Alumni Spotlight: Meghan Shearer '09
Meghan Shearer ‘09 first fell in love with the art of film making during Mr. John Schuller’s class and the “UFO Club” he moderated after school.
“He would show us a film, and we’d talk extensively about the symbolism and the story, and it opened up my mind,” she said. “It made me realize there’s so much more to movies behind the scenes and helped develop my passion for it.”
Her passion has since blossomed into a successful career in Los Angeles. After two years at a new media startup, she began working at DreamWorks Animation, where she most recently served as the Production Supervisor on the Oscar-nominated DreamWorks film “The Wild Robot.” Her impressive resume continues with contributions to “Boss Baby 2” and “Kung Fu Panda 4” and internships at “Saturday Night Live” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
“I knew I wanted to get into entertainment,” she said. “I did theatre all four years at St. Francis and I love putting on a show.”
For those not familiar with the title of Production Supervisor, Meghan broke it down: “Any time we have to record actors or get lines for editorial to cut in, I’m in charge of preparing the pages, making sure the director and writers’ updates are captured in the script after storyboard meetings, and ensuring the most up-to-date version of the script is being used.”
Meghan recently attended the Toronto International Film Festival due to her work on “The Wild Robot,” which she described as “absolutely surreal.”
“It felt like a mistake!” she said. “It was incredible to be in that audience of people. I was having an emotional reaction because it was just truly overwhelming.”
When she’s on the job, she said she’s careful to keep her emotions in check and retains professionalism – despite encountering some big names.
“SNL was a great prologue to what I do now, because it’s so hectic and you’re surrounded by your heroes constantly. I remind myself I’m not there to be a fan or things are going to fall apart,” she said.
Among some of her highlights were being on set for Kristin Wiig’s and Andy Samburg’s final SNL show, and seeing Foo Fighters, Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire, and Jeff Beck perform.
“We were usually there during soundcheck, so it was like getting your own private concert,” she said.
In addition to her professional accolades, Meghan was also happy to share that her relationships from high school have also thrived. She’s roommates with Erin Moffitt ‘09 and remains in touch with friends Derek Bishe ’09 and Hannah Filipski ’09, all of whom are also pursuing careers in entertainment in Los Angeles.
“I always hoped this would happen but it rarely works out that you make huge changes in your life, and the relationships you formed in high school are still strong,” she said.
In fact, the four of them still meet virtually for a special tradition they still love: talking about films. In homage to Mr. Schuller, they call it UFO 2.
“As a teenager from Wheaton, it was so cool that Mr. Schuller would take us to see the more gritty, non-Broadway style theatre shows. He meant the world to us and we still bring him up in our club,” she said. “I feel incredibly lucky and I am so aware this is something that doesn’t happen for everyone. This is something I couldn’t have done without St. Francis.”
St. Francis High School
2130 W. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone (630) 668-5800
Fax (630) 668-5893
Phone (630) 668-5800
Fax (630) 668-5893
