Born in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, in 1973, Travis fell in love with cinema at an early age, when his parents took him to see his first movie, Star Wars, at the age of four. The VHS boom of the early '80s fuelled his obsession with all types of cinema, ranging from Kubrick and Lean to exploitation schlock. In 1998 Travis moved to Brisbane to study film & television production, learning all aspects of camera operation, lighting, sound and editing. While still a student, Travis won awards for his short films and TV commercials.