Meet Chris Shaw of Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Shaw.

Hi Chris, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
While I was growing up, people would call me a nomad because of how much my family moved. By the time I graduated high school, I had already lived in six different cities and four different states. I was born in New Jersey but spent the majority of my childhood living in Franklin County, Virginia. This is the type of place that you have to drive an hour to the nearest city just to go to a mall.

The movie “Lawless” is based on Franklin County which should give you an idea of the type of place it is and the rich history behind it. Franklin County will always have a special place in my heart for the natural beauty that it holds. I come from a football oriented family. My dad is a retired college and professional football coach and my brother played football at Virginia Tech. It always felt like an unspoken thing in my household that playing football was your career path. So, that’s what I planned to do with my life for as long as I could. However, after my junior year football season, I received my fourth concussion which damaged the base of my brain and I was told I could never play a contact sport again. I felt very lost during this time because I had no thought of what else I could do with my life. Coming from a blue collar family, I expected football to be my main gateway to college. During this time, my brother was starting his acting career which made me become interested in the industry. It gave me confidence knowing someone else was able to go from a football player to an artist. I looked back on my childhood and realized how creative my brother and I were as children. We would put on plays and carnivals for my parents frequently. I soon began to notice how creative I was able to be and I began to fall in love with storytelling. Writing and directing became an uncontrollable passion. I watched as many movies as I could and did as much research possible.

The summer going into my senior year, I decided to save up my Christmas and birthday money to make my first short film which was the beginning of my journey. I decided to attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington and after my first school year, I dropped out after getting offered a job within the film industry in Atlanta. While living in Atlanta, I worked as hard as I could to further develop my skills and to build my resume. After some time, I was able to get directing work and create my own style. I have studied German Expressionism in depth which is where I derive most of my style from. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a film that has been a huge influence on me as a director. Wes Anderson and Tim Burton are also directors that I gained a lot of inspiration from. After a year and a half of living in Atlanta, I felt the time was needed to move to Los Angeles. This is when I got the opportunity to be a 1st Assistant Director on a feature film which really enabled my career to take off and I am extremely grateful for it. Soon after, I started my production company “Calico Rock Films”. Earlier this year I got my first feature film that I wrote greenlit and I am currently in pre-production for it as I am directing it as well. This project has been extremely fulfilling to me because of the truth and vulnerability that it entails.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I feel like in this industry, you always have obstacles that you have to overcome. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Being able to utilize your pain and trauma to further your artistic vision is something truly special and beautiful.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Writing and directing has been a journey that is deeply rooted in my personal experiences and relationships. My focus is to have every frame in my films, be a painting that you as an audience member can find discovery within yourself. The experience I wish to give the audience is a freeing moment. A moment to forget about what is happening in the world around them and to be present. The way I go about this is how I believe I set myself apart from others.

How do you think about luck?
I personally don’t believe in luck. I believe that every decision that you make impacts what happens in your life. You are in control of a lot more than you think.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @chris_shaw_

Image Credits
Gena Ford Photography, Rob Regpala