Shawn’s love of filmmaking started at a young age. He regularly quoted Goodfellas in elementary school. (His teachers were not impressed.) He went on to get an MFA in film, though no one in his family really knows what that is, and spent those precious years delaying adulthood under the noble guise of “creative growth.”

As his directing career got started, Shawn was featured in the Shots New Directors Showcase. His Dad travelled all the way from Istanbul to Cannes to see it, only to watch him not win. They both agreed the real prize was being together, and free food. 

Since then, Shawn has learned that timing is everything, whether it’s crafting comedy or knowing when not to quote Joe Pesci in class.