Shawn joined Spire Studios as Creative Director in 2020. He began his career as an animator and leader at Pixar Animation Studios. His 26-year run there started after his freshman year film was noticed at the California Institute of the Arts' (CalArts) annual Producers Show. Shawn animated and directed commercials before rolling on to Pixar's first feature film: "Toy Story."  Working at the forefront of the computer animation industry, he has always enjoyed the collaborative process required with evolving, cutting edge technologies and the creation of feature films.

Shawn led the animation teams for three Pixar features: “UP," "Cars 2," and "Inside Out.”  "UP" was the first animated 3D film to open the Cannes Film Festival. It won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature and was also nominated for Best Picture. He then went on to become a Supervising Animator on "Cars 2" and "Inside Out." The latter won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature as well.  Simultaneously, Shawn helped guide Pixar’s animation department as it grew from sixty-plus artists to well over a hundred. During his tenure, Shawn also directed promotional work, supervised on short films, oversaw the animation production on several Pixar attractions at the Disney theme parks and animated on 12 other feature films.

Along the way, he picked up a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award as the lead on Joy from ‘Inside Out’. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Shawn lives in Northern California with his wife, two kids and an ever revolving roster of pets.