Shane Madej
Shane Madej | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shane Alexander Madej May 16, 1986 Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia College Chicago |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014–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.
Early life
[edit]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
[edit]BuzzFeed (2014–2019)
[edit]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 was also the creator and host of the successful educational BuzzFeed show, Ruining History.[8] This show focused on Madej telling unbelievable stories of history to a panel of other BuzzFeed employees - with Bergara and Sara Rubin being consistant panelists.
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.[9]
Watcher Entertainment (2019–present)
[edit]In 2019, Madej co-founded a digital production company, Watcher Entertainment, with fellow ex-Buzzfeed employees, Bergara and Steven Lim.[8] The trio served as co-CEOs until 2023, when both Madej and Bergara stepped down to focus on the creation of content.[10]
The channel hosts are a variety of shows starring Madej, Bergara, and Lim, spanning cooking, mystery, gaming, and horror.[8] Included is Unsolved's successors – Mystery Files and Ghost Files – which have both proved successful.[11]
Madej is the creator of the web series, Puppet History, a spiritual successor to his Buzzfeed show Ruining History.[9][12] The series consists of Madej starring as The Professor, a puppet, quizzing Bergara and a special guest on peculiar historical events and people.[13] Madej also portrays a large variety of different characters on the show, including at least one new puppet every episode, an evil genie, and a fictionalized version of himself.[14] The show received an Honoree Award at the 2022 Webby Awards for a Science & Education Channel[15] and remains one of Watcher's most popular shows.
In 2023, Madej and Bergara went on a national tour to premiere the second season of Ghost Files.[16][17] In April 2025, Madej appeared as himself on the ABC show The Rookie. He and Bergara portrayed themselves in the midst of a paranormal investigation for an episode of Ghost Files.[18]
Personal life
[edit]In September 2023, Madej married his longtime girlfriend, Sara Rubin.[19]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Beautiful Day | Male Hiker | Short Film |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | S.W.A.T. | Ira | Episode: "Gunpowder Treason" |
| 2025 | The Rookie | Himself | Episode: "A Deadly Secret" |
References
[edit]- ^ Madej, Scott. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Goodbye YouTube. YouTube. April 19, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Francisco, Eric (13 April 2019). "'BuzzFeed Unsolved': How the Hosts Choose New Crimes Every Season". Inverse. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (7 June 2021). "'BuzzFeed Unsolved' Final Two Seasons Set to Premiere This Year". Variety. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Spangler, Todd (2019-12-09). "Ex-BuzzFeed Video Staffers Launch Watcher Entertainment Digital Studio (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ a b "'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.
- ^ Press 💬, The Publish. "Why This Channel Went from 3 CEOs to 1 🔻". The Publish Press. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Luna, Elizabeth de (2023-03-02). "YouTube's favorite ghoul boys, Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara, tell us what they've been watching". Mashable. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
- ^ Alexander, Fisher (2023-03-12). "7 Watcher Entertainment's Must-Watch Shows". Collider. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ Danbury, Dorothy (29 Jan 2023). "Puppets Revolutionizing Online Media". Puppets Revolutionizing Online Media - The Bullhorn News. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Ghost Files Live! Tour ready to haunt the Luxor". Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV. 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ Little, Sarah (2025-04-23). "The Rookie Season 7, Episode 15 Review: I'm Annoyed By The Execution Of Tim & Lucy's Long-Awaited Talk But Happy About 1 Villain's Future". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "Sara E Rubin". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.