23 straight country music video awards is enough for Surrey director<\/p>\n
Published 11:00 am Tuesday, March 17, 2026<\/p>\n
After winning 23 consecutive annual awards from BC Country Music Association for best music video direction, Stephano Barberis says it\u2019s time for someone else to be in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
In what many deem a classy move by the acclaimed director, the Surrey-based Barberis decided to pull his name from this year\u2019s BCCMA Video Director award category, and every year moving forward.<\/p>\n
The association\u2019s 2026 awards weekend is April 24-26 at Coquitlam\u2019s Great Canadian Casino.<\/p>\n
Barberis was creating another \u201cFor Your Consideration\u201d promo reel for judges to see when he realized 23 straight BCCMA awards was enough.<\/p>\n
Starting in 1997, Barberis has directed music videos for Dallas Smith, Aaron Pritchett, The Washboard Union, Karen Lee Batten and many other country\/pop artists over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I brought B.C. to the national stage and turned the spotlight to us, music video-wise,\u201d Barberis posted on Facebook. \u201cI\u2019ve been blessed with 13 CCMA Director and Video awards and 47 in total\u200b from various organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The BCCMA, he says, is great for a developing artist in a technical art like video direction \u201cto use as a step to the next stage. It\u2019s a great transitional step stool to the next chapter, not a permanent bed to hog and sleep in\u201d \u2014 hence his decision to pull his name from awards consideration moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may even help reinvigorate the category and make it more exciting. It will help up-and-coming artists from this province,\u201d Barberis wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry I took too long to do something that should have been done years ago,\u201d he added. \u201cI think as artists we need to become careful to not fall in love with prizes and fall out of love with creating. We can\u2019t have our lives revolve around the next competition, year round. It\u2019s art, not the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barberis, currently editing the 222nd music video he\u2019s directed, says he\u2019ll continue directing \u201con all cylinders whatever I can get my hands on, but this sweet provincial organisation can live without my name in the Director category.\u201d<\/p>\n
Art is Barberis\u2019s oxygen, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere,\u201d the director insists. \u201cYou will still hopefully see my work being nominated in the future and you can vote for me via that video category conduit if you like what I create. You can continue to support me at the national and other levels as well, if I may be so fortunate. This year, a video I directed (JoJo<\/a> Mason\u2019s <\/a>\u2018Gold\u2019<\/a>) is nominated, and I\u2019d love for you to consider supporting that.\u201d<\/p>\n