Life Stories Launches Free Digital Platform Bringing Thousands of Firsthand Stories into Classrooms and Public Life

Developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator for Arts and Culture, LifeStories.org makes thousands of firsthand stories searchable and accessible in one free platform, with tools designed to help educators and other audiences discover and use them.

"LIFE STORIES: Where History Becomes Personal"

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Stories, a nonprofit media organization, today announced the public launch of a redesigned LifeStories.org, a free digital platform that brings documentary films, interviews, journalism, personal stories and educational resources together in one searchable collection. Built for educators, students and curious members of the public, the platform helps users find firsthand perspectives, connect people and ideas across history, and turn individual stories into resources for learning and exploration.

Life Stories began by preserving documentary interviews and films for public and future use. Today, the platform brings together more than 11,000 stories, drawn from more than 500 hours of interviews including firsthand perspectives from Warren Buffett, Gloria Estefan, Nora Ephron, Harry Belefonte, Toni Morrison and Yo-Yo Ma.

The collection is organized into shorter segments focused on specific ideas, experiences and questions, making it easier for users to move across subjects including history, civic life, leadership, creativity, equality and social change — and to discover connections they might not find through a traditional search.

The redesign was supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies through its Digital Accelerator for Arts and Culture, which helps nonprofit organizations strengthen digital infrastructure and expand their ability to serve their communities.

As artificial intelligence makes facts and data easier to access, Life Stories is focused on preserving something less easily generated: how people experienced events, developed ideas, created change, overcame adversity and reached conclusions. Audiences can search by person, subject, idea or moment in history and follow connections across the collection. For educators, a Google Classroom integration makes it easier to bring selected stories into lessons and curriculum materials, giving students direct access to firsthand perspectives alongside traditional classroom resources.

"The power of this collection lies in the connections between people's experiences," said George Kunhardt, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Life Stories. "The new platform makes those connections easier to discover, whether someone is exploring a moment in history, an idea, another person or a question in their own life."

"With thousands of stories in the collection, the challenge has been to help people find the ones that speak directly to what they want to understand," said Teddy Kunhardt, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Life Stories. "The redesigned site is built around curiosity, organizing the collection so that one individual, subject or moment in history leads naturally to voices and perspectives a visitor might not otherwise encounter."

Programming To Be Released This Fall

The launch is accompanied by a new season of original programming on LifeStories.org, all available free of charge. Together, the platform and fall slate offer entry points for educators and students exploring history and civic life, as well as viewers interested in leadership, creativity, resilience and the personal experiences behind major events.

Behind Her Eyes | September 24, 2026
A short film following one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz as she transforms her story of survival into a mission to teach young people about the Holocaust on TikTok.

Becoming Katharine Graham | September 24, 2026
An intimate portrait of a shy woman who found the strength to stand up to President Nixon, transforming The Washington Post into one of the most consequential newspapers of the 20th century.

The Thread: Season 4 | October 1, 2026
The fourth season of Life Stories' weekly interview series that explores the experiences and ideas that shape meaningful lives. The season premieres with renowned glassmaker Simon Pearce, followed by author Sahil Bloom, musician Steven Stills, actor Stefanie Powers and others.

Fragments of Paradise | October 8, 2026
A feature documentary based on never-before-seen home movies, video diaries and personal recordings of the renowned filmmaker Jonas Mekas, tracing his search for beauty, memory and meaning in the aftermath of exile.

Mario | October 29, 2026
A feature documentary on Mario Cuomo's journey from a poor son of Italian immigrants in Queens to three-term governor of New York and a timeless voice in American politics.

About Life Stories

Life Stories is a nonprofit media organization that produces and preserves high-quality narrative stories about individuals whose experiences illuminate the people, ideas, events and forces that shape the world. Through films, interviews, curated stories, archival films and photographs, educational resources and its digital platform, Life Stories provides free public access to authentic human experience and helps audiences discover connections across people, ideas, places and time. Founded by the Kunhardt family, award-winning documentary filmmakers whose work has introduced generations of viewers to cultural, political, artistic and civil rights leaders, Life Stories' growing collection has reached more than 25 million viewers.

Media Contact

Bobby Bitter
Life Stories
[email protected]
914-471-5615

Kristen Marion 
[email protected] 
623.308.2638

SOURCE Life Stories