BIOGRAPHY

Mike McKinlay was born in North Vancouver, and raised in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. His connection to the world of film began with nature still photography and was inspired by his surroundings while growing up next to Okanagan Lake. Still photography eventually shifted into wildlife documentation, nature filmmaking and skateboard video production. Eventually moving to Vancouver in 2001, Mike worked on several film projects and completed a number of festival savvy short films. He quickly developed a reputation for his sense of visual style and cinematography in all of his film work. In 2006, Mike was officially in business as a fulltime Director of Photography and Cameraman, working under the name of 'Mike McKinlay Productions'.

Along with his independent projects, Mike has worked for a number of film employers over the past seven years. These include Breakfree Productions, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Vancouver Playhouse, Shaftebury Beer Company, Branded Experiences Inc., Rainmaker Entertainment, Wings Over Canada (ATV Productions), Goldtooth Creative, The National Film Board of Canada and, most recently, The Pacific Wildlife Foundation.

Mike's most recent successes include producing, directing, and shooting 'CROWS', a traditional atmospheric wildlife film about corvids; camera work for the feature release of 'CARTS OF DARKNESS' (a National Film Board of Canada production); and directing and shooting a series of wildlife films that have made their way to air on broadcast television.

Along with his film production work, Mike enjoys skateboarding. In his own words - "Over the past 24 years, skateboarding has had a huge impact on many facets of my life. It has provided a creative physical outlet, while at the same time offered me the extraordinary opportunity to see life from a much different perspective than most filmmakers. It has also allowed me to travel and see the world and connect with the film genre through out of the ordinary yet amazing circumstances. It has been my support as I developed my career in filmmaking. In so many ways, I owe my life to skateboarding."