Thursday, March 31, 2011

Steadicam brother Richard Steel dies at 40

As his career was taking new and exciting turns, Steadicam Operator Richard Steel of Lasswade, Scotland - just outside of Edinburgh - was killed in an automobile accident Wednesday morning.

Richard graduated Stevenson College in the UK in 1988 with a degree in Audio Visual Communications.  Shortly after, he worked as an AV technician for Market Factor, a company in Edinburgh providing technical support and audio/visual solutions.  In 1994, he became a founding partner of The Media Factory which went on to become one of the most successful multimedia production houses in Scotland.  In 1999, he left his position as a corporate entrepreneur, and became a freelance cameraman and Steadicam operator.  Since that time his clients have included the BBC, Sky and ITV.  To continue his education, he attended numerous classes and workshops, honing his craft.

Those who knew him describe him as a fun individual, who worked hard to get where he was.  For the last couple years, he got to realize one of his dreams, working as the DP on a feature film entitled "Electric Man".  Richard had just completed the final grading on the film a few weeks ago.  The film is scheduled for release this year.

One can get a small taste for Richard's good humor by browsing his website.