[1][2] Sainsbury was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was raised for eight years in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico after a family move.
While with his unit, he was trained in the staging of mock battlefield productions and the dealing with of enemies through use of loud music, gathering of intelligence, distribution of surrender propaganda leaflets, and the broadcasting of fake tank noises.
[1] His animated film Private Snuffy was inspired by the torture and prisoner abuse committed by military interrogators at Abu Ghraib,[1] and based upon an article he wrote about the incidents for Now Magazine in Toronto.
[2] He obtained a grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to complete the project, and sells computer software in Toronto to make a living.
[1] While in Switzerland working on a PhD on media studies, he became a freelance reporter for PeaceReporter (Milan, Italy),[3] for which he wrote articles on his military service.