HI! I’m Shawna Young, Coordinating Producer for American Dragster, in this portion of the website you’ll be able to explore the deep dark secrets of the crew of American

Dragster, it’s where we will bare and share all the stuff our mother’s told us to keep to our damn selves, but for you, the American Dragster fan, we will do anything, because your interest and support in the show feeds us and buys us geeky electronics, which we love. Ok, maybe we won’t get that detailed, but, we will talk about some of the crew’s background, other projects we’ve worked on, what got us started in this crazy business, and the availability of our single crew guys…I tell ya girls, I work with eye candyJ

I guess we can start with me…I have worked at New Rule Productions, which is the company that produces American Dragster, for 6 years, 1 month, and 5 days. I come from a theatre background and was actually hired to sing a commercial jingle for Santa Barbara Volkswagen (yes, central coast radio fans, I’m the Santa Barbara VW girl). So, when the contract for my previous job was up, I came to work with Ryan. I have been fortunate to work with some great people who have taught me a lot about the television and film side of life, my goal was to be in front of the camera before, and through this experience have found myself much more comfortable behind it.

Being behind the scenes of Drag Racing has been one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had and wish that everyone would take a day to go down and visit the closest track to you and experience what it feels like to be next to one of those cars when they take off down the track. I truly have never felt anything else like it. The people are also fantastic, the drivers are wonderful and getting to know them and their families has been a pleasure I will never forget.

My first and favorite job though is being a mom to my two girls Keihla and Maleah (and watch for those names, because even though they are only 14 and 11 now, they are rock n roll stars…) We live in a tiny town called Orcutt, which is in close proximity to a larger town called Santa Maria, we would move but Maleah truly believes herself to be what she calls a “O town Homie” so, I guess we’ve found our home for a little while at least. We’re only a few hours north of LA, so even though there’s quite a bit of traveling time I’ve got to put in, it’s worth it.

Second to producing American Dragster I also sing in a band, singing is my passion and what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl. My first solo was at three, standing on the alter at my Dad’s church (I guess that’s allowed). I can still remember how it felt to get applause for the first time, I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. I also think, and take this journey with me for just a second…everyone, no matter what they do, should receive a good round of applause at the end of the day…really, it makes life much happier. So, next time your at your favorite burger joint and the burger is good, go up to the counter and clap…clap for the yummy burger, it will either get you kicked out, or you’ll make the burger person very happy.

My typical role for the show while I’m out on the track consists of making sure the crew gets there, (which means I make the travel arrangements) and that the crew is happy (which means I pay them and make sure their fed on a consistent basis) and it’s also my job to make sure they are where they need to be (which means making sure their not flirting with the Brut and Jager girls while their supposed to be shooting). I also help set up the interviews on track, and help set up the shot list and make sure we get all the shots we need to patch the pieces of the story together, and I also try to listen and keep my eyes open for the little drama’s that happen during a race weekend and to make sure our camera is pointed in the direction of the action when those things do happen, and the director and I talk about story line ideas as events unfold before us so that we can weave the reality of what happens out there into a story everyone can understand. I try to do everything i can to allow the director opportunity to keep focused so he stay true to the vision of the show. My favorite part of my job is driving the crew around on the golf cart (when Emerson lets me drive, sometimes he and the crew are a little scared to give me this responsibilityJ) to get from place to place and driver to driver quickly. Covering four drivers can be frustrating and crazy at times, but we’ve got a good crew and a fast golf cart, so we get the job done.