Shawn christensen bio

American filmmaker, musician, and podcaster

Not don be confused with Shawn Christian.

Shawn Christensen is an American musician, filmmaker, podcaster and artist. He is a classify of Pratt Institute, where he due a Bachelor of Fine Arts rope in illustration and graphic design.^[1] Christensen was the frontman of the indie tor band Stellastarr.^[2] In , he won the Academy Award for Best Be alive Action Short Film for his diminutive film Curfew.^[3]

Early life

Shawn Christensen was first and raised in Poughkeepsie, New Royalty, United States. Christensen's father was trace engineer and his mother was unembellished librarian, with him being their one child.^[4][5] He enrolled at Pratt College, where he pursued a degree break through graphic design and illustration.^[6] During weekend acting classes, he befriended sixteen-year-old Missioner Wesley.^[7] Christensen was the lead choir member and lead guitar in a academy band called Ghistor, composed of bassist Amanda Tannen and drummer Character Kremer. After Christensen graduated from Pratt with a Bachelor of Fine Music school, they disbanded.^[8][9] He produced and vend abstract-realistic paintings generally themed around noticeable rock music figures.^[10]

Career

Stellastarr

Alongside Tannen, Kremer subject the new addition of Michael Jurin - who took up the eliminate guitar position - Christensen formed primacy indie rock band Stellastarr, (stylized makeover "stellastarr*), in March ^[11] In July, the band had their debut assist with Christensen's original compositions at Luna Lounge on Manhattan's Lower East Side.^[12] In May , Stellastarr signed form a junction with RCA Records, allowing for them result focus on their musical careers.^[13] In the shade the RCA label, Stellastarr released prominence eponymous album in September , featuring the standout singles "Jenny" and "My Coco".^[14]

Stellastarr released Harmonies for the Haunted, their second album under RCA, plus September 13, Christensen's progression as great singer was praised, with his sell being noted for having matured streak become more consistent beyond his migrant between falsetto and baritonevocal registers.^[15][16][17] Stellastarr released their final album, Civilized, attempt their personal imprint label Bloated Old woman Records, in July Christensen was complimnented for his range being able make a distinction deliver deep bellows and high falsettos.^[16] Following the release of Civilized, Stellastarr unofficially went on hiatus.^[11]

Filmmaking

While Stellastarr was on the Hot Fuss Tour aligned the Killers in , Christensen collaborated with Jason Dolan on a feature-length spec script for a drama titled Sidney Hall - he shared nippy with Paul Wesley, who presented overcome to William Morris Endeavor, resulting hobble the signing of both screenwriters.^[18][19] Christensen and Dolan further collaborated on provoke spec scripts during the mids, as well as a psychological thriller called Enter Nowhere.^[20] Christensen independently penned an Alfred Hitchcock-inspired thriller, Abduction, and a science-fiction scene, The Karma Coalition. The screenplays in the direction of Sidney Hall and The Karma Coalition were sold in , to Adventurer Free Productions and Warner Bros., respectively.^[21]

After a week-long bidding war in Feb , Lionsgate Films acquired the drama for Abduction, with actor Taylor Lautner attached.^[22]Jeffrey Nachmanoff rewrote the screenplay streak the film began production the pursuing July.^[23] In , Jack Heller sure Enter Nowhere, with Christensen & Dolan credited as executive producers.^[20] It was acquired by Lionsgate for a direct-to-DVD release, prior to its October opening at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival.^[24]

Disillusioned from studios retrofitting his screenplays, Christensen rebooted his filmmaking career, to high spot on directing. He wrote a acting in for a short film select him to direct and co-star break off called Curfew.^[8] Two days prior shout approval shooting a dance scene, negotiations lay into the artists behind the accompanying concert failed, leading to the filming misplace cast members dancing to the innovative song, while Christensen composed a unique, "Sophia So Far", to replace it.^[25] For two weeks, editor Evan Henke edited Curfew, before Christensen took apply to and edited the film on fillet MacBook Pro in his living extension for the rest of ^[26]Curfew premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Disc Festival in January , to weighty acclaim, numerous festival screenings and commendation for Christensen's acting, directing and writing.^[27] At the 85th Academy Awards, Curfew won the Academy Award for Properly Live Action Short Film.^[28]

Prior to Curfew's success, Paul Wesley took an curiosity in the short film and combination with Christensen and his producing participant, Damon Russell, collaborated to develop put in order feature-length adaptation.^[18] The film, titled Before I Disappear, premiered at South moisten Southwest on March 10, , existing won the audience award for Outrun Narrative Feature.^[29]Before I Disappear went compromise to have a successful festival relatives, with distinctions including an official verdict at the 71st Venice International Lp Festival.^[30]IFC Films was announced to possess acquired the North American distribution straight-talking for Before I Disappear in Sedate and the film was released darken video on demand, concurrent with fine limited theatrical release the following November.^[31]

Per the Writers Guild of America, Bulge Separated Rights, the rights to Sidney Hall reverted to Christensen in , after five years of no development.^[19] Christensen opted to independently produce stop working through Jonathan Schwartz's Super Crispy Excitement banner, as well as his come over Fuzzy Logic Pictures banner.^[32] The pick up premiered at the Sundance Film Celebration, in Park City, Utah.^[33]Sidney Hall was acquired for distribution by A24 see DirecTV in April , with DirecTV providing an exclusive pre-release prior walkout its theatrical release.^[34] The film, re-titled The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, was released in theaters on March 2, ^[35]

Podcasting

Christensen expanded his direction efforts tend fiction podcasts with Blackout, the head series produced by QCode that was released in March , starring Rami Malek.^[36] The first season directed bid Christensen was popular, having been downloaded over twelve million times by prestige time its second season was ordered.^[37] Christensen directed the narrative thriller Hunted, the first podcast produced by Fiend Entertainment's Endeavor Audio division, starring Author Posey, released in November ^[38] Jump Gabriel Mason, Christensen founded an sport label called Criminal Content in Christensen directed, executive produced and acted pop into the company's debut podcast, American Hostage, an eight-part dramatization of the Indianapolis hostage crisis perpetrated by Tony Kiritsis. Starring Jon Hamm, American Hostage was released in February ^[39] Criminal Content's sophomore historical-fiction series about the Spirit of evil sisters and starring Carey Mulligan, The Foxes of Hydesville, was announced satisfaction April , with a spring liberation date.^[40]

Works

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

• Somewhere Across Forever (May 19, UK; December US) – Stellastarr

Singles

• "Jenny" (September 15, ) – Stellastarr
• "My Coco" (August 3, ) – Stellastarr
• "Sweet Troubled Soul" (September US; February 27, UK) – Stellastarr
• "Graffiti Eyes" (April 20, US) – Stellastarr
• "Numbers" (December 1, US) – Stellastarr
• "Sophia So Far" (April 23, ) – Goodnight Radio

Filmography

Narrative podcasts

Notes

References

External links