Stephen entered the world of music as a pianist and guitarist at the age of eight. He studied piano at Queen's University and then moved to the Victoria area, where he remained involved in the local and national music scene, playing in several national touring projects straddling several genres, which led him to record and eventually build a studio and produce/edit numerous projects. This led him into management and today, with partner Morgan Brooker, he runs Blue Heron Music and manages the careers of ten bands, including Ocie Elliott, Loving, Current Swell, Jon and Roy, Fleece, Band of Rascals, Jesse Roper, Pastel Blank, The Bankes Brothers and Nicky Mackenzie. Over the years, Blue Heron has released 28 albums through various distributors and labels for their bands, and has seen the music they represent appear on over eighty syncs, including the notable VW, Scotiabank, Lululemon, Hootsuite, NBC, ABC, HBO and more, while seeing their bands gain commercial radio and audience appeal through touring the world.
In addition to management, Stephen co-produces The Phillips Backyard Festival Series (www.phillipsbackyard.com), a 4,000-person-per-day event series in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, featuring major international headliners. Previous years have featured Lord Huron, DJ Pee Wee and other artists: Lord Huron, DJ Pee Wee (Anderson Paak), Fleet Foxes, Peach Pit, Sudan Archives, Sampa The Great, St Paul & The Broken Bones, Half Moon Run, Bryce Vine, Future Islands and many more.