Who am I?

 

There is Ryan, and then there is Shadeck. Ryan Patrick Shadeck was born March 24th 1989 in a small town called Richmond in the  smallest state, Rhode Island. 22 Buttonwoods Rd was my whole world until the end of my 3rd grade year when my mother had moved my brother and I to Price, Utah. Utah, what? I had only a week left of 3rd grade, but next thing I knew there was canyons and deserts all around, and I would start 4th grade in one of the four places we lived in during our 6 month stay in Utah.  Shadeck would be born, but not till years later would he break out.  In the short visit we had in Utah, we moved four times. All reasons due to my relationship with the other kids in the neighborhoods. Fights, they would occur frequently in the areas I lived in, and at the school I went to for only two months. Maybe the events of moving cross country to Utah, being yanked out of the only world I knew, 22 Buttonwoods Rd caused such behavior, or perhaps the people in Utah suck? After six months we would move back to Richmond, to my world, 22 Buttonwoods Rd. I was the kind of child who had an imagination that could keep myself entertained from sun up, to sun down. For years I would travel the woods of my back yard, paths, creeks, trees and even the junk yard up the street. Creative, adventurous and satisfied with my own mind to keep me company, I had created many characters through out my youth. Shadeck would slowly emerge, but to my parents, classmates and everyone else I was Ryan. 

 

 

End of 7th grade, we had a talent show. I preformed Eminem's Without Me with another classmate. Shadeck has now broken out. The following school year I made the baseball and basketball team, my natural athletic ways were also in the early years of development. I was never  a stranger to entertaining people in the classrooms through out elementary, middle and high school. More of the weird kid in the corner in my middle school years, as to in high school establishing a reputation. I was no saint, I was the Shawn type character from Boy Meets World but for some reason comprehended things more maturely and always looking through a optimistic lens. The best medicine in life is laughter, so I always made things funny, or created laughter. In high school I played football, baseball, basketball and threw javelin in track. During my years of high school sports I was taught more than friendship and knowledge of the sports. I learned character, teamwork and work ethics. These three traits are just important in all career worlds. Athletes and actors share many similarities in the process of getting from A (background actor, or single A baseball player) to B (paid principal role, major leagues). 

 

Summer of 09' at a house party, a perfect summer night in the sticks of Southern Rhode Island. My buddies suggested I do stand up comedy. Month later I hit open mics, started doing a few shows under a well respected comedian from Rhode Island. I eventually started taking the train or piling up in the car and driving out to Time Square New York and do open mics. I preformed for a few months, until the end of summer I bought a one way ticket to LAX. 20 years old, mentally and fiscally not ready. A premature move, so 5 months later I moved back. That next summer back, I was 21 and two of my friends who I grew up with have decided to pursue the film industry together. Bryan McKeen, Kyle Little and myself founded our production company, Janky Liver Productions. We were inspired by a 48 Hour Project we worked together on. We now had our own scripts and shorts in the works, Lifeguard on Duty was our first scripted short scheduled for June 2010. On June 6th an accident occurred, I was assaulted and had my face tuned up pretty well. Still to this day I have a scar on my right eye from where I had surgery. This pushed our project back to a year, but things happen for a reason. Summer of 2011 we filmed Lifeguard on Duty, it took us almost 5 months to complete due to opposite schedules. Tired of the 40 hours a week job, and the routine life style I decided to make a change in my life, go big or go home but I was already home. The situation that happen in June 2010, was followed up with a lawsuit that lasted to October 2011. October 30th I was in Los Angeles. It was all or nothing, if you want a drink of water you go get a glass, right? Life, it is what you make of it. After an amazing, motivating cross country trip with two of my best friends from Rhode Island, I have now been here since late October. The life of an individual who choses the path of entertainment lives a wild one, an emotional roller coaster, with high highs and low lows. Everything that has happen to me through out my life has led me up to this point. Shadeck, actor, model, comedian, writer and entrepreneur. Look into my eyes and they will tell you what words can't.