Rob Stewart

Was an awardwinning biologist photographer conservationist and filmmaker Born and raised in Toronto Canada Stewart began photographing underwater when he was 13 By the age of 18 he became a scuba instructor and then moved on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology studying in Ontario Jamaica and Kenya Before making Sharkwater 2007 Stewart spent four years travelling the world as chief photographer for the Canadian Wildlife Federations magazines Leading expeditions to the most remote areas of the world Stewart has logged thousands of hours underwater using the latest in camera and rebreather technologies Stewarts highly sought after images have appeared in nearly every media form worldwide While on assignment to photograph sharks in the Galapagos Islands Stewart discovered illegal longlining indiscriminately killing sharks within the marine reserve He tried promoting awareness through print media but when the public didnt respond Stewart decided to make a film to bring people closer to sharks At the age of 22 he left his photography career behind and embarked on a remarkable journey over four years and 12 countries resulting in the epic Sharkwater When Stewart boarded Sea Shepherds ship Sharkwater took a turn from a beautiful underwater film into an incredible human drama filled with corruption espionage attempted murder charges and mafia rings forcing Stewart and his crew to become part of the story During filming Stewart encountered life threatening obstacles including diseases such as West Nile Tuberculosis Dengue Fever and flesh eating disease Sharkwater has been hugely successful premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and winning a Canadas Top Ten award Sharkwater made history with the largest opening weekend of any Canadian documentary and was the most awardwinning documentary of the year winning over 35 awards at prestigious film festivals around the world As of 2012 it is the third highest grossing Canadian documentary in the last ten years next to the high budget films Nascar and Oceans Stewarts hardcover book Sharkwater An Odyssey to Save the Planet was released in October 2007 by Key Porter Books His book Save the Humans will be released in the Fall of 2012 by Random House Stewart continues to work towards conservation and environmental education speaking at the University of Victoria Yale University Vancouver Aquarium ROM various TEDx events and others Stewart is on the board of numerous conservation groups including WildAid Shark Savers and the Shark Research Institute and recently founded his own charity United Conservationists based in Los Angeles and Toronto He has made featured appearances on numerous high profile TV shows including Larry King Live The Today Show Tonight Show The Late Show Nightline Access Hollywood Entertainment Tonight ET Canada Bloomberg The Hour BBC1 MTV and others In a 2011 The Grid Magazine survey he was voted top living resident for making Toronto a better place Stewart is currently completing work on his second film Revolution due in theatres in 2013 with a companion rich digital media component and Howto Guide to save humanity