Motion Picture Content | Advertising Creative | Brand Strategy
Experience Matters
Shawn is a seasoned Creative Advertising Professional with a focused expertise in all phases of motion picture production and its ability to effect outcomes at the national, regional and local market levels. Visual storytelling and brand strategy are his specialties.
He began his creative career in Los Angeles, Chicago and Hollywood working for high profile film, television and commercial production companies. His background in marketing and motion picture production made a career in advertising ideal, where he could mesh the two together.
Creative Philosophy
Simplicity is key.
Limits and constraints make you better.
Writing is rewriting.
If you don’t understand the fundamentals you are just guessing.
Shawn earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Cinema-Television Production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Included in this education was a training in graphic design, visual psychology, and motion picture writing and producing, as well as production techniques such as cinematography, directing, and editing.
He has won over 25 national advertising awards including an Emmy nomination, was represented as a writer-director by the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles, was a finalist in the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Competition and has been selected/won several high profile film festival awards, including winning the “Audience Award” and “Best Short” at The Newport Beach Film Festival.
Reel
Cleveland Clinic “Don’t Delay Healthcare”
Village Properties “We Do More Locally”
Village Properties “We Do More Globally”
Doritos ‘What Would You Do for a Chip?”
Vera Whole Health "A Better Path"
San Joaquin Roofing “Noah’s Roof” | Emmy Award
Rio Vista Chevrolet “The Rio Vista Way, Stop By” | Communicator Award of Excellence - Brand campaign
Rio Vista Chevrolet “The Rio Vista Way, Log In” | Communicator Award of Excellence - Brand campaign
Furniture Gallery By Mattress Mike “Little Red and the Wolf”
Furniture Gallery By Mattress Mike “Sleeping Beauty”
Furniture Gallery By Mattress Mike “The Return of Goldilocks”
Village Properties “Home is Our Favorite Destination”
V’s Barbershop “Tradition Still Matters”
Cupid Lips on Sunset "We Change the Way You Think of Lips"
Metals Direct Inc. “Three Little Pigs”
MR Dental Aesthetics “Enrique”
Furniture Gallery By Mattress Mike “Mother Goose”
Marborg Industries "50 Years"
Furnture Gallery By Mattress Mike “Pinnochio”
Santa Barbara Airport “Just Plane Simple”
Laurus College “Back to School”
Aventist Health White Memorial “Don’t be Afraid”
Get Your Guide “Travel Memories You'll Never Forget”
Macerich “Essentials of the Holidays”
Brody Pennell “Quiet Comfort”
Village Properties “We Do More, Organic Soup Kitchen”
Simi Valley Toyota “The Lift”
Sansum Clinic “Playing Doctor”
Santa Barbara Newspress “Always There”
Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch “It is the Best!”
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Ideation/Writing
It all begins with an idea.
Words really do matter, and the fewer the better. Simplicity is key. You should be able to paint a picture in the mind of your reader without drawings or photos. And writing is rewriting.
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Creative Direction/Design
Training in graphic design, visual psychology, and motion picture writing is key to good creative today.
You must have an understanding of why a specific image works, why a digital ad is best placed in the upper left or lower right of the screen, and why an audience member responds to a specific visual because of color, depth of focus, framing, and more.
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Marketing/Brand Strategy
How the public feels about your business and its mission is important. So is good communication. It doesn’t matter how good your idea is, how your product looks, if you can’t sell it to a client, the idea is worthless. You have to be able to explain the “why” behind the idea.
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Producing
A seasoned producer needs to have focused expertise in all phases of video production in today’s advertising market and an understanding of how it affects the outcomes at the national, regional and local advertising spaces.
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Motion Picture Directing
Today visual content is king. You can give five directors the same script and you will come back with five different projects and only one will be great. The right director will know how to tell the story in the right way.
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Post Production
This is where the real storytelling begins. Where writing is the blueprint of where you want to go, in post production you hone the story and find all the gems. It is the opportunity to turn a great idea into a brilliant one.
Reality Ends Here.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts
M.F.A. Cinema-Television
Professional instruction in motion picture writing, sound design, acting, cinematography and videography, visual psychology, editing and post-production techniques. Represented by the William Morris Endeavor Agency, Los Angeles.
*One of seven national finalists in the “Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Contest.”
Thesis comedic film “Hairy” won Newport Beach Film Festival “Best Short, Audience Award” and Siena, Italy Film Festival Official Selection.
Play Like A Champion Today.
University of Notre Dame
B.B.A. Business Administration, Marketing.
Double Major in Communications/Theatre with concentration in film and video production.
Study abroad program in Toledo, Spain with emphasis in Language, Spanish Art History and European Economics.