About Shawn S. Lealos
I have been writing professionally since 1996, when I made my first magazine sale. Two years later, in 1998, I won my first Society of Professional Journalists award. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing with a focus in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, along with a minor in Film & Video Studies.
I have worked as a film critic since 2009. Over the years my writing has appeared at CHUD.com, 411mania, Yahoo Movies, CBR, ScreenRant, ComicBook.com, and many other outlets. I am a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, where I focus on horror, genre film, and the long history of Stephen King adaptations.
I am also a filmmaker. From 1999 to 2010 I made independent short films, including my Stephen King Dollar Baby short “I Know What You Need,” which has screened in four countries. That experience shapes how I write about film. I know what it takes to get a movie made with no money and a lot of will, which is the same story I told in my book about the Dollar Baby filmmakers.
- Writing since1996, with awards from the Society of Professional Journalists
- Film criticSince 2009. CHUD.com, 411mania, Yahoo Movies, CBR, ScreenRant, ComicBook.com, and more
- MemberOklahoma Film Critics Circle (voting member)
- EducationB.A. Professional Writing / Journalism, University of Oklahoma. Minor in Film & Video Studies
- FilmmakerIndependent shorts 1999–2010, including the Stephen King Dollar Baby film “I Know What You Need” (screened in four countries)
- AuthorDollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers (2015)