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Steph St. Laurent

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Steph St. Laurent
St. Laurent in November 2011
Born
Stephen St. Laurent

(1971-04-04) April 4, 1971 (age 53)
Prince George, British Columbia
NationalityCanadian
CitizenshipCanadian
EducationPrince George Secondary School (PGSS)
Alma materUniversity of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, editor
Years active2004 - Present
OrganizationVideoNexus Productions
StyleDocumentary, Science Fiction
Websitevideonexus.ca

Steph St. Laurent (born April 4, 1971) is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, videographer, photographer, actor, writer, environmentalist and activist. He has produced numerous documentary and educational films and is the owner of VideoNexus, a video production company in Prince George, British Columbia.

Early life

St. Laurent was born and raised in and around Prince George, British Columbia. He completed secondary school at Prince George Secondary School (PGSS), with a focus on arts. After graduation, he began working in community theatre and technical work. He also attended various classes at the University of Northern British Columbia.

Career

In 2004, with 10 years of directing, acting, and writing experience, St. Laurent created the video production company Ouroboros Digital. After completing a number of educational and social documentaries, he merged Ouroboros Digital with another video production company, On-Reel Video,[1] and began expanding the scope of his work. In 2011, he became sole owner of On-Reel Video and rebranded it to its current name: VideoNexus Productions.[2]

St. Laurent’s best-known work is the film "Amazay: A Film About Water" (2009), which explores the Tse Keh Nay First Nations' battle against Northgate Minerals’ proposed dumping of 750 million tonnes of acid tailings into a pristine lake in Tse Keh Nay territory.[3]

St. Laurent has produced numerous promotional and educational films for non-profit groups and other organizations (e.g., the Child Development Centre,[4] Northern Women's Centre,[4] Events Prince George,[4] the Kermode Friendship Society,[4] the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada,[5] and the Nak’azdli Band Health Centre[6]), helping to promote their various works and projects.

Through his work as a facilitator and play creator with the Street Spirits Theatre Company (1999 – 2005),[7] St. Laurent co-directed, filmed, and edited several films for the theatre company: "Cycles", "Streetwise", "Jibb", and "Eye of the Storm".[8][9][10]

In 2004, he directed and produced "The Web of Life",[11] a film that was used to help people moving from a First Nations reserve, to help them understand and cope with this transition. In 2005, he filmed and compiled a music video for musician Marcel Gagnon’s song, "The Last Dance".[12] He has produced numerous other music videos as well, composed of time-lapse footage he has filmed and set to the music of British Columbian musician Gordon McGladdery.[13] He also worked as cinematographer for the band Good Old Heisenberg, on an experimental project they conducted exploring the influence of observers on musical performance.[14]

St. Laurent worked as letterer to create "Scar Tissue", a 5-part comic book series.[15] He also worked as letterer on the comic "Touched" (2005).[16][17] Other comic works of his, in a writer/creator capacity, include "IMPH" (in Heavy Metal Magazine)[15][18][19] and "Blammo the Space Monkey" (in Digital Webbing).[15][20][21][22] St. Laurent created several other short comics published in Digital Webbing as well.[23]

In 2007, St. Laurent directed and filmed the silent film "Fort Steele Heritage Town".[24] In 2008, he directed and produced the film "We are Métis", a film exploring the identity of the Métis people. In 2009, he co-wrote, directed and filmed "Close Quarters", a sci-fi film that explored “the human, personal conflict provoked by space travel and isolation”.[25] In 2011, he worked as videographer and a member of the lighting crew for the play "Rollback" (2011).[26]

St. Laurent has also taught classes on video production at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, British Columbia.[27][28]

Acting career

St. Laurent was a member of the theatre troupe Street Spirits from 1999 – 2005, where he acted in a wide variety of plays and other theatre performances.[7] In 2001, he wrote and acted in the skit, "Here Puppy", a performance that was part of the Greenroom Comedy Festival in Prince George, British Columbia.[29] He has acted in numerous plays as a member of the Prince George Theatre Workshop, including "Cinderella" (1999),[30][31] "An Evening of Monty Python & Friends" (2000),[32][33] "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2001),[34] "Monty Python Rides Again" (2002),[35] "The Real Inspector Hound" (2003),[36] "A Christmas Adventure" (2003),[37][38] "Simon" (2004),[39] and "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (2004),.[40] In 2006, he co-created and performed in a mask show, held at ArtSace in Prince George, British Columbia.[41] In August 2011, he acted in the improve comedy debate show "War of Wits", which was performed at UdderFest, a theatre festival held in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.[42] In October 2011, he acted in "This is for Mrs Zaberewsky", a play performed at VCON.[43][44] He currently acts in an improvisational theatre troupe, Improv Ad Nauseum, which he has been with since 2005.

