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 .
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]
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 Mysterious Disappearance of the Sodder Children." 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 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. [8]
In 2019, Madej co-founded a digital production company, Watcher Entertainment, with fellow ex-Buzzfeed employees, Bergara and Steven Lim. [9] [10] The trio served as co-CEOs until 2023, when both Madej and Bergara stepped down to focus on the creation of content. [11]
The channel hosts are a variety of shows starring Madej, Bergara, and Lim, spanning cooking, mystery, gaming, and horror. [9] Included is Unsolved's successors – Mystery Files and Ghost Files – which have both proved successful. [12]
Madej is the creator of the web series, Puppet History . [8] The series consists of Madej starring as The Professor, a puppet, quizzing Bergara and a special guest on peculiar historical events and people. [13]
In 2023, Madej and Bergara went on a national tour to premiere the second season of Ghost Files. [14] [15]
In September 2023, Madej married his longtime girlfriend, Sara Rubin. [16]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | Beautiful Day | Male Hiker | Short Film |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | S.W.A.T. | Ira | Episode: "Gunpowder Treason" |
Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack's illness and eventual death.
The Winchester Mystery House is a mansion in San Jose, California, that was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Winchester's death in 1922. The Victorian and Gothic-style mansion is renowned for its size and its architectural curiosities and for the numerous myths and legends surrounding the structure and its former owner.
The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is a former sanatorium located in the Waverly Hills neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky.
Paranormal television is a genre of reality television that purports to document factual investigations of the paranormal rather than fictional representations seen in traditional narrative films and TV. Over the years, the genre has grown to be a staple of television and even changed the programming focus of networks like the History Channel and the Travel Channel. By highlighting beliefs in topics ranging from Bigfoot to aliens, paranormal television continues to elevate popular interest in the paranormal.
Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are purportedly haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters also refer to themselves as paranormal investigators.
A ghosthunter is a person who engages in ghost hunting, the process of investigating locations that are allegedly haunted.
Bobby Mackey's Music World is a nightclub and honky tonk located in Wilder, Kentucky, United States owned by country singer Bobby Mackey. Urban legends claim the nightclub is the site of hauntings, murders, and suicides; however, no credible evidence exists for such claims. The current location is closed and will be temporarily located to Florence, Kentucky while the site is demolished and a new facility is built. The infamous "portal to hell" and the concrete wall, dubbed the "wall of faces," that features water stains resembling human faces will be preserved for the temporary location and will be a part of the new building at the current site.
Old Alton Bridge, also known as Goatman's Bridge, is a historic iron truss bridge connecting the Texas cities of Denton and Copper Canyon. Built in 1884 by the King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company, it originally carried horses and later automobiles over Hickory Creek at a location that once was a popular ford for crossing cattle. The bridge takes its name from the abandoned community of Alton, which between 1850 and 1856 was the seat of Denton County. This bridge is the subject of several ghostlore stories featuring a vengeful ghost.
The Whaley House is an 1857 Greek Revival style residence, a California Historical Landmark, and museum located in Old Town, San Diego, California. It is currently maintained by Historic Tours of America, Inc (HTA) and is the oldest brick structure in Southern California.
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Kenneth Lerer, co-founder and chairman of The Huffington Post, started as a co-founder and investor in BuzzFeed and is now the executive chairman.
The Island of the Dolls is a chinampa of the Laguna de Tequila located in the channels of Xochimilco, south of the center of Mexico City, Mexico. It is notable for the multitude of dolls of various styles and colors that can be found throughout the island. Local legends surround the dolls and the island's reclusive former owner, Don Julián Santana Barrera, making the island a popular destination for dark tourism.
St. Ignatius Hospital is a former manor hospital located in Colfax, Washington, United States, established in 1892 by the Sisters of Providence.
BuzzFeed Unsolved is a documentary entertainment web series created by Ryan Bergara for BuzzFeed that ran from February 4, 2016, to November 19, 2021. It first appeared on the YouTube channel BuzzFeed Blue and was later given its own flagship channel BuzzFeed Unsolved Network.
Worth It was an American entertainment web series by BuzzFeed. Starring Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj, it ran from September 18, 2016 to April 8, 2023. Posted to Hulu and YouTube, each episode of the series compares three different food dishes from three locations that are sold at low, medium, and high price points.
Ryan Steven Bergara is an American Internet personality, actor, paranormal investigator, and co-founder of digital entertainment company, Watcher Entertainment. Bergara first rose to prominence after creating and co-starring in the YouTube true crime and supernatural series BuzzFeed Unsolved.
CSI: Vegas is an American crime drama television series that debuted on CBS on October 6, 2021. It is a revival of the 2000–2015 series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and the fifth and final series in the CSI franchise. The series stars Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mandeep Dhillon, and Mel Rodriguez as new characters. William Petersen and Jorja Fox reprised their roles from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle during the first season before departing, while Marg Helgenberger reprises her CSI: Crime Scene Investigation role as Catherine Willows beginning with season two. Wallace Langham, Paul Guilfoyle and Eric Szmanda also reprise their roles as David Hodges, Jim Brass and Greg Sanders, in a guest capacity.
The Sallie House is located in Atchison, Kansas. Built in the mid-1800s, it is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl who died in the house while undergoing surgery for appendicitis. The story gained national attention after it was featured on several paranormal television shows.
Puppet History is an American comedy game show YouTube series created by Shane Madej and produced by Madej, Ryan Bergara, and Steven Lim. The show premiered on January 10, 2020 on the Watcher Entertainment YouTube channel.
Watcher Entertainment is an American YouTube digital media studio, founded by Steven Lim, Shane Madej, and Ryan Bergara. The channel features a variety of comedy, paranormal, gaming, cooking, and educational shows – typically hosted by Madej and Bergara. The Watcher main channel has over 400 million views and 2.8 million subscribers.