Shaun Melady: From the Corporate World to Showbiz

Shaun Melady is a communications professional who is no stranger to the public eye.

Having a background in mass communications, public relations, and journalism, Melady decided to ditch his comms persona and focus his attention on the runway, stage, and silver screen. Melady has always had a passion for entertainment, and he decided it was finally time to pursue his dreams.

Once moving to New York City, Melady hit the ground running by landing three off-Broadway plays. He can now be seen in multiple Amazon Prime indie series, as well as the award-winning short film Abysmo, and Amazon Prime’s The Disturbance Call. He also modeled earlier this year in New York Fashion Week for Italian-brand Elie Balleh Couture at the highly esteemed Pier 59 Studios.

Melady took some time to chat more with OUT FRONT about why he decided to drop the pen and pick up the mic.Hi, Shaun! Thank you so much for taking some time to chat with me. How are you doing during these unprecedented times?
Oh my goodness. It is wild. If you asked me that back in March, I would have been like, OK, this will probably be over fully in a couple weeks. Now, it’s like, what is happening in the world?’

I know. It has been absolutely insane. Now, you are a celebrity model and actor who used to work in the communications and marketing field. What made you switch over to entertainment?
Ever since I was a kid, I always loved entertaining. I loved acting and singing, but those were always far-fetched dreams growing up because I grew up very conservative Christian. I went to a conservative, Christian college and all that stuff. Yes, there are those outlets, but you do not look at the broader picture. You don’t see Fashion Week or film sets; you only hear about them.

I always had that in the back of my head and kind of repressed it until I moved to New York. I was, I am in the city to do it, why not try? So, my very first thing, I saw a casting randomly on Instagram or something like that, and it was an open call for New York Fashion Week. This was in 2017, going into 2018. I went to the casting, and there, I found a manager. I worked with different designers, and I was like, wait a minute, this is actually happening. That was one of the coolest experiences. Then from there, I got that high. That instant high of being like, this is what I have been wanting to do. But, in the back of my head, I was like, I am not giving up communications because I have to make a living. So, there was always that fallback.

You are very well-known and established a name in New York City. Any plans to move out to Hollywood?
I thought about it, but to be honest with you, New York is a good place to be at right now because there are so many TV shows, feature films, and different things like that here. As well as on the modeling side, there are a lot of fashion brands and stylists here. So, right now, I am pretty set in New York, but Hollywood might be in the near future.

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A project we can currently see you in is the award-winning short film, Abysmo. Sounds like it has been received very well by audiences.
So far, so good! It was featured at the Hollywood Blood Horror Festival and received an honorable mention for best thriller at the New York Short Film Festival. It is really neat and different. Filming it, like I mentioned before, I grew up very conservative Christian. My counterpart, my co-star in it, she plays this conservative-type Christian person at the beginning, then it twists at the end. So, it was interesting to see and play the opposite side of that.

You are also in the short thriller, The Disturbance Call?
Yes, and I am very excited about that film because I play the lead which is, like, a police officer. It is unique in itself because I am not a police officer, but it is a short film thriller, and it was just amazing. We had to trudge through these woods out in Long Island to film, and it is about this suspenseful disturbance that is happening. We get called about it, and it turns out to be so much more. I have been so excited to share this project.

Once switching full-time to the entertainment industry, you hit the ground in full stride by landing roles in three Off-Broadway plays. Would you like to return to the stage sometime?
I would love it. Like I said, I love singing and grew up singing in concert choir, college, and things like that. The three off-Broadway plays that I have done, those were straight plays. One of them was like a full-on Greek tragedy called The Persians, which was very interesting. Then, the other ones were more fun and more outgoing. They were called The Killers and Disconnected. I would love to be on Broadway and sing. It would be so compelling.With the COVID-19 pandemic, what do you think the future of theatre looks like?
Wow, that is a hard one. My partner, he is a dancer and a musical theatre performer as well. Right now, it is just so hard and difficult because it is so unknown. When theatre supposedly starts back up next year, who knows what that is going to look like? I do see there are some different castings for touring shows, so that is a very big positive step. Having those performances are so important to culture.

What brings you the most joy—the stage, the silver screen, or the runway?
Honestly, I love the silver screen. Acting is just amazing. You get to create characters. Obviously, you have your script, but you get to portray the emotions. You get to dive into these different characteristics that bring a page to life. I think that is so cool.

Can you tell us more about your experience walking in New York Fashion Week for Italian-brand Elie Balleh Couture?
Amazing! It was cool because I actually walked for him last September. My manager set me up, and I walked for him in The Society Fashion Show, which kicked off Fashion Week. It fell right on my birthday, and that was really cool. He is this brilliant, Italian couture designer, and then he called me back for this year’s Fashion Week in February, and it was just amazing. It was at one of the top Fashion Week venues in the world, Pier 59 Studios. It was such a neat and once-in-a-lifetime experience. I felt very fortunate to be involved with it.

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What advice would you give to someone who would like to break into the entertainment industry?
It is difficult, but if it is something you are passionate about, then find the way to do it and go for it.

What are some of the major hurdles and challenges you encountered?
Diving into the entertainment industry full-time because it is such a leap of faith. You don’t know what is going to happen because nothing is guaranteed. I think out of all my jobs before turning to entertainment, this is probably the most difficult and stressful industry I have ever experienced, and that is saying something. I have managed communications for pretty large companies.

Like, I used to work at SeaWorld, and this was coming right off the Blackfish documentary from CNN, and then going and managing communications for NASCAR and their motorcycle branch to doing PR for Jaguar Land Rover. Those are pretty prestigious environments, but switching to this, you are the only one that is going to be able to make this happen. This is what you are wanting to do, and there is no other way.

Some LGBTQ celebrities I have interviewed have expressed their frustrations and concerns about how the industry is still not as diverse or accepting as some of us might think. Have you experienced this?
I want to say maybe in certain respects, but not blatantly. There are like different castings for the macho person, manly man, and all that stuff, but I guess that comes with understanding that this is the character, and this is how the writer has it being portrayed. It’s nothing personal, but I am definitely not discrediting anybody else’s opinion because prejudice is real out there, and it is so unfortunate.What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as a LGBTQ entertainer?
Just to carve the path for not only LGBTQ entertainers, but everybody to know that you can do this, and you can have this background. Whether it is a very religious background you broke away from, or whether it is a different company or industry you broke away from, or whether you are gay, straight, bi, whatever the case may be, you can do it. There is hope out there, and there is a way. You just have to create the way.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects you would like to mention or plug?
Make sure to check out The Disturbance Call which is out now. If you want something fun to watch, I did an Amazon Pride indie series called Ricardo and Trayce where I play the role of Trayce. It is a fun, short watch to see a journalist get into a relationship with a giant entertainment conglomerate and try to find the ins and outs of that. Like I said, it is very indie, so keep that in mind. Also, keep an eye out for Atlantic Records and their YouTube channel. I cameoed in a couple of their web series, one called Anya Marina, the other called Labeled. I am in season two, so make sure to check that out.

To stay up-to-date with Melady, follow him on Instagram.

Photos Courtesy of Hafees Byard and Austin Metzger