Exploring Life & Business with Shawn-Caulin Young of www.bookyourrole.com

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn-Caulin Young.

Hi Shawn-Caulin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey as a storyteller began in Farmington, New Mexico, a reservation border town nestled in the Four Corners region. Growing up, I nurtured a vivid and imaginative mind, finding solace and joy in storytelling. During high school, I embarked on my acting journey by taking my first acting class, which paved the way for auditions for BFA programs at various colleges. After graduating from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, I ventured into the world of on-camera acting, working professionally in fil/television, both in New York and Los Angeles. Over the years, I’ve honed my skills and developed a range of exercises and techniques from my training to assist aspiring actors in preparing for auditions and performing on set. I am currently an adjunct professor at my alma mater, where I teach advanced acting for the camera. My passion for truth and facilitating led me to establish my own coaching business, www.bookyourrole.com, where I leverage my experience and professional training to provide individuals with virtual/in-person acting classes and personalized 1×1 coaching sessions. I am grateful to say that today, I am a well-respected coach and mentor to several successful actors of all ages.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
What’s amusing is that I never intended to become a teacher or a coach. After years of achieving success by pursuing my personal interests in film and television, I realized that my true calling lay not in being in front of the camera, but rather in creating worlds as a writer/director and supporting other actors’ visions for projects they were working on or creating. Following my father’s passing in October 2024, I dedicated myself to focusing solely on what brings me happiness. I had struggled with people-pleasing and prioritizing my career for others rather than for myself, which led to numerous moments of heartbreak, frustration, and disappointment. Despite these challenges and obstacles, I firmly believe that this was meant to happen and was a necessary preparation for me to fulfill my true purpose of serving others. The next phase of my journey is going to be incredibly exciting and fulfilling.

As you know, we’re big fans of www.bookyourrole.com. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
www.BookYourRole.com is a virtual on-camera acting studio specializing in combining classical actor training with on-camera technique to create an undeniable performance that is both honest and unexpected.

Widely recognized as a “secret weapon” for actors by top casting directors, agents, and managers, BookYourRole is a one stop shop for any actor who is looking to take their work and life to the next level. As an accomplished actor, writer, director, producer, and coach, I have guided performers in Hollywood, New York, and globally to remarkable careers. My clients have secured series-regular and major roles on high-profile TV shows and pilots, including:

– SCOOBY DOO: ORIGINS
– THE LAND
– TRACKER
– BUFFY the VAMPIRE SLAYER (Re-Boot)
– THE PITT (Season 1 & 2)
– DEAR EDWARD
– 911: LONE STAR
– GREY’S ANATOMY
– SWAT
– RIVERDALE
– COBRA KAI
– THE FLASH
– MONSTER: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
– KATY KEENE
– THEM
– MIXED-ISH
– 911
– SYDNEY TO THE MAX
– LEGACIES
– THE RESIDENT
– INSATIABLE
– MOM
– CHICAGO MED
– GENERAL HOSPITAL
– GLEE
– MODERN FAMILY
– HAWAII FIVE-O
– KICKING IT
– ANT FARM
– SUPERNATURAL

My coaching extends beyond television to the feature film industry as well, with clients appearing in movies such as:

DARK LIGHT • SICKLERVILLE • THE DESCENDANTS • THE MONKEY • WONKA • RAYA & the LAST DRAGON • ABOMINABLE • READY PLAYER ONE • BLACK PANTHER • THE MOTHERSHIP • JACK REACHER • SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING • THE HUNGER GAMES • SEARCHING FOR NEVERLAND • J. EDGAR • THE CHANGE-UP … among numerous others.

CLIENTS INCLUDE

Tanner Hagen
Scooby Doo (Netflix), Dark Light, The Pitt

Colin O’Brien
The Land, Tracker, Wonka, Dear Edward, The Mothership, The Monkey, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

Sadie Calvano
Untitled NBC Pilot 2026, Mom, The Package

Kingston Vernes
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Reboot)

Dallas Young
Cobra Kai, 911, Cousins for Life, Ready Player One

Paula Abdul
Made For Love, Fresh Off The Boat, Impractical Jokers: The Movie

Jet Miller
Young Dylan, Killing It

Jona Xiao
The Pitt (S2), High Town, The Flash, SWAT, Raya & the Last Dragon, Spiderman: Homecoming

Kieran Tamondong
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Warrior

Albert Tsai
Coop and Cami Ask the World, Abominable

Erinn Westbrook
Riverdale, The Resident, Insatiable

Rachel Dipillo
Chicago Med, Kukoo

Camille Hyde
Katy Keene, All-American, American Vandal, Riverdale

Sophie Guest
The Fault in Our Stars, Them: Covenant

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I believe the most significant risk I ever took outside of pursuing my BFA education in Acting was venturing out on my own as a professional coach and establishing my own business. For a long time, I believed I couldn’t succeed alone and that I needed others to help me achieve my goals. Before my father’s passing, I made the difficult decision to break away from a professional relationship that had lasted over fourteen years to launch BookYourRole. It was an incredibly scary and terrifying experience, as I had no idea if I could make it on my own. Fortunately, almost all of my clients chose to follow me, attributing their success and growth to the training and mentorship I provided them. Running a business in California is inherently risky, but I am happy to say that the success of my clients and their personal growth have made the risk all worthwhile. In the words of my dad, never ask yourself what if.

Pricing:

• 1×1 30-minute Coaching – $100/hr
• 1×1 60-minute Audition Coaching – $150/hr
• 1×1 90-minute In-Depth Coaching (including a personalized audition prep guide) – $250/hr
• Personalized Audtion and Self-Tape Guide – $50
• Weekly On-Camera Classes – $255/month – $295/month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.BookYourRole.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawncaulinyoung

Image Credits
Mason Trueblood Photography – @mtruebloodphoto (Instagram)