Q1 Production Technologies was founded in 2001 with a mission to take a fresh look at the business of delivering superior technical support and service to the entertainment and event industries.
The company's founders, Marc Raymond and Phil Bernard, gained recognition throughout the entertainment industry for building Westsun International from a local lighting rental facility into one of North America's leading technical suppliers, with operations in seven cities throughout Canada and the US and over $70 million in annual revenues. After selling their interests in the company in early 2000, the duo recognized that they still shared a passion for the industry and set out to redefine their success by channeling their vast experience through a more focused and customized approach to the business. In 2002, a year after Q1 was born, the company merged with Showtime Lighting, a well-known Vancouver boutique lighting shop with an impeccable reputation built over ten years of service to a wide-ranging client base. Showtime founder Brian Konechny joined the Q1 partnership and later that year the company repurchased a portion of Westsun, including the Vancouver and Winnipeg Head Office operations.
The Q1 partners have gathered a team of industry veterans who have collectively played integral roles in many of North America's most prestigious, complex and innovative productions spanning the past two-and-a-half decades. Projects including Disney's The Lion King, Tony Award winning musicals Showboat and Ragtime, and the XV Winter Olympic Games Closing Ceremonies, have relied on the skills and ingenuity of a dynamic group of individuals now associated with Q1. Under the Q1 banner these dedicated professionals continue to bring their decades of experience, unwavering enthusiasm and collaborative spirit to a wide range of new and former clients whose one common requirement is a demand for nothing short of the best.
In an industry of rapidly increasing production values, Q1 is committed to meeting client needs with a continuously growing, and immaculately maintained rental inventory of state-of-the-art technologies. The company now owns one of North America's largest inventories of Vari-Lite automated lighting fixtures and Color Kinetics LED products.
Currently Q1 is involved in projects both in North America and Internationally, including US, Canadian and London West End theatrical productions (We Will Rock You, Dirty Dancing, Lord Of The Rings), tours with major performing artists (Kelly Clarkson, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), and system installations in the most talked about new sports and entertainment venues in New York (NOKIA Theatre Times Square), London (IndigO2), Seattle (WAMU Theatre), and Los Angeles (NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE), all while continuing to expertly serve local and regional clients of all sizes.
In an industry that's only constant is change, Q1 fulfills its commitment to continued growth and success through a strong network of relationships with established industry suppliers, innovative new manufacturers, and, most importantly, a loyal client base that includes some of the most influential designers, producers and performers in the global business of live entertainment.
