During Shawn's freshman year at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, he decided - on a whim - to audition for a play. He ended up getting cast (!) in a supporting role and was subsequently bit by the proverbial acting bug and, in fact, went on to perform in over 10 different plays.

After graduating from Westminster with a bachelors degree in psychology, Shawn realized that what he really wanted to be when he grew up was a professional actor. So, he got representation with a local talent agency and quickly landed various roles in commercials, independent films and TV shows, including a guest starring role on the CBS series "Miracles and Other Wonders".

Shawn's success as an actor prompted a phone call from his agent to ask if he would consider teaching the acting/audition workshops that were offered through the agency. Shawn eagerly accepted and, over the course of several years, went on to teach hundreds and hundreds of aspiring actors. To this day, Shawn continues to provide one-on-one coaching to actors of all ages.

Shawn's experience and people skills then earned him the opportunity to work as a booking agent (at the same talent agency) where, through his daily contacts, he established lasting relationships with local casting directors and advertising executives. During this time, Shawn also managed to write an award-winning screenplay.

After five years as a booking agent, Shawn was offered the incredible job of being the assistant to one of Utah's top casting directors. This amazing experience set the stage for Shawn to become Utah's hardest working extras casting director. He was responsible for the crazy - but fun - job of finding and casting thousands of extras in countless commercials, TV shows, and large/small-scale movies, including the Disney Channel phenomenon "High School Musical".

In September of 2007, Shawn decided to launch his own talent agency.
Thus, Riveted Talent Management was born.