Barbara Herel, Founder & Producer

Barbara Herel is a storyteller & producer, wife & mother, and a recovering middle child. You bet she has some stories to tell. You can find her work in oodles of places, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, Adoptive Families, on page 31 of a very cool anthology called The Zen of Midlife Mothering, and right here on Every Family’s Got One.

 

Barbara (as well as her husband & co-producer Tony Mennuto), was a writer/performer for NBC’s late-night sketch-comedy troupe Live On Tape. Barbara & Tony are also your discerning & delightful hosts of Every Family’s Got One live shows and the EFGO Podcast.

 

The story behind Every Family’s Got One

Hi, I’m Barbara and I have always loved hearing stories about people’s crazy families, and, sure, sharing a few of my own.

I had just come off the high of co-producing and performing in the NYC production of the Listen To Your Mother show for three years running. This storytelling experience brought me right back to that time in my life when all I did was write and perform, mostly sketch comedy–first with Gotham City Improv at famed NYC digs, such as The Duplex and Don’t Tell Mama’s, and then with Live On Tape at the West Bank Café and for NBC. (We filmed in SNL’s legendary Studio 8H.)

I very much wanted to keep this thrill, this creativity going. Then one late night standing in my kitchen, I got an idea for a brand-new storytelling show – and that tingly feeling that I was on to something…

That every single one of us has an authentic family story to tell. 

But it’s more than that.

Sharing our personal narratives gives us all a deeper understanding about ourselves and our families. It helps create meaning out of our past. It has a hand in shaping our current lives. It makes us think about what crazy stories we want to pass along to the next generation–which isn’t so crazy after all.

And that’s how Every Family’s Got One came to be.

Our live storytelling shows have been a blast–with surprising journal entries, Hickory Farms giveaways, games, and, of course, the most amazing family stories from the country’s best storytellers.

And now, Tony and I are bringing this same kind of exciting entertainment to every episode of our EFGO Podcast.

Family stories.

These truly are the stories worth telling. And Tony and I can’t wait to hear yours. Please join our community of storytellers or be a part of our audience.

Stay well. Talk soon.

My very best,

Barbara