After living in three different countries (US, Iran, and the UK) Shayan’s family finally settled in Canada, between Toronto and Vancouver. After high school he went on to study first at UBC, and then at the Langara College Film Arts program.
Shayan launched an acting career first on stage and later in the film/TV industry with guest star roles on popular TV productions (Prison Break, Flash, and The Magicians, The Good Doctor, etc). Working with the writers, Shayan was inspired to write original works, which led to several projects including the dark comedy Faith and Conviction IMDb (PBS/WNET TV competition winner and featured on NY Public TV).
Shayan co-wrote and produced the Leo Award Winning feature length drama Roads of Ithriyah IMDb (Dir. Javier Badillo, Official selection 2021 MENA and 2022 Regina International Film Festivals, distributed by Indie Rights Movies. The film also earned Shayan Leo Award Nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Male Lead Performance, and a Best Actor Win at the CFF awards.
More recently, Shayan completed a Pacific Screenwriting Program internship on the development series Pass The Salt, as well as the National Screen Institute EAVE On Demand Access Program.