Back to directory

Bio

Shaelyn’s background is rooted simultaneously in the entertainment industry and in economic development. She has studied and worked in both fields and has developed a Creative Impact Producing methodology driven by community-led practice. Shaelyn earned her BFA in Creative Producing from Chapman University then spent several years working in Hollywood. She moved to New York and earned a master’s in International Affairs and Economic Development from Columbia University where she researched the policies of creative industries in emerging economies, and intercultural collaboration in the arts. During that time, she led the Landscape Mapping taskforce under the Outreach and Inclusion working group for the drafting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Net Zero Accord for the global entertainment industry. Most recently, Shaelyn worked for New York State’s economic development agency, focusing on workforce development and diversity policies in the film, television, and digital games industries throughout the state. She has consulted on impact narratives during development and has led impact production initiatives for independent short films and pilots. She is currently founding a non-profit focusing on community-centered filmmaking and distribution. She loves talking about social justice, donut economics, and alternative production models. She is currently based in New York, but pieces of her heart are in many corners of the planet and when she is not working on impact producing, she is either swimming or wishing she was.