SHANNON J. LOVE

Creative Director · Executive Producer · Showrunner · Director of Development Screenwriter · Speechwriter · Storyteller · Creative Problem Solver

"Stories are emotional architecture. The work is not simply to entertain, but to reveal humanity with clarity, empathy, tension, and truth."

Harris County, TX · sjlove@shannonjeffreylove.com · 718-208-3290 · shannonjeffreylove.com · resume.shannonjeffreylove.com · shannonj.love · shannonjlove.tv · LinkedIn · IMDb · Medium

Executive Summary

Award-winning Creative Director, Executive Producer, Showrunner, Screenwriter, and Speechwriter commanding 25+ years of creative strategy, brand storytelling, and content production across VH1, BET, MTV, TV One, Bravo, ViacomCBS, and Goldman Sachs. Earned an Emmy credit on MTV: True Life. Created and showran TV One's first $1M+ original reality franchise, I Married a Baller, featured in Entertainment Weekly (April 20, 2007).

Today, I direct creative vision for Financial Influencer Network's (FIN) full marketing ecosystem — converting 30+ credentialed financial experts into premium, SEC-compliant, multi-platform campaigns that reach 10M+ followers organically and ship in 2–4 weeks (versus 10–12+ at traditional agencies). I lead multidisciplinary teams of 15+ designers, copywriters, art directors, producers, and editors, and translate creative concepts into measurable commercial outcomes for C-suite stakeholders.

I write screenplays, stage plays, political spots, brand films, PSAs, speeches, sermons, and long-form essays. I architect stories that bridge art, identity, and insight — revealing what connects us beneath our contradictions.

Areas of Expertise

Writing & Story

Screenwriting · Speechwriting · Stage Play Writing · Treatment Writing · Pitch Decks · Sizzle Reels · Story Architecture · Character Development · Editorial Development · Copywriting Oversight · Long-Form Essay · Poetry · Political Copywriting · PSA Scripting · Brand Voice Strategy

Creative Direction & Production

Creative Direction · Creative Strategy · Art Direction · Brand Strategy · Brand Identity · Brand IP Adaptation · Visual Storytelling · Showrunning · Executive Production · Documentary Production · Reality Television · Live Broadcast Direction · Multi-Camera Production · Post-Production Supervision

Marketing & Brand

Integrated Marketing Campaigns · Influencer Marketing · Content Strategy · Social Media Strategy · Multi-Platform Content · Financial Marketing · SEC-Compliant Content · Branded Content · Co-Branded Partnerships · Social-Impact Campaigns · Spokesperson Campaigns · Speakers Bureau · Media Tours · OOH

Leadership & Operations

Executive Presentation · C-Suite Communication · Cross-Functional Leadership · Team Management · People Management · Stakeholder Management · Client Relations · Budget Management · Project Management · Compliance & Regulatory Review · Talent Management · Strategic Partnerships · Innovation Leadership · Trend Analysis

Technology, Tooling & Production Stack

Adobe Creative Suite · Premiere Pro · After Effects · Photoshop · Avid Media Composer · Final Cut Pro · DaVinci Resolve · Frame.io · Figma · Canva · Yamaha CL5/QL5 Audio Engineering · ProPresenter · vMix · OBS · Streaming Workflows · Trello · Notion · Asana · Slack · Google Workspace · Microsoft Office · Docker · Oracle Cloud · Google Cloud · MCP Server Implementation · AI Workflow Automation

Professional Experience

Creative Director — Financial Influencer Network (FIN)

