Gary has been a storyteller for over 20 years with extensive experience in many different fields of video production, TV programmes, feature films, short films, music videos and wedding videos.
Gary is also an avid writer of fiction having written several short stories over the years and he is currently writing his first full-length novel.
Where it all started
Gary was born in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, UK, in 1981, to Glyn and Eileen Spate. He lived in Grimsby until he was 31 before moving to Folkestone, Kent, UK.
Gary’s appreciation of filmmaking came at a young age. He would stay up all night watching movies resulting in him often being late for school. Gary collected 1000s of movies and critically analysed each and every one he saw.
He attended Whitgift School in Grimsby from 1993-1998 and was taught Media Studies by the talented Laurie Boxer. This spurred on his devotion to the art of filmmaking. This passion carried on with him enrolling on several TV/Video courses at the local college, Grimsby Institute.
Rubbing shoulders with the Lord
Gary and his father Glyn were invited to the official opening of the then-new Immage Studios in Immingham in 1996. They had the privilege of meeting the great Lord David Puttnam and Gary was in awe of the man. He strived to be as successful as Lord Puttnam. Also in 1996 Gary completed his school work experience program at the Immage Studios being so successful he returned in all the school holidays to be a runner for several productions on Channel 7 TV.
In the early 2000s Gary volunteered with Turning Point Productions, an award-winning disability awareness TV production team co-founded by his father Glyn Spate. TPTV would produce a highly successful magazine-style television show called ‘In Focus’.
Also in 2004 Gary met his future wife Sadie.
Life changing events
In December 2012 Gary was admitted into hospital for major surgery on his chest after doctors found his sternum was crushing a heart valve. The surgery consisted having ten ribs broken and the sternum cut into three pieces and then put together again like a jigsaw. This put him out of action for over a year. Despite this and despite Gary having metal bars holding his entire ribcage together he and Sadie married in June 2013 before moving to Folkestone that September to start a new life down south.
In 2013-2015 Gary co-produced and edited the ‘Christmas Slay’ horror movie (written and directed by Steve Davis).
In October 2019 Gary was diagnosed with Stage IV Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (SMZL), a rare and incurable form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. After six cycles of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Gary was told he is in complete remission but it is only a matter of time before it relapses and he will need more treatment.
In the meantime he is keeping himself busy by being involved in several projects: ‘The History Guys’ is a fun factual TV series; ‘No Glory’, a feature film based on true events that occurred around D-Day in 1944; and ‘Somme16’, a feature film based on true events during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. He is also writing a Western feature film script and his first novel which will hopefully be dropping onto Amazon Kindle in early 2021.
