Stephen Butchko received his Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Western Washington University. After moving to Los Angeles he began producing and performing in independent theatrical and motion picture productions with his wife Deirdre V. Lyons.

In 2020, Stephen made the transition to producing and performing live theatre in Virtual Reality when he became a founding member of Ferryman Collective which was recognized with the "Best Indie Creator(s)" Auggie Award at AWE, 2025 and the "Rising XR Company of the Year" AIXR award at the AIXR, XR Awards, 2025. He is a member of SAG/AFTRA, Actors Equity Assoc, the Producers Guild of America and most recently, the Television Academy.

VR theatrical works include: PARA, Krampusnacht, The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, and Gumball Dreams. Stephen wrote and directed Ferryman Collective’s current award-winning theatrical production, Uncanny Alley: a New Day, in collaboration with VR pioneer Rick Treweek, based on his dystopian VR world, Uncanny Alley. The experience held its world premiere at the 81st Venice Biennale where it was awarded the collateral Fanheart3 XR Fan Experience award. Uncanny Alley: a New Day has since been recognized with 7 additional global awards and nominations and held its French language premiere at the 2025 NewImages festival in Paris.