Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Roundtree Jr.
Hi Shawn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Well, I’m from Edwardsville, Illinois with strong family ties in Chicago. I grew up in Edwardsville, but I would go live in Chicago with family during the summers. Sports kept me highly active; especially basketball. There was a time in my life where basketball kept me in St. Louis every day. However, I also was big into performing arts as a youth; theater, talent shows, singing, etc. There came a point where I had to choose between basketball and performing arts due to time conflictions. I chose basketball, which provided me with basketball scholarships and a free education. I attended Missouri State University (2014-2016), Mineral Area College (2016-2017), and graduated from Central Michigan University (2017-2019). I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, majoring in Entrepreneurship and a minor in marketing. After graduation, I went overseas to play professional basketball in the Republic of Georgia. It was a wonderful experience, but I had realized in that short time (6 months) that basketball had ran its course. It was another passion of mine that I had came back calling, acting. I made the decision to retire and come back home to fully pursue an acting career. I did not know how, but I knew it was in my heart! I was going to dive in. I came back to the US in February 2020; right before the shutdown. The pandemic gave me time to research and learn the acting industry while it was put on hold. After consistently putting out content (skits, vlogs, YouTube series) via social media, in December 2020 I signed with my talent agency The Rock Talent Agency in Chicago, Illinois. Since then, I had the opportunity to auditions for a plethora of shows, commercials, and films. The most notable opportunity was an intense episode of NBC’s “Chicago PD” this March. I played “Jeff Duncan”, a black teen who has an altercation with police during a traffic stop. It was a dream seeing myself on TV! Since then, I’ve booked a couple more commercials, I have management now with Atlas Artists in Los Angeles, and I have created my own brand, “Great Wave”! Great Wave is a brand that I created 3 months ago. It is all about spreading positivity, self-awareness, and trying to be a better version of the person you were before. I have been speaking at different schools and universities. My goal is to reach young people and get to look inward. So, the last couple months, I have just been grinding away with my craft and trying to progress the brand, Great Wave.
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?
This year of 2021 has been the happiest year of my life. I feel like I am doing what makes me light up inside. I would be lying if I said it has been smooth. It is also the first year of truly adulting outside of the “athlete world”. There was a huge slap in the face by the real world! I had to find my identity outside of being an athlete.
As far as Great Wave goes, the struggle so far has been finding the resources and investors. I have the vision of where Great Wave can take off, but without the proper resources there’s only a certain amount that can happen. I have been doing what I can, and so far, Great Wave has a great following on Instagram. The content has really been showcasing and celebrating what the brand is about, “Being Great”.
As far as acting, there’s been highs and lows. As I’ve learned and experienced more about the industry, I have built up mental stamina. Mental stamina in this industry is very important. Working actors invest so much into the craft; headshots, classes, wardrobe. However, it is not all financial. As an actor, you hear thousands of “nos” and must face rejection a lot. It can be tough at times because you begin to question yourself all around the board.
“Did I make the right choice?”
“When am I going to book something?”
“Am I good enough?”
So many obstacles come with both of these endeavors. I have good days and bad days. Some days I feel like I cannot be stopped, and some days I feel like I need to just stop it all. It only takes one “yes” to take things up another level. Why stop now?
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Overall, I am a creative. I have a very artistic and creative mind. I was a huge Barney lover, so my imagination is through the roof! As a creative, I like to bring the ideas from my head into physical form. I am constantly putting out content. With my skits, I can visualize every scene, word, camera angle, etc. before I even create the video, I can hear the music that will go in the background. It is like wearing all of the hats; writer, producer, director, actor, and more. I run my race and stay in my lane, so I’m rarely comparing myself to others and their work. However, it’s important to let people’s work inspire and motivate you. I do know that I put true passion and purity in my work. I have always been a hard worker with great leadership skills. Even during my basketball career, I would pride myself on the work. I wasn’t the most talented or athletic, but I worked hard and the accolades followed. In the professions that I am in now, I have made sure to keep my heart pure and my faith strong. I have to continue to DO THE WORK!
I am extremely proud of myself this year. I have truly been the best self than I’ve ever been in my life. I am most proud of myself for truly following my heart and doing what makes me happy. After basketball, I never wanted to be someone working a job that I hated or made me miserable. I love to perform and acting gives me the chance to express myself, tell stories, and discover sides of myself that I did not know I could reach. Great Wave gives me the opportunity to fulfill PURPOSE. One of my favorite lines when I am guest speaking is “It’s not about legacy, it’s about impact”. When we leave this earth, people are gonna remember how you made them feel. I am able to impact people’s lives with Great Wave. Eventually, I want GW to be a platform for me to put on various community/social events and give people the opportunity to give back themselves.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice to people starting out is to follow their heart and that feeling of what made them begin in the first place. Understand that when going after that dream/vision, not everyone will agree, share your enthusiasm, or support how you thought envisioned they would. Fight through those days of discouragement and then the next day go harder! This upcoming year, I plan on releasing apparel for Great Wave. People will finally have the opportunity to rep the brand! I have some great ideas that families and communities can get involved in. I want Great Wave to become a brand/platform that people can correlate with greatness, authenticity, and hope. All I can do is take everything one day at a time, build brick by brick, and remain grateful within the process. One day, people will see me on the TV screen with the brand right on me. Be Great!
Contact Info:
- Email: waveofgreat@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tree2round & www.instagram.com/_greatwave
Image Credits
Lawrence Salley
Katelyn Bebee
