PROFILE
Eric Prevost
By Andrew King
T
he Montreal campuses of Concordia University
and the Trebas Institute are less than a five-
minute drive apart, yet they represent two
very different destinations on Eric Prevost’s
journey thus far.
Partway through his stint studying history
at Concordia, Prevost decided to pursue his
true passion and enrolled in the audio production program
at Trebas. That marked the first step on his long and success-
ful career in the Canadian pro audio industry and, needless
to say, he hasn’t looked back since.
Born and raised in Montreal, Prevost says he’s been
passionate about music and audio production for as long
as he can remember. After finishing his program at Trebas,
Prevost was eager to land a steady job as he had a baby
on the way. That led him through the doors of Montreal’s
iconic Steve’s Music Store, where he became the Pro Tools
specialist in its reputable recording department.
He worked at Steve’s for two years before being courted
by production and integration giant Solotech to head up
the recording department in one of their retail boutiques.
“Seven years later, I jumped the fence into the repping side,
where I worked for Sennheiser Canada as an independent rep,” he
continues. During his time with the company, he also launched his
own firm, Synthax Canada, to distribute RME recording equipment
across the country.
Eight years into his time with Sennheiser, Prevost made the most
recent move of his career to date, joining the team at nationwide rep
firm PAG Canada as its audio sales specialist for Quebec and Eastern
Canada – a post he’s held for nearly a decade. “With Bosch, Electro-
Voice, and Dynacord, the future looks great with our revamped
product line and upcoming releases,” he offers.
Currently, he and his team have plenty of projects in the pipeline,
and Prevost notes that a particular focus for the company is continu-
ing to build the profile of Electro-Voice’s X-Line Advance compact
line array products in Canada.
Prevost says he enjoys the ongoing challenge of gaining trac-
tion for PAG Canada’s lines and product series in the installation and
touring markets, building relationships with consultants, integrators,
production companies, and end users to show how they can meet
their needs and enhance their work.
Asked what it is that keeps him most passionate about his work,
though, and his answer is one that’s relatively popular in the pro
audio business: “The people,” he says without hesitation. “I’ve met
some amazing people that started as clients or competitors that I
now call my friends.”
As for some personal highlights from his 25-plus years in the pro
audio industry, Prevost recalls the year that EV sponsored a stage at
RBC Bluesfest Ottawa and anchored it with an X-Line system. “That
was a great time. Seeing the reaction of some of the engineers and
other people on the quality and power of EV’s X2 was truly a standout
for me,” he enthuses. “Plus, I saw some great artists at the same time!”
While the Bluesfest example shows that, in this industry, the line
between business and pleasure is often blurred, when he’s not on
the clock, Prevost enjoys making the most of his time with his family.
He still resides in Montreal – “I love this city,” he says proudly – with
his girlfriend, Nathalie, daughter Ann Victor, and Louis Joseph, one of
his four sons. His other three sons have homes of their own: Pierre
Alexandre lives in Quebec City and studies at Université Laval; Noah
will be going to Concordia in the fall after travelling extensively this
year; and Charles Tristan is a sous-chef at Le Serpent, an acclaimed
contemporary bistro in Montreal.
Prevost is a hockey fan who, surprisingly for a lifelong Montrealer,
backs the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. “I know, the Leafs! It’s a long
story…” he laughs. He also enjoys keeping active with a round of golf
or tennis match when the opportunity presents itself.
Prevost turns 50 this year and is planning to mark the occasion
with a major trip alongside his girlfriend. On the professional side, he
says, “As with every year, we’re aiming to increase business and find
new projects to fill the pipeline for 2019 and 2020.”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound.
18 PROFESSIONAL SOUND