Stephen Ellis

Stephen Ellis is a distinguished media executive and veteran producer with over 40 years of experience shaping the independent production landscape. Ellis brings a lifetime of expertise in content creation, global distribution, and industry advocacy to the company’s mission. His background is rooted in building sustainable media enterprises that deliver authentic, high-value programming to international audiences. He is an award-winning producer and industry advocate, recognized by his peers as a lifetime achiever and industry builder.

Stephen is best known for his 25 years as president of Ellis Entertainment Corporation, the indie producer and distributor group, where he produced over 600 titles, including award-winning programs, in the wildlife, history, science, and kids genres, including the signature long-running natural history series Profiles of Nature. With a catalog seen in over 100 countries, Stephen has demonstrated a unique ability to craft content that transcends borders while maintaining high editorial standards.

During his time at the helm of Ellis Entertainment, Stephen co-founded the Outdoor Life Network or OLN (now Bravo), in 1997, with Rogers Communications, Baton Broadcasting, and OLN USA. Founded in 1964 by his TV pioneer father, Ralph C. Ellis, C.M., O.Ont., the business was acquired by a public company in 2011.

Ellis has long been invested in the production of digital content. He co-founded RocketFuel Media in 2012, a service company that helps broadcasters and film and TV producers making the leap to digital create online extensions of their brands and their TV and film properties. He subsequently co-founded and continues to serve as president of Stellis Media (since 2015) and Media CatELLISt Solutions (since 2012), all providing production and consulting services for film, TV, and interactive digital media.

Fueled by over 25 years of production at the respective helms of well-known players in fact-based entertainment, and inspired by their long-term collaboration, Stephen Ellis and Clark Bunting formed BirdDog Media Ventures in 2019. BirdDog aims to take full advantage of the competitive playing field, with plans to distribute their content in a digital and broadcast cross-platform strategy to maximize the potential for consumer engagement.

Stephen’s volunteer industry work includes co-founding ISAN Canada, which he has chaired since 2007, and serving as founding president of the Canadian Retransmission Collective, a non-profit that has generated over a quarter-billion dollars for content creators since 1989. He also serves as co-chair of the IP Committee of the Canadian Media Producers Association and was its president in 1984 (then CFTA) and chair in 2000 (then CFTPA).

He received the CFTPA-Kodak Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, from what is now the CMPA, and the Douglas James Dales Industry Builder Award from PS Production Services in 2010.

Stephen is also an International Fellow of the Explorers Club, of New York, and a member of the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.