Philip Stiff was born on 1978 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is a graduate of Technical Vocational High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts with a major in Politics from the University of Winnipeg. He currently works in CBC. Philip currently has a YouTube channel called Trans Canada Phil, which is a Youtube channel featuring stylized timelapse videos throughout Canada. The channel focuses mostly on western Canada although videos of Quebec are featured as well. Other places of interest covered include Jasper National Park, The Hoodoos, The Trans Canada Highway, and Vancouver.