Stephen Gardner is the founder of Gardner Productions. A respected creative storyteller in the industry, he’s been in the business for over 20 years, working with international clients and brands around the world from Hong Kong and South Africa to the UK and Canada. He’s used his strategic skills to produce commercial and video spots for companies including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont, Pepsico, Swarovski, Bayer and AstraZeneca, among others.
Stephen is passionate about telling clear and compelling brand stories. Whether they’re entertaining, informative or emotional, he wants every single project to leave a lasting mark.
When he’s not creating award-winning video content, Stephen loves to bike, hike, swim and sail. He’s also a world traveller, having been to every corner of the globe, exploring new places and meeting new people. Stephen also loves his alone time and is most content in the mountains embarking on solo adventures. He currently lives and works in Toronto.
As Associate Producer, Chris also plays many roles as well in directing, filming and editing, depending on the needs of each production. He enjoys working with others to achieve a common goal and loves producing creative, interesting, and engaging content. When he isn’t working, Chris loves watching films, playing video games, cooking and socializing with his friends.
Vanessa Green is a trained journalist, copywriter and content strategist. Top brands she’s written for include Yahoo!, The Daily Mail, Rogers, Bell and British Airways. She’s a total Scrabble nerd and also loves getting lost in the pages of a captivating book. She lives in Hamilton with her husband, Tim, son, Harrison and their mini-golden doodle, Indy.
Marc Swenker is a feature film, T.V., and commercial producer specializing in all aspects of commercial production, T.V. production, narrative long format and documentary long format feature films. Marc is a producer of the year nominee by the Producers Guild of America, a nominee for feature film of the year by the Canadian Screen Awards and the recipient of numerous awards at international film festivals. As a producer, Marc has filmed all over the world for the world’s largest brands. During his time off, you can catch Marc at the movies, watching any number of sporting events, or spending time with his wife and dog.
Stephen C. Whitehead is a cinematographer and lead Director of Photography, overseeing all crews and projects, large and small. He began his professional career as a camera assistant and has worked on everything from Hollywood blockbusters and nationally aired commercials to independent films and music videos. His work has been shown at the prestigious Manaki Brothers and Camerimage cinematography festivals. When Stephen’s not working, he’s pre-planning the next line of up productions that are in the queue. His work is his play!
As Senior Editor, animator and VFX artist, Geoffrey has experience in all aspects of the post-production industry. As a lifelong gamer, Geoffrey has over the years collected a museum-quality selection of vintage video games including multiple classic pinball and arcade machines. All work and no play make Geoff a dull boy.
Chris Alvarez heads up the production operations of Gardner Productions Inc. USA. Through Gardner’s production partner Transcendent Enterprise, Chris provides full production and livestream production all across the United States. Chris has worked with prestigious clients such as Sony BMG spearheading projects with Lil Wayne of Cash Money, Usher, and Nelly. And currently Chris and the rest of the team have acquired clients such as Facebook, NYU, Wells Fargo, HBO, New York Knicks and City of New York.
When he’s not shooting and organizing large-scale shoots for the big commercial and television productions, and heading up the post-production phase after all the initial productions are complete, he’s always pioneering new ways to film and invent new methods of camera work and efficiency using minimal equipment. Lucas in his spare time enjoys 3D printing, painting, and watching bad movies.
Dave is a graphic designer specializing in branding, advertising, and UI work. He’s worked with clients such as Deloitte, Citytv, Sportsnet, Union Station, and Kevin O’Leary. He loves movies, video games, and fantasizing about opening a restaurant. When Dave isn’t working, you can catch him spending time with his family and travelling as much as he can.