Remote · 2024 – Present

• Direct creative strategy across FIN's 4 divisions (FIN Content, FIN Talent, Friends of FIN, FIN Consulting), activating 30+ vetted financial experts and unlocking 10M+ organic reach per launch at zero paid-amplification cost.
• Define a unified creative vision and 12-month strategy roadmap that aligns marketing, branding, and product initiatives across the financial-services category.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team of 15+ designers, copywriters, art directors, video producers, and editors, raising creative throughput on 3 monthly deliverables and 4 social posts per expert across the network.
• Pitch enterprise C-suite stakeholders at Chase, TIAA, AARP-tier financial brands, framing every concept around commercial KPIs and SEC-compliance guardrails — and converting briefs into approved campaigns.
• Own creative greenlights on flagship campaigns, mitigating brand, regulatory, and reputational risk before each launch.
• Enforce visual and messaging consistency across long-form video, social shorts, keynote stages, media tours, web, OOH, and co-branded partner content — protecting brand guidelines across 30+ expert voices.
• Build executive relationships across the client roster and Friends of FIN strategic partners (media partners, membership organizations, community groups) to drive multi-quarter communication strategies.
• Track trends across personal-finance media, the creator economy, AI-assisted production, and platform algorithms; translate findings into 2–3 new creative formats per quarter.
• Establish creative standards across 16+ content verticals — Investing & Wealth Building, Retirement & Estate Planning, Credit & Debt Management, Faith & Finances, Financial Therapy, Family Finances, and more.
• Compress campaign delivery to 2–4 weeks (down from 10–12+ weeks at traditional agencies), accelerating speed-to-market by 60–75% with full SEC-compliance integrity.

Director of Development — Bird's Eye Entertainment, Inc.

Brooklyn, NY · 2016 – Present

• Lead creative development of original television, documentary, and branded media for MTV, Bravo, VH1, and corporate clients — moving 25+ projects from concept to pitch.
• Author treatments, budgets, schedules, decks, and sizzle reels — including Houston's: Unhindered, a docu-series carrying the Whitney Houston family legacy through Gary Michael Houston.
• Build pitch packages and full season arcs across drama, docuseries, musical biopic, and PSA formats.
• Coordinate cross-functional creative teams — writers, producers, designers, post — shipping presentation-ready materials on tight network deadlines.

Assistant Director — Live Broadcast — Christian Cultural Center

Brooklyn, NY · 2023 – Present

• Direct technical and creative operations for weekly multi-camera live broadcasts reaching 10,000+ viewers at 99%+ uptime.
• Re-engineered Yamaha CL5/QL5 audio workflows, cutting troubleshooting incidents by 35% and shortening service-day setup time by ~25%.
• Coordinate camera coverage, graphics, playback, timing, and production workflows across an integrated control-room team of 8–12.

Story Producer — Big Fish Entertainment (VH1) — Girls Cruise

New York, NY · 2019 – 2022

• Built and tracked multi-arc storylines for the award-winning ensemble reality series starring Lil Kim — winner of "Best Entertainment Show" at the National Film & TV Awards and featured in Vogue and Glamour.
• Conducted 200+ on-camera interviews, generating editorial material that anchored character development across 8 episodes.
• Partnered with editors and supervising producers to deliver network-ready episodes on accelerated post schedules.
• Managed editorial notes, continuity, string-outs, and post-production workflows end-to-end.

Senior Producer / Producer — Hot Snakes Media (MTV) — MTV: True Life / Nonfiction Development

New York, NY · 2018 – 2022

• Produced and developed creative treatments, episode structures, and documentary frameworks across 25+ episodic projects on the Emmy-winning True Life franchise.
• Directed story arcs for the True Life: Gun Control reboot across 3 production cities — Sandy Hook, Parkland, and Chicago.
• Authored character analyses, stripboards, shot lists, and full story architecture, accelerating prep on each episode.

Content Producer — Rock The Bells

New York, NY · 2022

• Produced 30+ short-form digital pieces for the LL COOL J–founded music and culture platform, running a real-time post pipeline at live festival events.
• Shipped event-driven content aligned to brand voice and audience-engagement targets within hours of capture.

Segment Producer — Alongi Media / Goldman Sachs — One Million Black Women

New York, NY · 2021

• Produced b-roll, portrait videography, and location-based storytelling for Goldman Sachs' $10B social-impact initiative addressing systemic healthcare inequities for Black women.
• Executed campaign storytelling under the direction of Reginald Hudlin.

