“Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A, select, start.” Every Saturday morning as a four year old boy from Erie, Pennsylvania, Shawn’s mother would recite this code as he put his Contra cartridge into his NES (after blowing it out, of course). This was the beginning of a long love affair between Shawn and the video game industry.

As he grew into a young man, his taste for a challenge also grew. Titles such as Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil, and Tomb Raider cemented a new breed of interaction and challenge that Shawn demanded. Shawn’s involvement in High School athletics fueled his desire to be the best and to compete on the highest level. This is the venue where Shawn first recognized his leadership capabilities. Upon arrival at Mercyhurst University, Shawn quickly fell in love with business and graduated at the top of his class.

In a stroke of luck, Shawn became friends with two video game designers. Mr. Sox, Quincy Thomas, and Shawn would soon turn a dream and an entrepreneurial spirit into A Staircase Above Studios.