Meet Shana Gagnon of Phantom Films in North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shana Gagnon.

Shana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I got on a plane by myself in 2004 when I had just turned 21-years-old and moved to Los Angeles – without ever even visiting the city ONCE. When I got on the plane from Detroit Metro Airport that January, I said goodbye to my mom and sister. I will never forget being more than happy to leave behind the -6 Degrees freezing temperature that day. It’s a moment I will never forget and the beginning of a long journey as a hopeful Hollywood actress to eventually become a director and filmmaker…

I had absolutely no friends or family living there. It took guts. And I stayed for 15 years. It was the adventure of a lifetime. I consider two places home. Los Angeles and Detroit, Michigan (where I am from originally).

Family is everything to me. I owe my work ethic and inspiration to my parents. My mother has been a nurse practitioner in cardiology for over 30 years. My late father was a true family man. He was a state champion high school wrestling coach, a teacher, entrepreneur, and country club manager. He did it all. My sister Natalie is a cardiac sonographer and the funniest person alive. She has worked on the frontlines during this pandemic. My late sister Brandi was an incredible sketch artist and painter who passed in 2011. Her talent was unmatched, and I miss her every day. Another person who has always served as a major source of inspiration and support in my life is my Aunt Donna Foley Mabry. As an international best-selling author, incredible costume designer, and actress herself, she has always encouraged me to pursue the arts.

My friends jokingly call me “Batgirl.” I suppose it’s easier to deal with life pretending to be a superhero, right? I am a multi-hyphenate filmmaker – director/actor/producer/screenwriter. I am originally from Rochester Hills, Michigan. I moved to Los Angeles in 2004 (transferred from Western Michigan University), to attend California State University Northridge and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and English in 2007. I then participated in over 60 stage productions as both an actor and director in Los Angeles, including the Road Theatre in the Noho Arts District for eight years.

I then started coaching actors in 2011 until the present. When working with me on audition prep, actors booked roles on shows such as Criminal Minds, True Detective, MTV’s Awkward, and NBC’s Grimm along with numerous feature films.

I am best known from my multi-award winning short film SECRET (I wrote, produced, directed and starred in this film), which screened in over 30 film festivals across the country, taking home Grand Jury Prize Best Short Film, Best Drama, Best Cinematography, Best Actress, and Best Multi-Hyphenate Filmmaker. It is a drama about grief and healing. It was filmed 100% in the state of Michigan in my hometown of Rochester Hills and also Oxford. It is now available on Vimeo here: vimeo.com/ondemand/secretshortfilm

Most recently, after the pandemic officially reached the United States, in April of 2020 I organized, produced, and directed a remote film project with a diverse cast of 115 people from around the world filming on their phones during the stay at home orders, due to COVID-19. We recited a global tribute to Maya Angelou’s poem ‘Still I Rise.’ When it was released, we received over 35 thousand views on Facebook and made the front page of The Detroit News. I have my editor Randy J. Williams to thank for collaborating with me every step of the way. Here is the link to ‘Still We Rise’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-15SxSpye8

I am currently in preproduction for the full-length feature film MAUDE based on the international bestseller by Donna Foley Mabry. I own the rights to the book to make the movie. The author is my Aunt on my mother’s side. I will be playing the title role, I have adapted the screenplay, and I will also be directing. I have all my associate producers, friends, and family to thank for helping me get this film off the ground. This is a true Detroit story about the author’s grandmother. We hope to film in authentic locations in the book in Michigan. Working on the preparation of this film has enabled me to split by time between Los Angeles and Michigan. MAUDE proof-of-concept teaser-trailer: https://vimeo.com/340303357

I am also a voiceover actor with two audiobooks available on Audible. Maude and Conversations with Skip (narrated with Michael Dempsey) and I just finished recording the narration for ‘Deadly Ambition’ also by Donna Foley Mabry, which will be released on audible soon.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No artist has a “smooth road.” The most significant hardships in my life were three specific losses. My father passed from cancer in 2002 when I was 19-years-old, just finishing my Freshman year of college. My sister Brandi passed in 2011. And my grandmother Millie died in 2019. But I am a believer that you “Take your broken heart, turn it into art” – in the words of Carrie Fisher. Never feel sorry for yourself, but feel your grief and work through it. I do this by making movies. After all, none of us are getting out of this alive. SECRET is a film about healing and coping with insurmountable grief. But ultimately, it is a film about true love and the exquisite pain of knowing – our lives here on earth are temporary.

The other reality about being a filmmaker/actor in Hollywood is MOST of us have day jobs. The majority of us work 40 hours a week (often times multiple jobs) hustling to pay our bills and make rent. We MAKE time for auditions and independent filmmaking on nights and weekends. It’s a grind for the average person. This is the Hollywood story for MOST people. On tv you will only hear about people who “made it” when they were 20 – came from money and didn’t have to work or were born into a famous family. This is absolutely not the reality for MOST people who come to Hollywood with a dream. And thank you VoyageLA for providing a platform for artists to talk about this and share their story. This is the TRUTH for most of us. It is NOT an easy path. But you do it if it is your calling and you just never quit.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Phantom Films – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Phantom Films is my production company. I am known for writing, directing, and producing quality, moving, emotionally driven independent films rooted in truth. I am often also hired to direct actors’ demo reel scenes. My intention as filmmaker is always to help people heal and to feel innately connected to one another through art. Artists like working with me because they know I always put blood, sweat, and tears into storytelling and I consciously surround myself with people who do the same thing.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The feature film MAUDE. I am also in preproduction to direct the short film ‘LEONARD’ written by and starring Fiona Lakeland.

I am also currently writing my own drama series and mini-series. Hulu, Netflix, and Prime – I am coming for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/secretshortfilm, https://vimeo.com/search?q=Shana%20Gagnon%20
• Email: phantomfilmsllc@gmail.com, shana.actingcoach@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Photos courtesy of Shana Gagnon

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