Producer / Editor — Promotional, Branded & Political — Various Clients

Remote / NY · 2016 – 2024

• Produced and edited branded and social-impact media for nonprofit and advocacy clients, including Bounce Back Stories — Earl Cox and the Power of You Teens Promo.
• Wrote and produced the NYC COVID-19 vaccination PSA package (Birds Eye View Productions, EP Ashley McFarlin) and political spots for Dr. Jaha Howard's Georgia State Senate District 6 campaign.
• Co-wrote How The NYPD Saved Christmas From The Grinch Who Stole It, produced for the NYPD Community Affairs Division 2024 Christmas program.
• Cut graphic open montage packages adopted across multiple promotional rollouts.

Supervising Producer — BET Networks / ViacomCBS — The Truth with Jeff Johnson

New York, NY · 2006 – 2009

• Supervised editorial, scripts, edits, guest bookings, and delivery on a 15-episode weekly news and current-events series.
• Directed creative and technical control-room operations for live and live-to-tape broadcasts.
• Managed editorial and production teams of 15+ across multiple workstreams.
• Cleared legal, fair-use, and copyright compliance for every broadcast.
• Produced additional series and specials: The Truth Series, Beyond Beef: Jay-Z & Nas, Hip Hop vs America, Common Commentary, Million More Movement, SharpTalk with Al Sharpton, the Ludacris ODB Tribute, the Dr. Norman Finkelstein interview, 05 Rewind, and the B5 Promo EPK.

Creator · Showrunner · Executive Producer · Writer · Director — TV One — I Married a Baller / Famous People: Taj George

Silver Spring, MD · 2005 – 2007

• Created, wrote, produced, and directed TV One's first major original reality franchise — a 9-episode series starring Tamara "Taj" Johnson (SWV, 30M+ albums sold) and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George.
• Pioneered the network's first $1M+ approved production budget and first successful entry into contemporary cable reality programming.
• Earned a national feature in Entertainment Weekly (April 20, 2007) — "Did you hear the one about the former girl-group pop vixen and the star athlete living happily — and showily — ever after? Surprise! It's not the Posh and Becks story."
• Hired and managed creative development, staffing, scheduling, talent coordination, and delivery across the full season.

Assistant Director — DuBose Entertainment / BET — Monica Still Standing

New York, NY · 2009

• Organized production logistics, scheduling, locations, and talent coordination for an 8-episode docuseries following Grammy Award–winning artist Monica.
• Supported the EP and director in executing story beats and field operations across multiple shoot days.

Selected Development Projects

• Houston's: Unhindered (2024) — Reality docuseries centered on the Whitney Houston family legacy, developed with Gary Michael Houston. Bird's Eye Entertainment, Inc.
• Celebrity Financial Journeys Documentary Series (2023) — Spending-habit profiles of Nicolas Cage, Kim Basinger, Toni Braxton, and Bill Cosby.
• Musical Biopic (2023) — Pitch deck and script exploring artistic genius and creative partnership.
• 90s R&B Music Documentary (2023) — Legacy and impact of an iconic 90s R&B group.
• Brooklyn Drama Pilot — Family, identity, and LGBTQ+ themes; pilot, season arc, and pitch deck developed with Fritz Archer.
• Additional development with Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, and the Houston Family.

Selected Credits

Writing Samples

Political Copy — Jaha Howard for Georgia State Senate, District 6

Three campaign video spots written and produced for pediatric dentist and education advocate Dr. Jaha Howard. Voice and visual concept built around active-verb declarations and Atlanta-anchored locations.

SPOT 01 — "Redefining Atlanta" Jaha Howard at the site of his father's contracting company, exterior.

"AS THE SON OF A GENERAL CONTRACTOR, I LEARNED THE TOOLS OF MY FATHER'S TRADE MEANT MUCH MORE THAN HAMMER AND NAILS — THEY DEMANDED HARD WORK, DISCIPLINE, AND FOCUS."

Spot 01 — Scene 2 (Classroom) A local Atlanta elementary school classroom (one of Jaha's own, if available).

"SO I FOCUS ON EDUCATION — NOT JUST MY OWN AS A GRADUATE OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, BUT THE EDUCATION OF ATLANTA'S CHILDREN THROUGH THE WAVES OF EXCELLENCE PROGRAM. I BUILD A BETTER ATLANTA BY BUILDING BETTER SCHOOLS FOR OUR CHILDREN."

SPOT 02 — "Atlanta Kid Smiles" Talking head to camera, intercut with day-in-the-life footage of smiling children and Atlanta b-roll.

