When it comes to creating cutting-edge, immersive experiences for the world tours of renowned performers such as Coldplay, Shawn Mendes, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga, Vincent Leclerc is the go-to man.
Leclerc is the founding partner and CEO of PixMob, a Montreal-based wireless lighting company known for creating proprietary technology for thousands of immersive experiences for concert tours and other live events. Those include the Olympics, NHL and NBA finals, as well as Super Bowl LVI — the company’s fourth Super Bowl — where PixMob provided 70,000 never-before-seen, NOVA-powered LED laminates for audience members and halftime-show field cast to wear.
Proudest moment
“When I pitched the idea of PixMob to Michel Laprise, an artistic director at Cirque du Soleil. Then, two years later he comes back to me, we meet and he says, ‘Okay, we have a show in two months, let’s do it.’ We delivered an experience with a product that didn’t exist before that.”
Career challenge
“My company was growing really fast when COVID-19 hit and it went from millions of dollars in revenue to literally zero revenue. That was tough. I had 100 people on the payroll, so what we did was invent a new product and six weeks later with a new company, new branding, new marketing, we actually made enough money to keep everyone on board.”
The Concordia factor
“When I arrived, Concordia was a pioneer in seeing the value of leveraging computers, electronics and information systems to create art, and they had just launched a new program called computation arts. I was part of their first or second cohort of students. I was blown away. I loved it. It was good to have the technical foundations that came with the computer science department at Concordia, then combining that with the amazing art school there.”
Career advice
“I’ve always been about bold ideas, but humility is as important as being bold. I think what made PixMob successful is listening to our customers. You can go beyond what they ask, but listen to them.”
Favourite pastime
“When I’m home, I love cooking with my kids. It’s a way to relax and express myself in another way.”