dates from 1623. >> by the mid-1970s in vancouver, steve kulash has established a thriving taxidermy in the field. >> he was a different guy, different cat. >> at the same time, tragedy stalks the kulash family. in 1981, steve's wife, rachel, dies of cancer at age 38. seven years later, steve jr. drowns in a boating accident. >> the death of my mother and my older brother crushed him. it just made him be closer to us, cause we're all he had. >> wow, how did your family manage after that? >> we just dug ourselves into our work and just kept going. >> yeah, i think that looks good. >> indeed, long hours at work prove to be therapeutic. >> and then you're going to open it a bit, right? >> as his reputation grows, new clients come calling... [ shop bell rings ] ...some from vancouver's burgeoning film industry. >> his first prop was the "grizzly adams" movie. >> "grizzly adams" -- his first big break. >> and it just snowballed from there. >> they would commission us to make a 10-foot by 4-foot-thick grizzly bear for "macgyver." >> then another action figure places an order. >> for the fi