Shawn Imitates Dog (Oglala Lakota)

    Shawn was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Raised by his grandparents, Shawn grew up heavily involved in the culture dancing at all local Pow Wows as a grass dancer.

    At the age of 18, Shawn made the daring journey to Los Angeles. Since his arrival, Shawn has worked for several different organizations; including Six Flags Magic Mountain, Senna Cosmetics, and 9 1/2 years with the House of Blues. In 2007, Shawn accepted a position with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)- one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world- as their Sr. Director of Human Resources. Shawn also serves as a Board Member on the Entertainment Human Resources Network.

    During that same time period, Shawn developed a professional relationship with Emmy Award-Winning Director Arthur Allan Seidelman working as his assistant on a film project.

    Shawn is also very involved in the Los Angeles Native Community. He is part of the Red Circle Project, which is a sub-division of the AIDS Project Los Angeles, which provides HIV/AIDS Prevention and Services for Native people living with HIV/AIDS. Shawn is also the current President of the Southern California Indian Center's (SCIC) Board of Directors. SCIC is the largest Urban Indian Center in the country servicing the largest population of off-reservation American Indians.

    In addition to his business life, Shawn has continued to venture into the film industry. In 2006, Shawn produced his first short film "He Can't be Caught". In 2007, he wrote and produced the short-film, "Two Spirits, One Journey", which paired him again with Director Arthur Allan Seidelman.

    In the role of film producer, Shawn is in pre-production for a number of feature films alongside his mentor, Mr. Seidelman, and co-producer, Roberta Pacino. Shawn is also co-owner of a production company with partners Arthur and Roberta.

    Shawn is also the owner/founder of Four Directions Travel, a full-service Native American owned and operated travel agency, and owner of Jennie's Restaurant & Lounge, located in his hometown in Martin, South Dakota. Shawn currently lives in Los Angeles.