I got a message this morning from Trisha Von Lanken that made my heart sink. Julian St. Pierre, co-owner of Studio Vieux Carre and co-founder of In[Focus] passed away in his sleep last night. The news was all the more odd because Tasra and I just had breakfast with him and his wife Terry Terravella three days ago, Friday. He was his usual spirited, funny, and bright self.
I first got to know Julian about five or six years ago at WEVA. I was picking his brain about how to produce a wedding-related television show. His studio at the time was producing a very popular local cable show geared towards brides and we were looking to do something similar online. He was extremely gracious in sharing his knowledge and we became fast friends.
You couldn’t meet Julian and not be attracted to him. First, there was the fact that he was a spittin’ image of Steven Spielberg. Right down to the baseball cap and glasses. What a cool look to have for a event videographer. I admired his shoot from the hip, tell-it-like-it-is demeanor. He was a leader in our industry. Someone who pushed the bar, took chances, and always worked to be on the cutting edge. He was a dreamer.
LIVE LIFE…NOW
I still can’t get over the fact that I JUST saw the man three days ago. Our time on this earth is so precious. So short. No one knows when his or her time is up. I don’t know what it was that caused Julian’s passing, but there clearly wasn’t anything visible. This is just a reminder how important it is to live life to the fullest now. Follow your dreams. Love on your family and spend quality time with those you care about. Don’t put off for tomorrow what you know should be said today.
I never know how to act or react to surprising news like this. Emotions swim. My prayers will be with Julian’s wife Terry and the rest of his family. Julian was a visionary and a man who I believed truly wanted to do what was good. Despite living in New Orleans, he was no saint. 🙂 But I believe he honestly wanted to do right by people and his passion for improving our industry was infectious. As was his smile. He will be missed.