Shayne DeMarce is a Canadian creator, documentary filmmaker, and public speaker whose work is rooted in resilience, recovery, and purpose.
About Shayne
After a motorcycle accident led to a life-altering stroke, Shayne was forced to rebuild not only his body, but his identity.
What began as a personal recovery journey became a platform for survivor-led storytelling, advocacy, and connection.
Shayne is the creator and host of the UpStroke Podcast Channel, where he explores life after stroke, disability, caregiving, and career reinvention through honest, lived-experience conversations. His work gives voice to stories often left out of traditional recovery narratives.
As a filmmaker, Shayne is developing Upstroke, a feature-length documentary examining loss, stillness, and the work of rebuilding a life from the inside out, alongside a companion film telling his wife Benjilynn’s cancer recovery story.
As a speaker, Shayne brings honesty, humility, and clarity to audiences navigating change. His talks focus on resilience after adversity, rebuilding identity after loss, and finding purpose when life takes an unexpected turn.
Shayne’s work isn’t about inspiration—it’s about truth, presence, and what it really takes to stand back up.
About Benjilynn
Benjilynn DeMarce is the heart behind many of the stories told through Upstroke Media.
As a filmmaker, interviewer, creative collaborator, and cancer survivor, she brings compassion, authenticity, and quiet strength to every project.
Her journey through colorectal cancer, multiple major surgeries, and a long road of recovery has profoundly shaped the way she sees people and the stories they carry. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, they have deepened her empathy and strengthened her belief that every person has a story worth telling.
Behind the camera, Benjilynn has a remarkable ability to help people feel comfortable enough to share genuine, meaningful moments. Whether working with community leaders, businesses, healthcare professionals, or individuals facing life's greatest challenges, she believes the most powerful stories are built on honesty, trust, and human connection.
She is currently the subject of an upcoming feature documentary exploring life beyond survival, reminding audiences that healing is about far more than simply overcoming illness—it's about rediscovering purpose, identity, and hope.
Together with her husband, Shayne, Benjilynn co-founded Upstroke Media with a simple mission:
to create cinematic documentaries that inspire, connect, and remind people that every story has the power to change a life.
Featured
Before the stroke, photography was how Shayne understood the world. Shayne applies this same lens to the development of UpStroke Podcast where he and his guests explore what happens after the hospital, after rehab, and after the initial questions fade - when people are left to figure out who they are now.
