Kirk Shaw is one of North America's most prolific award-winning producers, with a career spanning over 30 years and over 250 films and television credits. He has worked with all major studios and collaborated with A-list talent including Woody Harrelson, Charlize Theron, Ashton Kutcher, John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta, and Cuba Gooding Jr. he is recognized in the entertainment industry for leadership and for introducing innovative approaches to financing and packaging film and television projects.
In 2017, Shaw was inducted into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame to recognize his lasting influence on Canada’s screen industry.
Over the years, He built Canada’s largest independent production company and transformed creative ventures into businesses that could compete globally. As a CEO, his expertise covers scripted and non-scripted production, high-concept IP packaging, financing, and international co-productions. His professional scope includes IP acquisition, development strategy, and managing budgets ranging from $1 million to more than $200 million. He has established partnerships with top talent and commercial collaborators across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, ensuring global distribution through theatrical releases, streaming platforms, and broadcast outlets. His skills in business affairs, legal oversight, investor relations, and marketing allow him to combine creative direction with corporate growth.
Shaw is co-president of Ambitious Entertainment, a next-generation studio in Los Angeles and Vancouver focusing on global content packaging. Established in 2017, the company has produced titles such as Guns of Redemption, Viper, and Dead Man’s Hand. By 2025, Shaw had developed Ambitious into a fully integrated IP-acquisition and packaging studio producing content for streamers, major studios, and international markets. The company concentrates on profitable, high-concept storytelling, connecting top-tier talent with global distribution, and is positioned to be publicly traded on the NYSE.
2009 Shaw founded Odyssey Media Inc., a boutique studio specializing in lower-risk international co-productions. With the support of a $25 million investment fund, he financed more than 20 films with combined budgets exceeding $70 million. Odyssey’s notable projects include Drive Hard, filmed in Australia with John Cusack; Pound of Flesh, filmed in China with Jean-Claude Van Damme; and The Town That Came A-Courting, filmed in Canada with Valerie Harper. Over eight years, Odyssey has built a reputation for delivering well-packaged productions with sound financial strategy.
Hi’s career began in 1990 with the founding of Insight Film Studios. Initially, the company created museum audio guides before shifting into documentaries like Inside Track. In the early 2000s, Insight expanded into long-form productions, beginning with Maximum Surge in 2002. Under Shaw’s leadership, Insight became Canada’s largest independent film and television production company, creating over 130 titles and managing annual budgets exceeding $200 million. Key projects included Battle in Seattle (2007), starring Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson, which earned Leo Award nominations; Helen (2009), starring Ashley Judd, who received a Leo Award for her performance; and The Hurt Locker (2008), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director. Other credits included When A Man Falls, Personal Effects, and television series such as Blood Ties and Painkiller Jane. By the mid-2000s, Insight supported thousands of jobs and generated more than CAD 500 million in economic impact.
Shaw holds membership in the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and the Producers Guild of America (PGA).
His early career path began in journalism. Shaw studied journalism at Douglas College in British Columbia and helped launch the Edmonton Sun in 1978, gaining early leadership and operational experience. He spent much of the 1980s in the computer industry before transitioning to film production.
To prepare for this shift, Shaw attended the Vancouver Film School, focusing on screenwriting, and completed a National Screen Institute (NSI) of Canada program that covered all aspects of production, including development, budgeting, financing, scheduling, working with creative teams, and strategies for distribution and marketing.
With decades of proven experience, Kirk Shaw continues to connect creative vision with international markets, delivering projects that combine strong storytelling with strategic business execution.
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