"AS A PEDIATRIC DENTIST, I PROTECT THE SMILES OF ATLANTA'S CHILDREN. AS A PARENT AND FOUNDER OF THE WAVES OF EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE, I PROTECT THEIR FUTURE THROUGH THEIR EDUCATION. AS YOUR GEORGIA STATE SENATOR, I WILL DEFEND STATE FUNDING FOR EVERY ATLANTA SCHOOL — SO THE FUTURE OF EVERY CHILD SHINES AS BRIGHTLY AS THEIR SMILE."

SPOT 03 — "Elected & Selected" Talking head to camera, intercut with Atlanta b-roll.

"THE BIGGEST ISSUES FACING ATLANTA RESIDENTS TODAY ARE EDUCATION, JOBS, AND HEALTH CARE. AS YOUR GEORGIA STATE SENATOR, I TURN ATLANTA'S BIGGEST ISSUES INTO ATLANTA'S GREATEST TRIUMPHS."

Public Health PSA Package — NYC COVID-19 Vaccination Promos

Three-spot public service campaign written and produced for Birds Eye View Productions (Executive Producer Ashley McFarlin) targeting New York City vaccination uptake. Each spot pairs a graphic-text cold open with documentary-style imagery and a single-thesis voiceover, anchored by the campaign tagline — "New York City is no place for a pandemic."

Look at the numbers and do the math. Because New York City is no place for a pandemic.

SPOT 01 — "Do The Math" / :15 Black card opens with statistical headline. Cuts between unvaccinated-COVID imagery and vaccinated-COVID imagery, ending on graphic question card.

"These people were unvaccinated and contracted COVID-19. These people were vaccinated and contracted COVID-19. Can you see the difference? Look at the numbers and do the math — because New York City is no place for a pandemic."

SPOT 02 — "Do You Know?" / :30 Quick cuts of everyday consumer choices — food, drinks, products. Builds to FDA / CDC authority, lands on the vaccine.

"Do you know what's in that? Do you know what's in those? As consumers, we often don't know the specific ingredients in the food we eat or the products we consume — yet we still consume them. That's because federal agencies like the FDA and CDC keep close watch on everything offered to everyone. The COVID-19 vaccine stands as the most effective preventative measure we can take to end this pandemic at home in NYC and around the world. Because New York City is no place for a pandemic."

SPOT 03 — "Focused Attention" / :30 New Yorker vignettes — student, business person, taxi driver, couple — each declaring what they rush toward. Resolves on a Manhattan skyline at golden hour.

STUDENT: "To get to school!" / BUSINESS PERSON: "To get ahead in my career!" / TAXI DRIVER: "To get outta the way!" / COUPLE: "To find love!"

VO: "New Yorkers don't rush everything — but we focus on getting to the best part of our lives. Scientists have studied the coronavirus since it first emerged, and vaccine research has run just as long. A healthy, happy, safe New York anchors the global vaccine rollout — and if we can make it work here, we'll make it anywhere. It really is up to you, New York. Because New York City is no place for a pandemic."

Long-Form Essay — Love, Let Live, Or Leave It / Lose It: The One Relationship Test

A signature personal essay on time, value, and the test that determines which relationships deserve our investment. Showcases first-person voice, narrative reporting, and persuasive structure.

Time cannot be saved, made up, or even spent — we only invest it. By that measure, time stands as the most valuable resource we hold, second only to our relationships.

My friend "Q," whom I have known for twenty years, lives by one rule for evaluating any job or income opportunity: any commute longer than thirty minutes is not worth it. The math sharpens his point. A forty-minute commute each way costs eighty minutes a day, four hundred minutes a week, twenty-thousand-eight-hundred minutes a year. Across a thirty-year career, that commuter loses well over a full calendar year — not workdays, not evenings, but contiguous days — to sitting in transit. After Q lost his father, he made the decision out loud: every remaining year would serve a purpose, or move toward one.

