Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaeffer Wayne O’Neal
Hi Shaeffer Wayne, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began my career as a model actor, and musician about 3 years ago after moving from my hometown, Washington, D.C., to Florida. Once in Florida, I earned my bachelor’s degree in marketing, I was able to overcome my lifelong struggle with obesity ,losing 140 lbs in 2 years, and get out of an abusive relationship that almost left my dog dead. With so much going on in my life, I needed an outlet where I was allowed to be free and express myself. The first form this came in was modeling. The first photoshoot I did when I moved to Florida was with a local photographer I found on Instagram to just build each other’s portfolios. After a year of modeling, I finally got my first publication in an Italian magazine called “Faddy”. While modeling, I was also picking up roles for different film projects, from short films to student films and even a Bollywood Production. While I love both modeling and acting, I wanted more of an opportunity to be creative, which is when I began making music. Currently I have one song released on the major music platforms, with my second single “TAB” being released on December 4th of this year.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing up, I was always bullied by my peers for being an obese, gay kid. While I did not come out until I was 19 years old, I was one of those kids that it was fairly obvious. This coupled with the fact that I was obese made me an easy target. Once I graduated from High School though, I was able to come to terms with my sexuality and who I really was and began working towards a life I was happy to live in. I began to eat a much better and cleaner diet, as well as going to the gym 4-5 times a week. I worked and developed these habits, stuck with it, and eventually made it to my goal weight. Once at my goal weight, I made plans to have my extra skin removed, which I was able to do last September. This allowed me to finally close the book on the unhealthy chapter in my life and work towards more advanced fitness goals. Once I moved to Daytona Beach at age 21, I entered into a relationship with a man who I thought would be my life partner and was actively building a life with him. However, I had come home from class one day to find my 10lb Yorkie brutalized and nearly dead. After rushing her to the animal hospital, it soon came out that he had savagely beat her for having an accident on the throw rug. This lead me to a 6 month ordeal where I had to not only convict my ex for a felony charge of animal cruelty, but also had to fight the county in order to prove my own innocence and receive custody of my dog back. This was probably the darkest time of my life. The challenges and struggles I experienced as a result of this are ones that I am still struggling with today, but everyday we get a little better, I am still blessed to have my baby, and without this awful event I would not have the confidence and self-assurance I do today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a model, actor, rapper/musician, and a content creator. For the most part, my modeling has been with smaller photographers that I have been fortunate enough to connect with all around the United States. While these are smaller photographers, there are a few publications we have been able to land such as Faddy Magazine’s September 2019 issue, doing a campaign for Viaggi Clothing, as well as several company sponsored posts on Instagram. As far as acting goes, I have landed a few higher profile gigs, such as being an extra on Lifetime and in the Bollywood production “Zero”, but for the most part, the majority of my acting work has been on smaller sets like those for student films or featured films for various festivals. My music is my biggest passion project though. I have only been making music for about a year now and already have a couple of songs on major streaming platforms such as Spotify and Itunes. I was approached by my friend, Jayden McKenzie, to remix “Blame It On Your Love” by Charli XCX and Lizzo, and it was dropped at the parade which was a very cool moment to have early on in my career. With all of this going on, I recently began vlogging and started a Youtube channel that will be going live on December 12th, where people will be able to keep up with me and my adventures.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There has been many individuals that have helped me in my success. For starters there is my producer, Spiritxiii, who is based in Jacksonville, FL. He is an amazing person, and was the only producer that I communicated with that did not have a problem with my sexuality. He has helped me develop so much as an artist, I could not be more thankful for him. Another talented individual that has been instrumental in helping me, also from Jacksonville, FL, is Abby Lynn. She is an amazing photographer that helped me land my first publication as well as doing the covers for my singles. Although there has been too many people to mention that have helped me get to where I am today, by far the 3 most important individuals are my best friend/makeup artist, Sarai Tomassi, my mama, and my baby brother. Sarai is touched by God when it comes to makeup. She is always able to capture the look we are going for perfectly, is always available to go with me on shoots, and is always there for me to offer support. My mama and brother, while never directly contributing to my work, believe in me so much that it helps give me that extra push I need sometimes. If I did not have the three of them, I honestly do not know what I would do or where I would be, not only in my career, but with life in general.
Contact Info:
- Email: shaefferwayne@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shwoneal/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shwoneal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCybEs0tQRcIfCK2OozhhKOQ?view_as=subscriber
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-668032204-791343165
Image Credits
Abby Lynn, Nevdka.Photography, Korey Watkins, Heidi Lynn, Sarai Tomassi
