APEX in Profile: Shawn Rosengarten
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Shawn Rosengarten
Director of Sales
Just For Laughs
During his 15 years at Just For Laughs, Shawn has licensed over 100,000 hours of content to airlines and broadcasters from every continent, establishing Just For Laughs Gags as an in-flight favorite. He also brokered the production of Just For Laughs Gags Asia in Singapore with MediaCorp and has associate produced comedy specials for Comedy Central Africa, Paramount Comedy Spain, and CCTV. Shawn is a former member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Why do you think “silent” or non-dialogue content like Just for Laughs is so popular within the airline market?
Non-verbal hidden-camera comedy, like the Just For Laughs Gags and Just Kidding series, remains popular because it cuts across all cultural barriers, it appeals to all age groups and it works well on both main screen and dedicated comedy channels. It’s also entertaining! Wouldn’t you watch the screen if you saw a dog driving a van or a little old lady lifting a car?
How do you come up with fresh ideas after so many years in the industry?
Just For Laughs Gags has a devoted development team that thinks up the scenarios. They have the good fortune of being paid for letting their imaginations run wild. A vanishing elephant, an exploding toilet, a runaway jackhammer, an alien invasion and a flying lobster – we’ve done them all over the past 15 years.
Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry of work?
Networking, understanding a client’s programming needs, and having a detailed rights management system are essential.
What’s the one item you can’t travel without?
I always travel with a notepad.
Regular meal or specialty?
Regular, although one day I hope to get around to ordering the specialty meal. Either way, I eat lightly, rarely consume alcohol, and try to drink as much water as possible. On one of my first business trips, I sat in front of two passengers who purchased a bottle of scotch from the in-flight duty-free and drank it. They were flying!
Describe the view from your favorite window.
Nothing beats the view from a plane in flight.
The person you can imitate?
I can imitate Henry Kissinger pretty well. Please don’t ask why.
If a plane were a time machine, which era would you travel to?
I would like to travel to 50 years in the past and then 50.