Stephen Mao was born on June 29, 1960 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and raised in Palo Alto, California. His mother's name is Petrina and she worked for Apple Computers. His father, James CT Mao, was a professor of business and finance at the University of British Columbia. He has a younger brother Jeffery who has Down's syndrome. Mao began a career as a photographer/photojournalist with the Associate Press while studying briefly at the University of Southern California (USC). Today Mao is President of Studio Mao and is involved with production and creative direction. In addition to the traditional film business Mao is actively engaged in supporting charities through the donation of archival museum quality photographs from his personal collection.