Media Influencers

Before He Created The Shield and S.W.A.T., Shawn Ryan Wrote Ads for a Vermont Radio Station

Showrunner once thought he’d go into advertising, not television

shawn-ryan-swat-CONTENT-2017 — After he graduated from college, Shawn Ryan landed an advertising job at a Top 40 radio station in Burlington, Vt. Getty Images

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The Shield was one of the most groundbreaking series of the past two decades, putting FX on the map while proving that envelope-pushing dramas about antiheroes could thrive on cable outside of HBO. However, creator Shawn Ryan says the show, along with his many others, may have never existed without the skills he learned during his first job as a copywriter for a Vermont radio station.

Ryan, who is now the showrunner on CBS’ new reboot of S.W.A.T.,