Ian Gardner began his broadcasting career at the University of Essex in 1992. In between lectures, he managed to present student radio shows on the campus radio station, URE, and also oversaw the general running of the station. After graduating in Information Technology, he moved to 2-Ten FM in Reading to present travel news and a weekend breakfast show. He then joined Metro Networks as 'Flying Eye' traffic spotter in 1995 and was appointed Airborne Manager a year later. The Piper Seneca aircraft flew out of Stapleford Airport, Essex, twice a day and Ian worked with a team that reported traffic jams to 18 radio stations across London.
His quick-witted, informative style saw Ian reporting live for numerous broadcasters, including Talk Radio, Virgin Radio, and Sky News. He became the airborne travel voice for Heart 106.2 when it launched in September 1995, and later presented his own weekend show. He covered major events including the London Marathon and Paddington Rail Crash, hosted road shows, and interviewed pop stars. He also presented 'Drivetime' and a weekend show at regional station Wave 105. Until July 2001, Ian worked full-time at Heart 106.2 under the pseudonym Jeff Stryker as travel and weekend presenter.
Ian appeared on numerous television programmes, including travel and career shows for Sky One, Carlton Television , and LWT. In September 2000, he began freelance presenting for Granada TV's Shop! channel. He joined Ideal World in August 2001, hosting hundreds of hours of live television. In 2002, Ian moved to Auction World.tv based at Teddington Studios, and later became Senior Presenter for sister channel Chase it.tv.
In 2005, Ian hosted live programming for eeZee TV covering jewellery, kitchenware, and electronics. By year's end, he'd branched into quiz television with The Great Big British Quiz. In 2006, he helped launch The Jewellery Channel, a fast-paced interactive auction network. That July, Ian joined the Endemol team on Quiz Night Live, followed by a stint on The Mint on ITV Play.
In 2008, Ian consulted for The Jewelry Channel USA, broadcasting nationwide from studios in Austin, TX. After returning briefly to Gems TV in 2011, Ian moved to the United States. He guest-hosted electronic products for ShopHQ until 2015.
Ian designed and built a broadcast quality home studio in 2015 and in April 2023, made a return to radio by joining the Thasis Radio Network as station host for KEWL.FM.
As a full-time voice talent, Ian delivers a wide variety of voiceovers, audio production and broadcasts to clients around the globe.