By Ronda Payne/Special to the 91原创 Advance

People who fall into their careers don鈥檛 normally become award winners.

Yet that鈥檚 pretty much how the story goes for Stephano Barberis, a local award-winning music video director.

As Barberis puts it, he went backwards, skipping the teen and young adult years of his working life to take his directorial career back to childhood.

鈥淲hen I was a kid, I do remember playing with my Star Wars characters and I remember saying to my friends, 鈥榶ou can鈥檛 stand there, that鈥檚 where the camera would be鈥�,鈥� he explained.

鈥淪o now, when I look back at it, it just links. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 doing anything different than what I did with my friends. I always was doing these weird skits鈥� and the kids were riveted. I feel like I skipped my teens and 20s and went straight back into my childhood.鈥�

Now, as the winner of 35 awards 鈥� 18 of which are from the BC Country Music Association, including the 2017 video director of the year 鈥� he sees his childhood awareness as part of the creativity that makes him a sought-out director.

鈥淚鈥檝e done close to about 170 music videos. It wasn鈥檛 really intended to be that way,鈥� explained Barberis. 鈥淚 guess I get so busy with music videos that I don鈥檛 have time for features.鈥�

It takes about a month to create a music video Barberis鈥� way. There鈥檚 two weeks or more of pre-production and about two weeks of post-production with a day of shooting in between.

It sounds glamourous and not like something a regular guy living on the border of 91原创 and Surrey 鈥� near Clayton Heights 鈥� would be doing.

鈥淲hen you live in a big city there鈥檚 obviously more creative people,鈥� he explained.

鈥淥bviously someone more successful should come out of a big city. But when you鈥檙e in a smaller centre like Surrey or 91原创, it鈥檚 kind of cool [to say] 鈥淥h, I don鈥檛 live downtown鈥�.鈥�

That doesn鈥檛 mean Barberis has grown used to his own success, mind you.

It was a very unusual beginning that鈥檚 lead to 20 years of award-winning music videos.

鈥淚 started 20 years ago. The very first music video was directed on the day [Princess] Diana died and I wasn鈥檛 even supposed to be doing that. I went to university for a few years to be an urban planner,鈥� he recounted.

鈥淭hen I switched to BCIT, the marketing program. I had a job as a marketing assistant for a film production company for the summer. They had this one artist who they didn鈥檛 like the treatments for.鈥�

As the story goes, Barberis threw out an idea to use an ice castle, and the artist loved it. The producer, however, shot a withering look to the rookie who opened his mouth in the room of directors.

But because of the saying 鈥渢he client is always right,鈥� Barberis鈥檚 idea stuck.

He described what happened next as feeling like being in film school.

When he initially took on directing, the crew often thought he was the actor, not the director, he was so young.

鈥淪o, I was thrown into directing and I had three assistant directors under me because I had no film experience,鈥� he said, noting the story had a happy ending.

The artist for that first video [I鈥檒l Do Anything] was Maple Ridge native, Rick Tippe.

Tippe had him do a number of videos after that, which seemed odd because country wasn鈥檛 a genre Barberis had great affinity for.

鈥淪lowly country started noticing I was making country not look like country鈥� I think I changed the way country videos were being made,鈥� he said.

Another early Barberis video was Aaron Pritchett鈥檚 You Can鈥檛 Say That I Didn鈥檛 Love You.

鈥淚t went to number three in Canada and it went from there,鈥� he recounted, adding that 鈥淐ountry and rap were the first two genres that embraced me鈥� which is ironic because those weren鈥檛 the first two genres that appealed to me.鈥�

He鈥檚 directed music videos for Chad Brownlee, Dallas Smith, Karen Lee Batten, Gord Bamford, Dean Broady, and Doc Walker, to name a few.

Regardless of the genre, it鈥檚 the creative process that keeps Barberis doing what he does, and doing it well enough to continue being recognized provincially, nationally and beyond.

鈥淚 like to make things all the time, it鈥檚 like oxygen to me. I think anything I do, I have to create,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 wanted to get into advertising, so that鈥檚 probably what I would have done, but this is the same thing when you think about it, I鈥檓 still advertising music.鈥�

While the recognition continues to pour in, Barberis is not used to the sensation of winning awards.

He describes his first win as shock, but subsequent wins continue to elicit a significant emotional response from the Kitimat-born professional.

鈥淓very time they call my name, my eyes start tearing up,鈥� he said.

鈥淎fter a couple of times you鈥檇 think they鈥檇 be tired of me. I keep trying to reinvent myself. Every single video I make like it鈥檚 my last video.鈥�

He sees his career as a positive model for local kids, though many wouldn鈥檛 know he鈥檚 a local.

鈥淚 still think I鈥檓 under a lot of people鈥檚 radar, I don鈥檛 think a lot of people know I鈥檓 here. A lot of people don鈥檛 expect me to be here,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 would hope that it gives hope that you don鈥檛 have to live in a major centre to be successful. In fact when there鈥檚 less of you, you can shine brighter.鈥