Activism

St. Laurent is passionate about environmental conservation and activism. One issue he is currently very concerned with is the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines project, which would run a pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia. This proposed pipeline is strongly opposed by many BC residents, as it would put at risk some of the region’s most pristine areas of nature, such as the Great Bear Rainforest, should there be an oil spill.[45][46][47] At the Prince George All-Candidates Forum on November 4, 2011, after filming the general forum proceedings, he approached each political candidate and asked them to state, on camera, their stand on the proposed Enbridge pipelinehttp;[48] he then made this footage available on YouTube. On November 7, 2011, St. Laurent attended a presentation at the University of Northern British Columbia by Dr. Patrick Moore, a former Greenpeace activist who now voices support for the proposed Enbridge pipeline. St. Laurent attended and recorded this presentation, later uploading the footage to YouTube. St. Laurent spoke on the issue of sustainability at an Occupy Prince George rally in October 2011. In March, 2012, he volunteered his time and skills to film and produce a public service announcement in support of the BC teachers’ strike action. St. Laurent’s films often address the social and political issues that he is passionate about, such as environmental conservation ("Amazay";[3] "Healthy Land, Healthy Future"), First Nations’ issues ("Web of Life"), bullying ("Crossing the Line"), violence against women ("Streetwise";[9] "Victim Services Prince George"), and drug addiction ("Cycles"; "Jibb").[9]

Recognition and awards

St. Laurent was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation in 2006, in recognition of his film work to help end violence against women. He was also honoured with an invitation to be a guest panelist at the 2011 ArtsWells Festival, to show and discuss his film "Amazay".[49][50]

Memberships

St. Laurent is has been a member of the Federation of BC Writers since 2000.[51] He was a member of the Fringe Festival Association for several years, and served as President of the Association in 2000.[52] He was a member and organizer of The Greenroom Comedy Festival from 1999-2006.[29][41][53]

Personal life

St. Laurent currently lives in Prince George, British Columbia. He is interested in a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle and is currently working on developing an aquaponics greenhouse for food production. He has produced a series of YouTube video-blogs documenting his aquaponics project. He enjoys pursuing photography as hobby, as well as part of his business, especially nature and wildlife photography.[54] St. Laurent is passionate about nature and enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, and canoeing as much as possible. He also loves to travel and has traveled extensively throughout North America and Europe.[54]

Filmography

  • Cycles: A Film About Drugs (2004)
  • Web of Life (2004)
  • Streetwise (2004)
  • Jibb (2005)
  • Eye of the Storm (2005)
  • Crossing the Line: A Primer on Harassment (2005)
  • Commander’s Log (2007)
  • Fort Steele Heritage Town (2007)
  • Where the Heart Is: FASD and Other Parenting Challenges (2007)
  • We are Metis (2008)
  • HIV: If There's a Will...(2008)
  • Victim Services Prince George (2008)
  • PG Catholic Diocese Appeal (2008)
  • Amazay: A Film About Water (2009)
  • Close Quarters (2009)
  • Welcome Back (2011)
  • Healthy Land, Healthy Future (2011)

