Honorary Local 600 member Terry Clairmont, who through the course of his career served as mentor to so many in the industry, has passed away. He died after a short illness in the home of his brother and business partner, Denny Clairmont.
Terry, who was born in Hollywood on May 21, 1942, began in the movie industry as a very young child. He worked in front of the cameras as an extra as well as a stand-in for more than 50 movies.
At a young age, Terry and his Brother shared many hobbies, including an interest in automobiles and all sorts of motor sports, with a particular leaning toward drag racing.
The two later became partners and opened an auto repair business, but Terry eventually decided that he and his brother should follow in the footsteps of their father, Leonard, and become cinematographers.
By 1967 Terry was working as a camera assistant and landed a staff job at N. Lee Lacy, a large company that produced commercials. By the early 1970's Terry had advanced to a staff cinematographer at N. Lee Lacy and shot many TV commercials for them before moving on to became a successful freelancer .
During this time, Terry generously shared his experience with others moving up the ranks, helping them find jobs and advance in their careers.
In 1976 Terry and his Brother Denny -- who had become an expert camera and lens technician -- started a motion picture camera rental company with partners Edward and Mitzie Engle. Their company became Clairmont Camera, when the Engles retired in 1980. Terry continued to shoot TV commercials and directed the operation of Clairmont Camera on his days off. While filming, he kept in touch with the office with the help of an early Motorola 27-pound, 3-watt cell phone that he kept on his camera dolly
By 1985, the company had grown to a point that required Terry's full attention. He retired as a cinematographer and became the company's full-time CEO/Treasurer.
Under Terry's guidance, Clairmont Camera flourished. He opened a branch in Vancouver British Columbia in 1987 and then another branch in Toronto, Ontario in 1995. By this time, the company had grown into the second largest motion picture camera-only rental company in world, employing nearly 100 people.
Most employees have worked at Clairmont Camera for over 15 years, many over 20 years and several even longer. This record is a testament to Terry's insistence on fair pay, good treatment, and the best medical insurance the company could afford for employees and their families. Many years ago Terry started a profit sharing plan for the employees. He made these commitments to his employees against the advice of his financial advisors. In the past few months Terry's made plans to ensure that the company would go on smoothly without him.
Throughout his career, Terry made a tremendous contribution to cinematographers trying to make it in the industry. He mentored many young aspiring cinematographers and saw to it that Clairmont Camera assists students attending universities by supplying them with camera equipment to use when needed. He made a rule that once the company made a commitment to these students, it would not break it, regardless of how it affected the company's bottom line.
When he and his brother were starting out, Terry often said, others had offered them help and it was time for them to do the same for others
