Shannon Earles likes whimsy, has a deep fear of and fascination with the unexplainable, and loves writing about outsiders who lose their minds and gain an unhealthy sense of importance. She also promises nothing she writes is autobiographical and she’s actually a super normal and well adjusted person.
Earles recently placed as a semi-finalist in the Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship for her debut feature script, Televangelion. She wrote and directed her debut film; a surreal comedy short called The Last Talent Show, earlier this year. She’s currently working on a horror project for indie game studio Amorphous Arts as a lead narrative designer. Earles has other projects brewing too; an offbeat 60’s road trip feature, a dark fantasy game about doomed lesbian knights, and a Twin Peaks-esque mini series about a 70’s astrophysicist who stumbles upon an occult conspiracy.
As a storyteller, Shannon Earles finds herself deeply connected to her characters and loves creating strange visuals and refined aesthetics that she builds into her narratives. This fascination with the power of visuals is something she especially focuses on when directing shorts or aiding in her level design and environmental storytelling in game development. Her favourite sort of story to write is a rise and fall of a pathetic weirdo, told with surreal symbolism and psychedelic mythology.
Before pursuing writing as a career, Earles studied archaeology and classical mythology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, earning herself a bachelor’s degree (wow!) and a spot on the Dean’s List. She also received a letter of recognition from MUN’s Classics Department for her work regarding Greek oracles, hallucinogenic rituals, and the societal connections therein. Despite her love of archaeology, it turns out she wanted to write her own weird stories that future people would overanalyze and misinterpret.
Shannon Earles was raised on the foggy shores of Newfoundland, where she perfected melancholic brooding while staring at the sea. Now, she is forced to stare melancholically at the Pacific ocean, having moved across the country to attend Vancouver Film School (it doesn’t quite feel the same). Earles’ ultimate goal is to work in the games industry as a narrative designer and someday write and direct one of her own features.