Today we’d like to introduce you to Reuben Shaw.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am Reuben Shaw actor/artist/writer/producer. Grandson of Reggae Music Legend Denroy Morgan who is responsible for the 1981 r&b hit “I’ll do anything for you” and nephew of reggae music group “Morgan Heritage”.
Born in Brooklyn and being groomed in Springfield, MA I got my start in the arts at an early age of 6 through music being trained on the guitar to eventually learning to produce beats in my teenage years while attending High School at Brookwood in Gwinnett County.
In 2011, I placed two songs on the vh1 hit tv show single ladies after meeting and working with music producer David Siegel (producer/arranger of Kiss Me Through the phone Soulja Boy, Whatever You Like by T.I) while attending University of Central Florida.
After this, I began to work throughout Atlanta under hip hop rapper/producer Daddy-O who introduced me to Emmy Award Winning Director of Photography Mark Alston who opened my eyes to the world of film along with a slew of other Atlanta filmmakers and producers leading me to also interning at studios throughout the city such as Icon Studios which led to continuous networking opportunities that helped move my career.
Somewhere in there, I found myself learning the depths of music game as Stevie J briefly took me under his wing prior to the love and hip hop success teaching me and showing me the talent that it takes and the effort you must create to make it in the entertainment spectrum.
I began to learn about film doing some contracted assistant work on major productions such as Monique Show and College Football Today which led me to wanting to getting in front of the camera and also produce film content of my own. I got my first taste of the Big Screen when I had a small feature role in the film “Dirty Grandpa” and also a smaller feature on “Barber Shop 3” which drove me to getting more involved with the Atlanta film community leading to working with several filmmakers such as Sean Van Dorn, Fordy Fowler, Jibril Haynes in a bunch of short films and webseries (Stimulus, Broke Boyz, The Wrath of More) here I got the acting bug.
In 2019, I appeared in TV Ones Fatal Attraction and Atlanta Homicide. 2021 Covid I found myself tapping into the family legacy going back into the music world where I released a few music singles independently Hip Hop Singles “Loudpack” &”Alien” as well and dancehall tunes “Bout It” and “Winning” tapping into my Jamaican roots.
2021 Fall, I recently have wrapped filming new episodes in the upcoming seasons of “American Detective” (Discovery Investigation) “Killer Couples” (Oxygen Network) and another episode on the upcoming season of “Fatal Attraction” TV ONE.
While also in the meantime, I have connected with my mentor Mark Alston and a few other upcoming filmmakers and actors throughout the ATL Film community to producer my first feature film “Selector” a movie the will reflect on the rise of dancehall music on the east coast in the early 90’s set to begin filming in January 2022.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a smooth road in my perspective. Life is all about balance so there comes many ups and downs. I would never call them struggles but growing pains. Sometimes when you desire something with so much passion you may find yourself not being as understanding of the process in which it takes to be successful. But it is a process, and with no quote unquote “struggle” how does one truly attain success or the ability to said “I did it” “I accomplished”
Maintaining the balance of being a father, actor, artist, son, and staying true to myself has allowed me to grow into the man I am becoming the only struggle I can see that has come my way has been getting back to this filming with all this covid going around.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Actor/Artist/Writer.
Accomplished actor, having appeared in the movies Barbershop 3: The Next Cut, starring Ice Cube, Nicki Minaj, Common, and Cedric The Entertainer; and Dirty Grandpa, with celebrated actor Robert De Niro; as well as true crime television series ATL Homicide, Fatal Attraction, American Detective, and Killer Couples and a slew of independent film productions.
I’m most proud of being a father while still evolving as an artist.
The Passion/Focus/ and knowledge of the game sets me apart from others, the legacy of the entertainment family that I have been blessed to be born into sets me apart from others but honestly once you get to this point in the game the desire to be successful makes us all the same.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Work ethic.
As long as I’m going after it I don’t believe that I can be stopped or unsuccessful. Even when I fail I win. That’s my reality.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @reubzshaw
- Twitter: @reubzshaw
- Youtube: reubziggy
