Biography
Shannon Komai McClain is an actress, writer, and producer, singer, and dancer. You may have caught Shannon playing a nurse on the TNT show "Major Crimes." She also had a supporting role in Clint Eastwood's film, "J. Edgar" starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2011. She also still gets recognized for her cameo playing a red carpet interviewer in "The Muppets" movie.
When not in front of the camera, Shannon is behind the lens, producing for television and film. She also wrote, produced, and starred in a web series called "The Avant Garde Goddess" in which she plays the lead character, Giovanna Garde, as she navigates the world of dating & relating in Los Angeles.
Shannon's career as an entertainer began very early. At 3 years old, she started studying dance in her hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Classically trained in ballet, jazz, Latin and African dance, Shannon continued her training in theater and began performing in musicals and plays in middle school in Coatesville, Pa. Other notable people from Coatesville are actress, Susan Richardson and NBA player, Richard "Rip" Hamilton. Shannon was varsity cheer leading captain at Coatesville Area Senior High School while Hamilton played on the varsity basketball team. After receiving her bachelor's degree in Theater and Communications from Villanova University, Shannon moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Entertainment.
As a Production Assistant for E! Entertainment, Shannon learned the ropes behind the camera and moved up the ranks to segment producer, creating content for the network, as well as developing and field producing shoots and Live segments for their Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe international coverage. Shannon's work with new media company Go TV Networks granted her access to interview musicians, actors, athletes and celebrities. While producing, Shannon also performed in plays at Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica and The Actors Collective in Hollywood. She has studied acting with Larry Moss, William Alderson, Timothy Craig, Chad McCord and Mike Pointer. She has also gone through the Upright Citizens Brigade Improv classes with Julie Brister and Brett Christensen.
Shannon splits her time between acting and developing film projects under her production & event marketing company Hapa Entertainment.
In her spare time, Shannon mentors young people through her church's youth ministry, and is active in her community promoting fitness, health & wellness programs and events. Her most important life mission is to support and empower women and girls through the arts and motivational speaking in the U.S. and abroad.
