peddling it by horse and wagon to the neighborhoods," Nolan says. "The business has now changed several times over the years and is now operated by the fourth generation, but we wanted future generations to have an understanding of how the business was built."
The biographies are divided into chapters. If there are many people involved, each chapter may focus on a different branch of the family. The segmented format is also designed to make the final documentary more useful to the family. For example, the Miniat family will be able to run selected chapters of the documentary on its company Web site.

Each of the biographies is produced using digital high-definition video equipment, according to Jordan, who writes and narrates the stories. Some families keep Jordan on retainer to update the biographies periodically as the family, business or foundation grows.

It is because of the families' wealth that they can afford this luxury, but the wealth is also the reason they may feel it is needed.
"Coinciding with their unique social positions and extraordinary benefits come a multitude of tribulations-worries that most families never even consider," Jordan explains.

Successful multigenerational families care about preserving history because they understand that a complex family must have a common vision, he says. "It must look ahead to the future and form a consensus on a shared goal," Jordan says.

Jordan's journalism skills are a key part of the production work. Park of his time is spent researching family histories. He sometimes discovers old films or unearths family stories that some family members don't even know existed.

As an experienced interviewer, Jordan says he can usually tell if people are not telling the truth-but he also has to rely on them to be honest. The hardest part of the job, he says, is dealing with family squabbles or business rivalries. Over time, he says, he is usually able to convince everyone in the family to cooperate for the biography, even if they do not talk to each other in real life.

Jordan says family leaders of wealthy families feel it is important to pass on values such as charitable giving, but they are willing to let succeeding generations pick their own projects or goals.

"Their basic belief is that philanthropy is important. They want to keep the kids grounded," he says. "If the kids know and are proud of their heritage, they will be more interested in protecting the family legacy."