The ongoing Harvard Study of Adult Development tells us the same truth from a different angle: warm relationships protect mental and physical health, lengthen our lives, and raise our happiness. Humans thrive on social connection. Everything any of us holds — opportunities, possessions, even self-knowledge — arrived through someone else. Even in business, the corporation outperforms the sole proprietorship because it draws on shared resources. Relationships do not merely matter; they compound.

So which relationships deserve our reinvestment, and which ones cost us our future? Years ago my best friend Rachael told me she would always rather date a broke man than a cheap one. The broke man simply has nothing to give. The cheap man has it, sees the need, and refuses to share. That refusal carries cruelty, and it deserves to be named. I combined Q's commuting principle with Rachael's dating filter, and a single test emerged.

The test rests on one question: Is this person capable of meeting your need but unwilling? Or are they incapable yet always willing to try? The first deserves the lowest possible apportionment of your resources. The second deserves your time, your patience, and your loyalty.

Eleven years ago my older brother Richard was arrested in Pennsylvania. Long before that arrest, our bond ran thin, and I held the line that I would not visit him in prison. Months between his conviction and sentencing, my father asked me to write a family statement for the court. The night before, I stared at a blank screen. The next morning at five o'clock, my father let himself into my apartment, lifted me out of bed, and helped me dress one article at a time, up to a necktie. By the time we reached his Jeep, I was sobbing. I sobbed the entire ride to the Pennsylvania courthouse. That day taught me two things. First, impact statements rarely change a sentencing — judges arrive with a decision in hand. Second: I may not have been capable, I may not have been successful, but I showed up willing.

Nine years collapsed into months. This past March, three days after he came home, I saw Richard for the first time in nearly a decade as we both crossed the kitchen. Here is what I have learned. Life is short. Love holds varying degrees but not varying versions. Relationships are collaborative and spatial. The placement of a person in proximity to you defines the closeness of your relationship with them. Keep capable-but-unwilling people at the longest possible distance. Keep close the people who show up willingly — even past what they think they can offer — as long as they keep trying.

If within the last thirty days the other person made an offering, contribution, or decision toward you or toward the relationship from which they did not directly benefit, you have your answer. While I sit on the journey to assess what I can offer my brother going forward, I have settled on this: as long as I am invited to the conversation, and as many times as I am asked to join the effort, I will show up for every conversation and travel down any road.

— Shannon J. Love

Civic Correspondence — NYPD Commendation Letter (September 20, 2024)

An open letter to the Office of the Commissioner of the New York Police Department commending Officers Sneed, Chavarria, and Morales of the 71st Precinct. The piece pairs disarming wit with documentary precision — a study in voice, civic accountability, and the kind of first-person reporting that turns a single encounter into a public conversation.

I write this letter with the sole purpose of doing something oft unheard of: singing the praises of the New York Police Department.

I write to extend my sincerest gratitude that the Office of the Commissioner exercised the most keen and shrewd judgment in the appointments of Police Officers Sneed (SN# 23385), Chavarria (SN# 27647), and Morales (SN# 9736). I am only regretful that the circumstances precipitating our engagement were anything but fortunate — and that distinction itself is worth expounding upon in this most unlikely letter.

I am a media professional and a native New Yorker who has called Brooklyn home my entire life. As a Black man in his forties who has never been arrested, never carried a warrant, and never sat under investigation, I credit nothing but God's infinite grace and unmerited favor — and I write from that unique vantage point with the sole purpose of singing the praises of the New York Police Department.

The story sets that rare melody to a familiar refrain. In March, my older brother returned to our family home after serving nine years of an eighteen-year sentence in Pennsylvania. Six months stayed mostly quiet on the home front — until they did not. After learning he had launched a campaign to push my parents into footing his custodial-support legal bill, I asked him to leave my name out of his fabrications. He responded that I needed to watch my step, that I was not built like that. I reported the threat to the 71st Precinct.

Officer Morales received the report with a calm, careful presence I will not forget. I told her I did not want to complicate my brother's parole — only to document the encounter should anything escalate. Two weeks later, Officers Sneed and Chavarria came to my home on a follow-up visit, simply to ask how I was doing and to walk me through every option available if I needed one. They responded to a historically difficult situation with proficient professionalism and a comprehensive compassion that the public conversation rarely associates with law enforcement.

