Shane Madej has made a name for himself as one of the finest content creators and hosts in the United States. He co-hosted the popular BuzzFeed Unsolved franchise, which has garnered billions of views and watch hours. Additionally, he is the co-founder of Watcher Entertainment and the creator of the web series Puppet History and Weird and/or Wonderful Word.
Born in Schaumburg, Illinois, Madej married his longtime girlfriend, Sara Rubin, in September 2023. Sara is a video producer, editor, artist, and writer. Together, they live in Los Angeles, where they’re enjoying their best lives, pursuing their careers, and caring for their cat named Febbi.
Below are some lesser-known facts about his life, family, career, and marriage.
7 Fascinating Details You Need To Know About Shane Madej
1. He grew up in Schaumburg, Illinois, but now lives in Los Angeles
Shane Madej was born in Schaumburg, Illinois, on May 16, 1986, to Mark and Sherry Madej. He grew up there alongside his brother, Scott. However, school and work eventually led him away from home to other places, including DeKalb, Chicago, and now Los Angeles, where he currently resides.
2. Madej attended the same college as Michelle Monaghan, Bob Odenkirk, and Aiden Quinn
The Schaumburg native began his tertiary education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where he spent two years before pursuing studies in editing at Columbia College Chicago. Notably, this college has produced several accomplished alumni, including actors Michelle Monaghan, Bob Odenkirk, and Aidan Quinn, as well as Academy Award-winning cinematographer Mauro Fiore.
3. He began his career as an intern at BuzzFeed in 2014
After graduating from college, Shane Madej held various jobs, including working in public access in Illinois, before joining BuzzFeed as an intern in 2014. Two years later, he became the co-host of BuzzFeed Unsolved alongside Ryan Bergara. Together, they propelled the show to popularity after it was split into two separate series: Unsolved: True Crime and Unsolved: Supernatural.
4. The Schaumburg native co-founded Watcher Entertainment with Ryan Bergara and Steven Lim
A year after Madej left his full-time employment with BuzzFeed, he co-founded Watcher Entertainment alongside Ryan Bergara and Steven Lim, who also worked for BuzzFeed. The company was launched in January 2020, with the trio serving as co-CEOs. However, Madej and Bergara stepped down from their roles in 2023 to focus on content creation.
Since its founding, the company has created and produced several shows, including Worth a Shot, Watcher Weekly, Weird and/or Wonderful World, Tourist Trapped, Top 5 Beatdown, Too Many Spirits, Spooku Small Talk, Social Distancing and D&D, Puppet History, Homemade, Grocery Run, and Are You Scared?. Additionally, they run two podcasts: Pod Watcher and For Your Amusement.
5. Shane Madej married Sara Rubin in September 2023
Shane Madej and his longtime girlfriend, Sara Rubin, got married in September 2023. There is no report indicating when the two met or how long they dated before deciding to walk down the aisle.
Going through the many pictures on their individual Instagram accounts, one thing is for sure: they are madly in love and so fond of each other. Even though they don’t have any children, for now, they are parenting a cat named Febbin.
6. His wife, Sara Rubin, is also a creative
Sara Rubin, Madej’s wife, is a prolific creative who has created content for multiple platforms. With over a decade of experience under her belt, Rubin produces, directs, edits, writes, and draws.
She also worked at BuzzFeed as an executive producer, where she was at the forefront of producing some of the company’s narrative shorts and unscripted videos before later focusing on long-form unscripted series. Currently, she is a social content creator at Blizzard Entertainment, a position she accepted in February 2023.
Rubin earned a Bachelor of Arts in cinematography and film/video production from Emerson College.
7. He loves to go horseback riding or go on vacation with his wife in his free time
When Madej is not working, he spends his leisure time riding a horse. On August 9, 2024, he shared a picture on Instagram of himself and Ryan Bergara on the back of two horses; he captioned it, ‘In our horsegirl era.’
At other times, he spends it with his wife, going grocery shopping or vacationing in other cities.
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