Meet the Butcher Birds – Shayne Eastin

Shayne Eastin – Writer, Creative Producer, Director

In this series, we showcase our exceptional team members that make up Butcher Bird Studios.

Can you tell us about your background, and why you decided to join this industry?

I come from a performing arts and theatre background, which taught me the discipline and work ethic I needed to land the kind of creative and competitive opportunities that I’ve always been drawn to. One of my first jobs was working in a marketing department of a casual fashion brand designing ads and photographing models. I was very young and I loved the work because I was able to travel and I learned about fashion marketing from some of the best people in the industry. I felt invigorated to see ads I designed on billboards or on the back of magazines, and I continued to seek opportunities that would stretch my abilities and teach me new skills. After that, I spent some time working for a European music video director and photographer as an assistant and production coordinator. Then I spent a few years at a VFX company learning the ins and outs of post-production and getting to spend time assisting some incredible VFX Producers. All the while I took odd jobs at coffee shops, vintage stores and various freelance entertainment jobs in between gigs.

When did you begin working with Butcher Bird Studios?

In 2015 Luis Reyes invited me to Butcher Bird’s downtown office (before they moved to Glendale) to get some editing tips from Steven Calcote, and they haven’t been able to get rid of me since!

Can you describe your role in the team, and has it evolved since you first joined?

One of my first jobs through Butcher Bird was a casting job for one of Travis Stevens’ films. The more time I spent around everyone at the company, the more I realized I had to be involved. I loved the opportunities that were coming in and really wanted to play a creative role.  I am currently a writer, creative producer, and sometimes director at the company–and I love the work I get to do! Creating shows, streams, commercials and ad content that I find authentic, cool and stylish is a dream. One such project that comes to mind is the “Introduction to Vampire: The Masquerade” commercial I made with Travis Stevens, Luis Reyes and Aaron Nardi, as well as all of the exciting and fun-loving content I get to make with “Netflix GEEKED”.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

When I’m working on a live stream, major changes sometimes come in real time and I need to handle them in a fast, creative, and thoughtful manner. To be honest, it’s a challenge, but it’s also one of the things I love about live content. Knowing that anything can happen is a total thrill! Plus there’s such a solid team at Butcher Bird and they really care about making the show A+, so it’s easy to handle anything that comes up.  Athena Ross, MeeRa Kim, Michael Henderson, Griffin Davis, Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Emily Kerrigan, Vanessa Cate and everyone at BBS are all MASTERS at what they do and I’m happy to face any challenge with them.

In your opinion, what makes Butcher Bird unique? What has been your favorite project with the team?

At Butcher Bird studios, everyone wants to innovate and break new ground when it comes to storytelling and creating ad content that resonates with viewers. Any project that Butcher Bird works on is almost guaranteed to generate buzz because it is approached with a real sense of play and enthusiasm–and the audience at home can feel that. “Twitch Sells Out” was my first project at Butcher Bird Studios as a writer. This show was a week-long live broadcast. Although every day felt like a marathon, the passion and the warmth from the entire crew really gave the entire show more energy than any amount of coffee ever could.

What are you hoping is the next big thing in the industry?

I’d love to see a more stripped-down and genuine aesthetic across the board from all industries. We’ve been looking at the world through overdone filters for far too long, and time after time we’ve seen that visual, intellectual, and emotional authenticity and honesty are far more rewarding. I’m also interested in the shift we all have to make when it comes to environmentalism and global warming. It’s something I care deeply about, and at this point, major changes toward greener production practices are important and unavoidable.

What do you wish you knew before starting your career journey?

So much, but the discoveries along the way have been fantastic.