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Surrey, B.C., musician and director Stephano Barberis has decided to withdraw his name for consideration from the B.C. Country Music Awards video director of the year category.
After winning for 23 consecutive years, he said he’d like to give other artists an opportunity to take home the award.
Barberis said it struck him when he was making a promotional graphic for the awards: “I thought, ‘Why am I hogging it?’”
“It’s kind of like a stepping stone to the national ones. And it helped me get to MuchMusic and to CCMAs and to so many other awards that I didn’t think I should do it anymore,” Barberis told CBC’s On The Coast.
The answer to his success? Barberis said he himself doesn’t know because country music wasn’t in his wheelhouse.
“I guess my eye was more of a European kind of eye, slick American looking production, cinematic vibe. And I think people just got drawn to it,” he said. “I think it just turned into a snowball that kept getting bigger and bigger.”
WATCH | Barberis shares why he decided to withdraw his name from the awards:
Musician has won at the B.C. Country Music Awards for 23 straight years, but 2026 is different
Stephano Barberis has won the Video Director of the Year award at the B.C. Country Music Awards every year for 23 years. But this year, he withdrew himself from consideration, and he tells the CBC’s Gloria Macarenko why.
Barberis said his parents are Greek immigrants and he was raised on Greek, disco, rock and pop music.
“I don’t care what genre it is, as long as [the] melody gives me goosebumps and watery eyes. I kind of try to bring that to the visuals.”
‘We really appreciate his thoughtfulness’
B.C. Country Music Association president Cassandra Smith said she spoke with Barberis about his decision and she understands his reasoning.
“I jokingly said, ‘You know, we should name the category after you,’” she said.
“He’s been honoured so much in our organization that, you know, we really appreciate his thoughtfulness,” Smith said. “He’s super professional. The work he does is amazing.”
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Smith said she hasn’t spoken with the other nominees in the category about it, but believes they will have respect for him.
For artists wanting to break into the country music industry, Smith’s advice is “to just go for it and get in with like-minded people.”
The 48th annual B.C. Country Music Awards is being held on April 26.