The ECHO Films Story

From Founder and Chief Creative, Ollie Dale:

A photographer professionally since 2003, I’ve spent the majority of my career making photos and videos for other people. Married in 2006, and with 3 kids born between 2007 and 2011, family life can be a source of creativity.

In 2019 I saw a presentation by a videographer from Australia, who was making family videos. She showed a father throwing his kids in the air and in that moment I realised two haunting truths – I didn’t have any footage of me throwing my kids in the air, nor did my father have any footage of him throwing me in the air.

I also remember a lot about growing up in Mount Albert, Auckland, in the 1980s: Backyard Cricket, the passionfruit vine, swinging on the rotary clothes line, double happies and Garbage Pail Kids, jumping the neighbours’ fence to retrieve tennis balls, and my Dad’s 1937 Austin Seven…

But do we have any videos of my childhood memories? Not really, and my dad was a photographer!

Pulling a wheelie on an E-Bike

That got me thinking – what am I doing to record the things my kids will remember from their childhood? Not my memories of their childhood, THEIR memories?

And what have I done to preserve their voices? At 12 my son’s voice has already changed – what do I have of him as a kid? What will I remember of him before he’s officially a teenager? And if I need those memories remembered through the eyes of a storyteller, then everyone does!

Then the most beautiful part of ECHO Films was born – the realisation that not everyone would be in a position to hire a professional storyteller to remember them as they are right now…

A true ECHO resounds off its environment – it bounces off everything and is reflected in all directions.

So the Pay-It-Forward element of ECHO Films is there to help spread the opportunity of professional storytelling to everyone!

Order your ECHO Film today, and know that not only are your family’s memories preserved forever, so are someone else’s!

Choose your ECHO!