I had read the online edition on Saturday featuring Paul Hetherington (Brickbaron), but I was definitely surprised to find out that we had the entire front page of the print edition of The Province Nespaper dedicated to AFOLs and the Vancouver LEGO® Club, as well as two full pages in the paper itself (A8-A9).
In addition, there was an article about Robin Sather, Canada’s only Certified LEGO® Professional and one of our members. As well, an article about our work with Make A Wish BC & Yukon Foundation during the past Festival of Lights at the Van Dusen Gardens.
I’ve reproduced it here from the following link: http://www.theprovince.com/Lego+ages+plus/8110956/story.html
THE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL: HE’S PAID TO PLAY
March 17th, 2013
There are a lot of great jobs.
Lead guitarist, movie reviewer and Prince of Wales come to mind.
This one has to be right up there: professional Lego builder.
“Find your passion and do it,” Lego pro Robin Sather said from his home in Abbotsford. “Life’s short. Don’t put it off until you have more time to do it. Do it.”
Robin Sather of Abbotsford is Canada’s only LEGO Certified Professional, a job he created for himself.
Sather makes a living travelling around Canada building with Lego: for corporations, museums, schools, malls, you name it.
In 2004 Sather, who worked in IT at the time, wrote a white paper which he pitched to Lego to travel around and, you know, play with Lego and be paid.
Lego loved the idea and hired him as its first independent contractor, or Lego Certified Professional.
Sather is still the only professional in Canada, but he’s been joined by three in the U.S. and 13 worldwide.
About 20 per cent of his income comes directly from the Lego corporation; the rest from private commissions.
“I’m an independent contractor,” he said.
“There’s a lot of demand for cool Lego stuff to happen.”
This weekend he was paid by the Tillicum Centre in Victoria to build a B.C. Ferries-sponsored coast-class transporter.
“People think I get to play every day and, in a way, I do.
“It’s something I love to do, but it’s still work – there’s a lot of planning involved.”
gordmcintyre@ theprovince.com
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