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An image of the American Museum of Natural History. Illustration by Modus.
StoryKeep, founded in 2010 by former WNYC producer Jamie Yuenger, has produced more than 100 private films and podcasts for families, and no matter the subject, medium or scale, clients keep coming back. An hours-long documentary or audio series only contains so much. A single can feel like a photo album with only one picture, unintentionally leaving out people, events and places that are nonetheless important to a family. So clients commission more projects and ask for everything on the cutting room floor: video footage, stories recorded, notes and more.
Over the years, as StoryKeep helped clients organize those collections, Yuenger realized they could be more accessible and fulfilling. Great pieces were ending up in virtual storage, or weren't presented in ways that best engaged visitors, especially children or new spouses still learning about a family.
“We realized how important it was to look at the stories as valuable in that way…and giving different people a space to have a voice. Using the stories for younger people in the family to really have a sense of agency and have a place where those stories can evolve. Not just be a historical piece, but actually something that can change and grow over time,” Yuenger said.
What families needed was a digital space for exhibits and where people could gather, collaborate and store their collection; they needed museums, and so Yuenger sought a director who could make that a reality.
Last month, StoryKeep hired Niccole "KC" Schaper, an acclaimed designer and editor whose work at The Washington Post included “Searching for Maura,” a finalist for a 2024 Pulitzer Prize in illustrated reporting and commentary, one of journalism’s most prestigious awards. That illustrated reporting was part of a larger project about at least 268 brains gathered by the Smithsonian Institution, mostly in the first half of the 20th century and unbeknownst to the families of the deceased.
Those are just two examples of Schaper’s collaboration on the most ambitious enterprise work at The Post, which has high stakes. Newsrooms have a finite number of people, hours and dollars to dedicate to large projects, and competition for news consumers' attention is fiercer than ever. Artificial intelligence and other tools have made parts of projects easier, but the decisions that lead to successful packaging and delivering content to readers and viewers require people and experience. That’s what Schaper is bringing to StoryKeep.
“We can totally use AI to organize and sort, and all of those things,” but unless something has already been digitized, knowledge and context remain unknown and risk being lost forever, Schaper said.
“Once upon a time we would sort through the photo album, and someone would go, ‘Oh, who's that? Where was this?’ And conversations naturally happen. When you remove moments like that, institutional knowledge no longer gets passed down, no longer gets shared. But through the work that StoryKeep does, that institutional knowledge continues to pop up in new ways. That's what AI can't do, but that is something that StoryKeep can do, and they do it very well,” she added.
Some StoryKeep clients have “hundreds” of boxes of organized documents and more, “but there's no meaning, and there's no through line created from that,” Yuenger said. “Putting it all into an archive that is accessible is not really accessible because nobody just goes and looks at 1,001 pieces of something that has no meaning or storyline attached to it.”
Every museum is built from scratch and personalized, but they share similar elements: they begin with current exhibits, have permanent ones, and include a depot where the entire family’s collection is stored. They also have virtual ways for visitors to gather and engage with each other. The museums are private (families decide who can visit) and secure. Schaper, whose title is director of museums, will coordinate with all the professionals or “curators” on those things, including producers, cinematographers, audio engineers, software developers and writers. (When the digital spaces connect to a physical object or museum, StoryKeep also works with other professionals who specialize in that.)
Schaper said her love for telling and preserving stories is really a love for human existence, which feels challenged as life becomes increasingly online and automated.
“Especially right now in this digital age, I think there's a very large disconnect between what is accessible versus what actually creates human connection. That really resonated with me. There are so many ways you can talk to people and technically connect with them, but actually creating human connection requires more work than what technology can give you,” Schaper said.
“This work becomes more and more important because I think there are a lot of people right now who are feeling a lack of real human connection and understanding.”
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Modus readers are familiar with at least one thing the report highlights: Teams—especially those part of the NFL and NBA—are now selling for several billion dollars and more. At those prices, the pool of would-be buyers who can afford a team, want to own one, and would be welcomed by the leagues and other owners has shrunk. To “capitalize on the valuation tailwinds” blowing right now and in the near-term forecast, leagues and team owners are increasingly partnering with institutional investors for liquidity, growth capital, and operational expertise.Morgan Stanley’s 24-page, Rubik’s Cube framework for managing a family office is not groundbreaking, but interesting.
