Shane Madej

Last updated
Shane Madej
Born
Shane Alexander Madej

(1986-05-16) May 16, 1986 (age 38)
Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S.
Education Columbia College Chicago
Occupations
  • Internet personality
  • paranormal investigator
Years active2014–present
Known for
Spouse
Sara Rubin
​
(m. 2023)​

Shane Alexander Madej (born May 16, 1986) is an American Internet personality, paranormal investigator, and co-founder of digital entertainment company, Watcher Entertainment. Madej rose to prominence for co-starring in the YouTube true crime and supernatural series BuzzFeed Unsolved .

Contents

Early life

Madej was born on May 16, 1986, in Schaumburg, Illinois to Mark and Sherry Madej. He has one brother, Scott. [1]

He went to Northern Illinois University for two years before attending Columbia College Chicago for editing. [2] [3] Following his graduation, Madej worked several jobs including producing corporate videos, working in public-access television and at Starbucks. [4]

Career

BuzzFeed (2014–2019)

Madej joined BuzzFeed as an intern before later joining the unscripted team. [4] In December 2016, Madej took over as the co-host in BuzzFeed Unsolved with Ryan Bergara. He made his first appearance in the episode "The Secret Society Of The Illuminati". The show was split into two separate series, Unsolved: True Crime and Unsolved: Supernatural. The former featured Bergara presenting unsolved true crime cases to Madej and presenting possible theories, [5] [6] while Supernatural consisted of the pair investigating reportedly haunted locations and attempting to elicit responses for paranormal proof. The show became one of Buzzfeed's most successful series, generating over a billion video views and 16.6 billion minutes of total watch time. [7]

Madej left BuzzFeed as a full-time employee in 2019. In 2020, he and Bergara signed a contract to finish the final seasons of Unsolved, which ended in 2021. [8]

Watcher Entertainment (2019–present)

In 2019, Madej co-founded a digital production company, Watcher Entertainment, with fellow ex-Buzzfeed employees, Bergara and Steven Lim. [9] [10] The trio served as co-CEOs until 2023, when both Madej and Bergara stepped down to focus on the creation of content. [11]

The channel hosts are a variety of shows starring Madej, Bergara, and Lim, spanning cooking, mystery, gaming, and horror. [9] Included is Unsolved's successors – Mystery Files and Ghost Files – which have both proved successful. [12]

Madej is the creator of the web series, Puppet History . [8] The series consists of Madej starring as The Professor, a puppet, quizzing Bergara and a special guest on peculiar historical events and people. [13]

In 2023, Madej and Bergara went on a national tour to premiere the second season of Ghost Files. [14] [15]

Personal life

In September 2023, Madej married his longtime girlfriend, Sara Rubin. [16]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2020Beautiful DayMale HikerShort Film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2020 S.W.A.T. IraEpisode: "Gunpowder Treason"

References

  1. ↑ Madej, Scott. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Goodbye YouTube. YouTube. April 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ Fleshman, Cu (2020-02-25). "Q&A: Checking In With Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara And Shane Madej Of Watcher - Character Media" . Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  4. 1 2 Hale, James (26 September 2019). "Creators Going Pro: Ryan Bergara And Shane Madej Launch Season 6 Of Their Megahit Web Series 'BuzzFeed Unsolved'". Tubefilter (Blog). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Currier, Sarah (1 October 2023). "Ryan Bergara discusses past and future content at ISU AfterDark". Iowa State Daily . Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  6. ↑ Francisco, Eric (13 April 2019). "'BuzzFeed Unsolved': How the Hosts Choose New Crimes Every Season". Inverse . Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  7. ↑ Spangler, Todd (7 June 2021). "'BuzzFeed Unsolved' Final Two Seasons Set to Premiere This Year". Variety . Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  8. 1 2 "'Buzzfeed Unsolved' to 'Ghost Files': Ryan and Shane's triumph over the corporate machine". ‘Buzzfeed Unsolved’ to ‘Ghost Files’: Ryan and Shane’s triumph over the corporate machine - The Miami Student. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  9. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (2019-12-09). "Ex-BuzzFeed Video Staffers Launch Watcher Entertainment Digital Studio (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  10. ↑ Entertainment, Watcher. "Watcher Entertainment Launching January 2020 With Former Buzzfeed Talent At The Helm". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  11. ↑ Press 💬, The Publish. "Why This Channel Went from 3 CEOs to 1 🔻". The Publish Press. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  12. ↑ Alexander, Fisher (2022-10-03). "'Ghost Files' Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara Are the Best Ghost Hunters in the Biz". Collider. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  13. ↑ Alexander, Fisher (2023-03-12). "7 Watcher Entertainment's Must-Watch Shows". Collider. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  14. ↑ Huynh, Julie. "The Ghoul Boys are in town! Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej premiere new show "Ghost Files" at the Wilbur Theater". The Suffolk Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  15. ↑ "Ghost Files Live! Tour ready to haunt the Luxor". Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV. 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  16. ↑ "Sara E Rubin". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
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