References

  1. ^ Volunteer radio; Homegrown sounds flavour airwaves Stewart, Patty. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 12 Mar 2009: 20
  2. ^ http://videonexus.ca/htmls/about.html
  3. ^ a b Film beautifully documents emotional battle to save pristine lake. Stewart, Patty. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 24 Apr 2009: 21
  4. ^ a b c d http://www.videonexus.ca/htmls/customers.html
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAPVCd8wNew&feature=channel
  6. ^ http://vimeo.com/6185305
  7. ^ a b http://www.streetspirits.com/?page_id=80
  8. ^ 'Spirited' video launch party set: [Final Edition] Strickland, Paul. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 26 Jan 2004: 13
  9. ^ a b c http://www.streetspirits.com/?page_id=43
  10. ^ Youth theatre screening film: [Final Edition]. Peebles, Frank. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 09 Nov 2004: 3
  11. ^ http://vimeo.com/6173612
  12. ^ Singer to do video on the homeless: [Final Edition]. Peebles, Frank. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 17 Jan 2005: 3
  13. ^ http://ashellinthepit.com/bio.htm
  14. ^ http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/GOOD-OLD-HEISENBERG
  15. ^ a b c http://www.scartissue-comic.com/creators/
  16. ^ http://www.mattkrizan.com/
  17. ^ http://www.mattkrizan.com/stories.html#touched
  18. ^ http://imph.outcaststudios.com/_htm/episodes/IMPH10.htm
  19. ^ http://www.digitalwebbing.com/comics/news/05-0516_pressrelease.html
  20. ^ http://www.mattyryan.com/flash/blammocredit.swf
  21. ^ http://www.comics.org/issue/301361/
  22. ^ http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/LiveData/Issue.aspx?id=43505b2b-40ae-43ad-8ee2-3f92c4c310dc
  23. ^ http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/LiveData/Credit.aspx?id=499d3af5-82e6-4a67-ad4b-3804db5acb21
  24. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJx0aJA1ZSc
  25. ^ Authors, publisher take readers into fantastic. Stewart, Patty. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 03 Sep 2009: 17
  26. ^ Science Fiction play opens on college stage. Skorepa, Christine. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 29 Apr 2011: 17
  27. ^ http://www.cnc.bc.ca/tools/courseoutlines/outlinePreviews/7044/nmcd_152_st.laurent.pdf
  28. ^ http://www.cnc.bc.ca/tools/courseoutlines/outlinePreviews/5324/nmcd_152_st.laurent.pdf
  29. ^ a b Comedy festival starts tonight: [Final Edition]. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 08 Feb 2001: 13 / FRONT Cite error: The named reference "comedyfestival" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  30. ^ A great show for the whole family: [Final Edition] Bruce, Madeline. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 18 Dec 1999: 3
  31. ^ Cinderella not what it seems: [Final Edition] Arlene Watson, Citizen Staff. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 13 Dec 1999: 13 / FRONT
  32. ^ CNC gets $22,000 boost: [Final Edition]. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 27 Sep 2000: 15
  33. ^ Python show highlights actors: [Final Edition]. Bruce, Madeline. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 29 Sep 2001: 3
  34. ^ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a tasty treat: [Final Edition] Bruce, Madeline. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 18 Dec 2001: 3
  35. ^ Good laughs in Monty Python show: [Final Edition]. Bruce, Madeline. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 28 Sep 2002: 3
  36. ^ One-act plays worth seeing: [Final Edition]. Peebles, Frank. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 11 Apr 2003: 13
  37. ^ A Christmas Adventure great fun: [Final Edition] Peebles, Frank. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 13 Dec 2003: 5
  38. ^ Caption Only: [Final Edition]. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 16 Dec 2003: 13
  39. ^ Simon comedy taking stage: [Final Edition]. Trick, Bernice. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 11 Feb 2004: 13 / Front
  40. ^ Elevator ride to laughter: 23rd Floor is non-stop comedy: [Final Edition]. Peebles, Frank. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 23 Feb 2004: 13 / Front
  41. ^ a b Mask show set for Saturday: [Final Edition]. Trick, Bernice. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 17 July 2006: 13 / Front
  42. ^ http://www.thenorthernview.com/entertainment/127464018.html
  43. ^ http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/
  44. ^ http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2011/10/vcon-36-play-workshops-readingsfun.html
  45. ^ http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Hunger-Strike-Planned-Against-Alberta-Crude.html
  46. ^ http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320026
  47. ^ http://www.straight.com/article-604491/vancouver/caitlyn-vernon-gitga-people-singing-their-lives-face-enbridge-pipeline-threat
  48. ^ www.garthfrizzell.com/available-now-video-review-of-artsdowntown-all-candidates-meeting.html
  49. ^ Cite error: The named reference artswells.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  50. ^ Cite error: The named reference ReferenceB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  51. ^ Writers gather here: [Final Edition]. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 21 Mar 2000: 3
  52. ^ Fringe Festival lineup set: [Final Edition]. Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 27 July 2000: 13 / FRONT
  53. ^ All around this town: [Final Edition] Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 06 Dec 1999: 13 / FRONT
  54. ^ a b http://www.facebook.com/stephthevideoguy

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