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A message from FOTechHub
What’s Next for Family Office Tech?
Join FOTechHub’s 4th Annual Family Office Tech & Ops Conference — independent panels, peer insights, and live demos of the tools family offices actually use.
Nov 18–19 | 12:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern Time | Virtual
Optional networking opens 11:30 a.m. ET both days.
This year’s agenda covers how to put AI to work in your office and how to do it safely — from first experiments to real tools like MCPs and agents, to the governance and controls that come with it, including building your own harness and data layer — plus where investors are putting their money in family office tech and what trends to watch for in 2027. Full Agenda here.
Confirmed speakers: Tania Neild (InfoGrate), Ilka Gregory (7th Gen SFO), Christine Chang (Avire), Rupen Patel (Sumeru), Matt Streisfeld (Oak HC/FT), Steven Piaker (Ten Coves), Bob Stiess (Protocol), Jake Davy (FICCEP), Amy Beahm (Freeman FO), Phil Strassler (Tech-NEW-logy), John LaMancuso (K1x), Greg Silverman (ClarityEdge), James Engler (Rosemore), Paul Weller (Temerity Capital), Harry Halpert (Acer).
Live Demos: Asseta, Sage, AgiLink, Archway, SumIt (accounting); Asset Vantage, Auria, Mantle, Aleta, Masttro, Unlimited.ai (portfolio & reporting); K1x (tax); and Eleven, Trusted Family (FO Operations).
Complimentary registration for family offices and their advisors.
Jobs
Chief financial officer / chief operating officer. Recruitment firm Agreus is helping a single-family office in London hire an executive. The office oversees the family’s finances and operations, including its estates, philanthropy, art collection and international property. It invests across public and private markets, including directly in companies. (London; no salary or benefit details.)
Chief human resources officer. The Dalio Family Office, which supports Barbara and Ray Dalio and their family in their ventures, investments and philanthropic efforts, is hiring a head of HR. This person will shape the personnel strategy and work closely with the family, the office leadership and staff in Westport, Connecticut; New York; Singapore; and Abu Dhabi. Any this job pays. (Westport, Connecticut, plus 10% travel to the UAE and Singapore; hybrid; $700,000, including a merit-based bonus.)
Research analyst, public equities. Also at the Dalio Family Office. (Westport, Connecticut; hybrid; $700,000, including a merit-based bonus).
Distressed debt and high-yield analyst. Here’s one you don’t see often. Recruitment firm Selby Jennings is helping a family office in Dallas, described as a multibillion-dollar “private investment platform with a long-term investment horizon,” hire someone to cover high-yield, leveraged loans, distressed and special situations. (Dallas; $200,000 a year.)
Head of quantitative research and investment technology. Soros Fund Management, which manages $28 billion and is the principal asset manager for the Open Society Foundations, is looking for a technical brainiac. This person will report to the CTO and work with the CIO, chief risk officer and portfolio managers on quantitative models, portfolio construction and risk tools. They will inherit a team of quantitative researchers, data scientists and investment technologists already there. (New York; 4 days in the office; $300,000 base salary, plus discretionary year-end bonus.)
Analyst, investments. Walton Enterprises, which manages the personal, philanthropic and business affairs of the Walton family, is hiring an analyst to support manager due diligence, portfolio management, asset allocation and reporting for the family’s investment and foundation portfolios. (Washington, D.C.; $111,000.)
Senior accountant, family office. EY accounting compliance and reporting team in Milan, which works with major Italian and foreign family offices, is hiring a senior accountant. This person will analyze portfolios of derivatives, club deals, bonds, equities and funds for their financial, civil and tax implications. (Milan, Italy; hybrid; €43,000 gross.)
Client service activation analyst. Asora, the performance-reporting software company, is hiring an analyst to lead client onboarding, setting up client profiles, data connections and reporting, and train new users. Fintech or family office experience is a plus. (Dublin, Ireland, or remote; no salary or benefit details.)
The “Jobs” section is wholly curated and written by me. Modus is not compensated by any candidate, recruiter, or hiring firm for inclusion. If you have an open position you want to share here, reply to this email or send it to: [email protected].
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I’ll be in…
Drinking and dining at No. 7, a go-to spot with, imo, the best cheeseburger in Brooklyn.
Going to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Iris van Herpen exhibit.
On a curb, watching the New York City Marathon. (Go, Alexi and friends!)
