BiographyNOW Names Hayes Ferguson as president and chief operating officer
“Bringing Families Together Through Life Stories of Loved Ones”
BiographyNOW Names Hayes Ferguson as president and chief operating officer
BiographyNOW, a new company with a unique process that writes and publishes personalized biographies linked with history, today named longtime Legacy.com executive Hayes Ferguson as its president and chief operating officer.
Ferguson was part of the founding management team of the Evanston, IL-based online memorial company, whose website is among the 50 most visited in the United States, and is a leader in the growing market for personal memories and tributes. Prior to Legacy.com, Hayes was a writer for People magazine and has taught journalism at Northwestern University.
BiographyNOW, which earlier this year established its headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, offers an easy and fast way for people to create professionally written and illustrated “Life and Times” books about friends, family, colleagues – or themselves. Each book contains photos and a personal life story, as well as historical content to put that story in a broader context.
“We are delighted to have someone with such an accomplished background help realize our vision of making it easy for anyone to publish a personal and engaging life story,” said chairman and co-founder David Brown, noting that the books can be used to celebrate milestones such as birthdays, retirements and memorials or to pay tribute to a close relative or ancestor.
“Ours is a high quality, hardcover book that will be treasured by customers and bring families together by sharing stories,” said Brown, a Chicago-based entrepreneur and investor. BiographyNOW books that are written about an individual will be available for purchase by multiple family members and others connected to the biography subject.
Ferguson will lead a team of biographers and a resident historian in crafting beautiful 35- page hardcover books after conducting interviews based on information submitted through a simple online process. The biographies can be produced by the company within two weeks and require as little as two hours of time from the customer. Each book will include relevant historical pieces written by a BiographyNOW historian and contained in the company’s extensive historical library.
“As someone with a passion for books and history, and a keen interest in stories about people, I am excited to join a company dedicated to preserving personal histories in print and making history accessible,” said Ferguson. “BiographyNOW has made it easy for anyone to publish a biography or memoir, regardless of their computer or writing skills, because we do all of the work.”
BiographyNOW is part of MemoryVentures, a fast-growing portfolio of companies that includes a photo scanning operation, called ScanDigital that will assist customers who submit photos of the biography subject.
“Even in the digital age, there is a strong desire for products that people can hold in their hands,” said Anderson Schoenrock, CEO of MemoryVentures and BiographyNOW. “The books we publish are well-made and attractive looking. And their content will be clearly written and fun to read, thanks in part to the fact that it will be overseen by someone with extensive storytelling and editing experience.”
BiographyNOW’s services currently are available on a selective basis, but will soon be more broadly available to the public.
About BiographyNOW: Based in Fishers, Indiana, BiographyNOW offers an easy and fast way for people to create professionally written, hardcover “Life and Times” books about friends, family, colleagues – or themselves. Each book contains photos and a life story, as well as historical content that provides a broader context for the story. www.biographynow.com
About MemoryVentures: Memory Ventures is a Fishers, IN-based portfolio of eight e- commerce brands that offer a range of products and services focused on memory preservation. One of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., twice featured on both the Inc. 500 list and the Deloitte Fast500, the portfolio aims to help consumers preserve, share and enjoy their best moments in life. www.memoryventures.com
For more information, contact media@BiographyNOW.com
BiographyNOW
9900 Westpoint Drive, Suite 138 Fishers, Indiana 46256
