Rob Stewart, an award-winning biologist, photographer, conservationist, and filmmaker, was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He began photographing underwater at the age of 13 and by 18, he had become a scuba instructor. Stewart went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, studying in Ontario, Jamaica, and Kenya.
Before creating Sharkwater (2007),Stewart spent four years traveling the world as the chief photographer for the Canadian Wildlife Federation's magazines. He led expeditions to the most remote areas of the world, logging thousands of hours underwater using the latest camera and rebreather technologies.
Stewart's highly sought-after images have appeared in nearly every media form worldwide. While on assignment to photograph sharks in the Galapagos Islands, he discovered illegal longlining, indiscriminately killing sharks within the marine reserve. He attempted to raise awareness through print media, but when the public didn't 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. 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 "Canada's Top Ten" award. The film made history with the largest opening weekend of any Canadian documentary and was the most award-winning documentary of the year, winning over 35 awards at prestigious film festivals around the world.
Stewart has also written a hardcover book, Sharkwater: An Odyssey to Save the Planet, which 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 various events including the University of Victoria, Yale University, Vancouver Aquarium, ROM, TEDx events, and others. He is on the board of numerous conservation groups, including WildAid, Shark Savers, and the Shark Research Institute, and has founded his own charity, United Conservationists, based in Los Angeles and Toronto.
Stewart 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 theaters in 2013, with a companion rich digital media component, and a How-to Guide to save humanity.
