Chris Swanson is a founding partner of Secretly Group, which includes record labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records and Secretly Canadian; and publishing company Secretly Publishing. He is also a founding partner in All Flowers Group, which includes labels Ghostly International and drink sum wtr. On these labels he works with Bon Iver, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, Toro y Moi, Moses Sumney, MUNA, Khruangbin, Angel Olsen, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Swanson is also a partner in Secretly Distribution, archival record label Numero Group, and vinyl manufacturing plant Independent Record Pressing.
Swanson first got involved in cinema through the works of Rick Alverson, whose first four feature films he co-executive produced. He then received the opportunity to music supervise a film from independent director Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies). Along with his colleague Jessica Berndt, he continued music supervising projects with filmmakers Chapman & Maclain Way (Wild Wild Country, Untold), Hannah Fidell (A Teacher, The Long Dumb Road), Brett Haley (Hearts Beat Loud, All The Bright Places), Rick Alverson (The Comedy, The Mountain), Jake Johnson (Ride the Eagle, Self Reliance), Jeff Tremaine (The Dirt), and additional projects from Joe Swanberg, including three seasons of Netflix’s Easy series. In 2020, Swanson won a Guild of Music Supervisors Award for his work with Joe Rudge on the film The Dirt.