To these officers, and to the supervisors who had the foresight to put them in the field, I assign my utmost respect, gratitude, and appreciation. As a media professional, I welcome the opportunity to explore creative ways to capture stories like mine for public consumption — so that more people see the side of the NYPD I have been blessed to encounter.

— Shannon J. Love

Stage Play, Speechwriting & Community Writing

• Built For This — Original stage play written for a faith-community church production. Centers on testimony, perseverance, and call — designed for ensemble cast and live praise underscore.
• Sermon & ceremonial speechwriting — Drafted remarks, family eulogies, and invocational pieces for community and faith events.
• Civic correspondence & advocacy letters — Authored the NYPD Commendation Letter (Office of the Commissioner, September 2024) and related civic-engagement pieces, pairing personal voice with public-purpose framing.
• Poetry — Original verse blending lyric, rhythm, and call-and-response cadence; performance-ready for spoken word and stage settings.
• Family & community ephemera — Designed and copy-edited personal pieces including the TiTi Patti Housewarming Invite, demonstrating an eye for typographic hierarchy and tone alongside event coordination craft.

Published Writing

• Me & NYPD — Medium, June 2025.
• How The NYPD Saved Christmas From The Grinch Who Almost Stole It — Medium, June 2025.
• The Near Death of a Legacy: A Tribute To All That We Nearly Lost These Past Four Years — Medium, December 2020 (198 claps).
• Dear Coronavirus & COVID-19 — Medium, December 2020 (121 claps).
• Pandemic Proliferation: Private Pretense Meets Public Protests — Medium, June 2020 (93 claps).
• Love, Let Live, Or Leave It / Lose It: The One Relationship Test — Personal essay; selected excerpt featured above.

Read the full archive on Medium.

Awards & Honors

• Emmy Credit — MTV: True Life — Earned Emmy credit as Senior Producer on the Emmy Award–winning True Life franchise.
• Best Entertainment Show — National Film & TV Awards — Drove the win for VH1's Girls Cruise as Story Producer; earned coverage in Vogue and Glamour.
• Entertainment Weekly National Feature — I Married a Baller — Created and showran TV One's first $1M+ original reality franchise — featured in Entertainment Weekly, April 20, 2007.
• Live Broadcast Operations Excellence — Christian Cultural Center — Scaled live-broadcast operations to 10,000+ weekly viewers at 99%+ uptime; cut audio-troubleshooting incidents by 35%.
• Speed-to-Market Acceleration — Financial Influencer Network — Cut campaign delivery from 10–12+ weeks to 2–4 weeks — a 60–75% acceleration with full SEC compliance.
• New York University — Distinguished Honors Graduate — B.A. Political Science & Africana Studies, 2000.

Education & Certifications

New York University — B.A. Political Science & Africana Studies, Distinguished Honors Graduate, May 2000

Trello for Video Post-Production — LinkedIn Learning, 2018

Industry Keywords

Creative Director · Senior Creative Director · Executive Creative Director · Group Creative Director · Director of Development · Executive Producer · Showrunner · Writer · Director · Screenwriter · Speechwriter · Storyteller · Playwright · Story Producer · Senior Producer · Supervising Producer · Segment Producer · Content Producer · Brand Marketing · Integrated Marketing · Influencer Marketing · Financial Marketing · Content Marketing · Social Media Marketing · Branded Content · Documentary · Unscripted Television · Reality Television · Live Broadcast · Multi-Platform Storytelling · Campaign Strategy · Concept Development · Pitch Decks · Sizzle Reels · Treatment Writing · Storyboarding · Multi-Camera Production · Post-Production · Editorial Development · Talent Management · Speakers Bureau · Media Tours · Spokesperson Campaigns · Strategic Partnerships · Co-Branded Content · SEC Compliance · Financial Services Marketing · Personal Finance Content · Creator Economy · AI-Assisted Production · Adobe Creative Suite · Premiere Pro · After Effects · DaVinci Resolve · Avid Media Composer · Final Cut Pro · Frame.io · Figma · Yamaha CL5/QL5 Audio · ProPresenter · vMix · OBS · MCP Server Implementation · Docker · Oracle Cloud · Google Cloud

Let's Build Something True

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