Steve Bedard
By Andrew King
Steve Bedard took a different path into the professional lighting industry than most , and the unique and eclectic skillset he boasts because of it has served him quite well in his career thus far .
Bedard was born in Calgary , AB , but had a relatively nomadic childhood . His father was an independent contractor in the construction industry and took the family from Calgary to London , ON , before eventually planting roots Kelowna , BC .
After graduating high-school there , Bedard said he “ bounced around a bit ,” studying fine arts in university and then taking some time to travel and work odd jobs .
He then went back to school , this time to study professional studio photography for two years . “ That was a very technically-focused program ,” he shares , “ so it was really lighting-intensive .”
After working in photography for a short time , he switched gears and got involved in his father ’ s construction business . “ I ’ m really grateful , because that gave me a lot of experience with construction and on job sites , which has been valuable to my lighting work ,” he says . “ But I eventually realized I didn ’ t want to be pouring concrete and building condos , so I went back to school again , this time for environmental design at the University of British Columbia .”
That program included study of architectural design with a focus on technology , and further enhanced the skillset he ’ s put to good use in his lighting career since .
Between his third and fourth year at UBC , Bedard reconnected with Shaun August , a friend from Kelowna who had become a lighting designer , and started working with him at a Vancouver-based firm . “ He convinced me to come for a summer internship , so I followed him there and stayed after the internship had ended .”
Shortly thereafter , Douglas Welch – a well-known lighting professional with an established company bearing his name – launched a new lighting and media design firm called Eos Lightmedia , and invited both August and Bedard to join his fledging team .
“ Whereas most people come into the business from a theatre background , I came with more of an architectural design and photography background ,” Bedard shares . “ That was great because when I started with Eos , we were a small team and all definitely multidisciplinary , so having a diverse set of skills was really valuable .”
Now , Eos Lightmedia is amidst its 10 th year of business , and Bedard has earned the title of senior designer .
“ The local projects are the ones that really stand out to me ,” he shares , thinking back to some of his favourites over the years . “ We ’ re very proud of the impact we ’ ve had on the city of Vancouver and in the public domain . Our first major project was the lighting retrofit at Science World , the iconic dome at False Creek from Expo 86 . Just before the 2010 Olympics , we retrofitted that with Lumenpulse Lumendomes and came up with the initial concept and commissioning for that system , so the static white landmark that had been there for many years now had a dynamic 3D light show .”
He continues : “ We did a similar project a few years later when we were involved with the design , commissioning , and show creation for the exterior lighting system at BC Place – so two major Vancouver landmarks that define the city from different points of view . I had significant input on each of those , and we ’ re proud to point to them as examples of our work . Both were very inspiring and fulfilling .”
Now an industry leader , Eos Lightmedia doesn ’ t do “ off-the-shelf ” solutions , which means every new project has at least a few “ firsts ” for the team . “ Clients come to us with unique needs and unique challenges ,” Bedard says , “ so while our past projects might inform how we approach future ones , it ’ s still like we ’ re figuring things out for the first time with each application .”
Understandably , his favourite part of the job is when a new installation or show gets turned on for the first time . “ We bring a fair amount of complexity to a lot of the systems we ’ ve done , so sometimes , it ’ s hard for people to visualize what we ’ re doing while we ’ re in the process of doing it , but once it ’ s on , there ’ s this ‘ aha ’ moment where that room or museum or outdoor space has transformed . Once people see those results , they understand the value that a team like ours can bring .”
Bedard and Eos have a lot on the docket to close out 2018 and beyond , particularly in the museum industry . That means the senior design team – of which he ’ s a part – will be spending plenty of time on the road .
Fortunately , though , Bedard ’ s next project is fairly local : the Britannia Mine Museum in Britannia Beach , about an hour north of Vancouver . “ It ’ s an absolutely breathtaking building ,” says Bedard , clearly excited about the project . The mine is approaching its 100 th anniversary , and Eos is working on a show that will bring it back to life and give visitors an idea of what it was like working there over the decades .
Throughout his time at Eos , Bedard has had a hand in all kinds of different projects , and the uniqueness of each only serves to further expand his skillset . Needless to say , he ’ s grateful for the opportunity .
“ I wouldn ’ t be here getting to work on these projects without Shaun and Doug having faith in me . I consider both to be mentors and role models for both their design experience and approach to this business ,” he shares . “ The projects we ’ ve worked on are telling of their talents and expertise , and the things they ’ ve put into and given back to the city over the years . We ’ re building on Doug ’ s reputation and what he ’ s done throughout his career , and are proud to be able to continue that legacy .”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Lighting & Production .
Fall 2018 | 35