Born and raised in Southern
California, York Shackleton took up snowboarding and skateboarding
at age 10. By 19 he was on the professional snowboarding circuit,
where he wowed legions of young fans and popularized a move called
the "rodeo flip." Inspired to tap into the commercial
aspect of the sport, York and a friend started the company groove
snowboards. In the late 1990s, York took his tricks in front of
the camera, appearing in several national commercials for Mountain
Dew and Taco Bell. York got his first taste of straight acting the
next year, when he turned up alongside Dominique Swain as a teenage
skater in Johnathan Kahn's "Girl".
York's movie career began in earnest
when he landed a lead role in Emilio Ferrari's "White Out"
(at his very first audition, according to Ferrari). While the
film was almost universally panned, York received high marks from
critics and audiences for his turn as "a cocky king of the
mountain" Kelly Powers. Ferrari was so pleased with York
that he wrote a part for him in his next film, "I Know What
You Did Last Winter".
After appearing in several Indies and
the MTV series "Undressed", York crossed over into mainstream
circles with his directorial debut. "Las Paraditas",
a feature documentary exposing the violence and corruption that
surrounds the prostitutes of Tijuana. In 2005, York wrote and
directed the critically acclaimed cult film, "Kush"
Starring William Atherton, Mike Erwin and Lyn Shea.
York maintains a relatively low profile,
but cohorts insist that he's one of the funniest and most gentlemanly
directors in the business."
York's
Officially Plugged In Interview:
When did you decide to
plunge into the online world?
I'd like
to think I've been pretty active in the online world for a while
now. One of my short films "Stealing Roy" was posted
on IFilm almost ten years ago and has had over 3 million hits
to date as well as a best screenplay nomination. Since then I
try to continually create new content weekly and stay very active
with other online users.
Has the internet helped you as a
filmmaker?
Oh definitely. As an independent filmmaker
I feel that the internet is an important tool to get awareness
for your product on all different levels. I personally have seen
a strong growth in the amount of people that have become interested
in my films just from strategic posts on my social network pages.
Having the ability to market yourself as well as your films on
the internet gives the filmmaker a power that has never been possessed
before.
What seems to be the most effective
site for you to use?
I feel that Facebook pages are still the
most effective and relevant medium for filmmakers to use when
it comes to marketing yourself and your product to new people
or even a specific demographic. But sites like www.officiallypluggedin.com
are obviously becoming more and more powerful everyday so whatever
the hot site is at the time, as filmmakers we need to stay current
and always be updating with new content.