Shawn Finnie is an entertainment executive with over a decade of experience and most recently served as the Executive Vice President, Member Relations and Awards to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He oversaw member relations, and global outreach for the organization’s global membership of more than 10,000+ artists, filmmakers and executives as well as overseeing Academy Awards processes for submissions, rules, and voting.

He has created, hosted, and co-produced various pieces of award winning content for the organization such as “Academy Dialogues: It Starts with Us”. Focused on race, ethnicity, gender, history, opportunity, and the art of filmmaking, these discussions featured high-profile figures such as Bryan Stevenson, Whoopi Goldberg, Lee Daniels, Lulu Wang, Eva Longoria, Roger Ross Williams, Delroy Lindo, Anita Hill, Geena Davis, and Ava DuVernay. In addition, he co-produced additional digital content series such as: Academy Greenroom, Academy Panels and Oscar nominee content.

Finnie launched Academy Affinity groups. This member led, staff supported group(s) were created exclusively for members to amplify the voices in the following communities: Black, Indigenous x Native American, Middle Eastern, West Asia North African, LGBTQIA+, Asian, Latinx, and AccessAbility. The focus of the groups is centered around community, advocacy, empowerment and education with the intention to create equity for all voices to impact systemic change.

Finnie’s focus is Community, Culture, and Connectivity. He is signed to United Talent Agency as a speaker and has collaborated with multiple organizations, communities, and leaders to speak and share personal experiences and initiate action-oriented conversations surrounding mental health, personal journey, and dealing with adversity. He is committed to ensuring that solid representation of diverse voices and backgrounds are included, engaged, and activated.