Shane Madej | |
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| Born | Shane Alexander Madej (1986-05-16)May 16, 1986 (age 38) Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia College Chicago |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | |
Shane Alexander Madej (born May 16, 1986) is an AmericanInternet personality,paranormal investigator, and co-founder ofdigital entertainment company,Watcher Entertainment. Madej rose to prominence for co-starring in theYouTubetrue crime andsupernatural seriesBuzzFeed Unsolved.
Madej was born on May 16, 1986, inSchaumburg, Illinois to Mark and Sherry Madej. He has one brother, Scott.[1]
He went toNorthern Illinois University for two years before attendingColumbia College Chicago for editing.[2][3] Following his graduation, Madej worked several jobs including producing corporate videos, working inpublic-access television and atStarbucks.[4]
Madej joinedBuzzFeed as an intern before later joining the unscripted team.[4] In December 2016, Madej took over as the co-host inBuzzFeed Unsolved withRyan 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 andUnsolved: Supernatural. The former featured Bergara presenting unsolved true crime cases to Madej and presenting possible theories,[5][6] whileSupernatural consisted of the pair investigatingreportedly haunted locations and attempting to elicit responses forparanormal 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 ofUnsolved, which ended in 2021.[8]
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 isUnsolved's successors –Mystery Files andGhost 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, apuppet, 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 ofGhost Files.[14][15]
In September 2023, Madej married his longtime girlfriend, Sara Rubin.[16]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Beautiful Day | Male Hiker | Short Film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | S.W.A.T. | Ira | Episode: "Gunpowder Treason" |