Reed Shannon
Born
Reed LoRenzo Shannon

September 22, 2000
Raleigh, U.S.
Other namesReedLo, Lorenzo Shannon
EducationNorth Carolina Theatre Conservatory
Alma materBurbank High School
OccupationActor
Years active2012–present
Websitereedshannon.com

Reed LoRenzo Shannon (born September 22, 2000)[1] is an American actor, voice actor, and stand-up comedian. He began his career as a child actor in Broadway theatre, with roles in Motown: The Musical and In the Heights. He has since moved away from theatrical acting, and now acts in film and TV roles.

Reed is known for his role as Scotty Simms in season two of The Wilds (2022), released on Amazon Prime Video. Further, he gained recognition for his role as the voice of Ekko in the Emmy Award Winning Netflix series Arcane (2021-2024).[2][3]

Career

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At the age of 13, Reed was cast as Young Michael Jackson, Young Berry Gordy, and Young Stevie Wonder in the first national tour of Broadway's Motown: The Musical (2013–2015). He performed in 275 stage shows over 16 months[4][5]. After his tour wrapped up, he made the move from his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina to Los Angeles to pursue further film and TV acting.

In 2021, Reed began starring in the Netflix Emmy Award–winning series Arcane, where he voiced the role of Ekko[6]. The following year, he portrayed the role of Scotty in the Amazon Prime Video drama series The Wilds. He later reprised his role of Ekko in 2024, following the release of the second and final season of Arcane.

Reed has released multiple singles and albums, amassing over 200,000 streams on Spotify[7]. His music has been described as r&b and soul[8]. His debut EP is titled Soul Play, which features seven songs. This is followed by his most recent EP, titled the x pack, featuring four songs.

Personal Life

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In his teen years, Reed founded an entertainers' performance platform called "Expressions". Expressions was powered by INDISTRYtv and media, and operated to present stage exposure opportunities for artists in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.[9]

Reed is a stand-up comedian who has performed at the Asher Theatre, Laugh Factory, and Flappers Comedy Club.[10]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 The Imbalancing Act Props Department Short film
2018 Token Marcus Short film
2018 Canal Street[11] Joe
2020 ACA Dreams Being Young Gifted & Black Self Short film
2020 Tales of Runeterra: Piltover and Zaun - True Genius Ekko Short film
TBA 'Splash City' TBA Post-Production
Key
Denotes TV productions that have not yet been released

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Henry Danger Tyler Jenks Episode: Scream Machine
2016-2022 Blaze and the Monster Machines Singing AJ 58 Episodes
2016 Speechless Asher Episode: C-H-O-CHOIR
2016 - 2017 School of Rock Acafella Episodes: Voices Carry, Jingle Bell Rock
2018 Station 19 Blake Episode: Contain the Flame
2021-2024 Arcane Firelight Leader (Voice) 9 Episodes
2022 The Wilds[12] Scotty Simms 8 Episodes
2022 Arcane: Bridging the Rift Self TV Miniseries

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 Legends of Runeterra Ekko (voice)

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue Notes
2012 Oliver! Workhouse Boy North Carolina Theatre
2012 Who's Tommy Youngest Tommy North Carolina Theatre
2013-2015 Motown: The Musical Young Michael Jackson, Young Stevie Wonder, Young Berry Gordy Broadway Tour
2014 Les Misérables Gavroche North Carolina Theatre
2015 Crazy For You Custus the Cowboy NC Theatre Conservatory Master Summer Theatre Arts School
2018-2019 In the Heights Sonny[13][14] Broadway Tour

References

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  1. ^ "Reed Shannon". www.listal.com. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  2. ^ Mithaiwala, Mansoor (2022-05-06). "The Wilds Season 2 Cast Guide: Who Plays The Boys?". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  3. ^ "Arcane". Television Academy. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  4. ^ Grigware, Don. "BWW Interviews: Young Reed Shannon Talks MOTOWN THE MUSICAL". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  5. ^ Hollywood, Broadway in. "Broadway in Hollywood". www.broadwayinhollywood.com. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  6. ^ "Ekko / Firelight Leader Voice". Behind the Voice Actors. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Reed Shannon". Spotify. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  8. ^ "Newcomer Reed Shannon Shifts From The Big Screen To The Recording Studio With Debut EP 'Soul Play'". ThisisRnB.com - New R&B Music, Artists, Playlists, Lyrics. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  9. ^ Stories, Local (2020-05-11). "Meet Reed Shannon of SIARA Productions in Glendale". Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  10. ^ "Reed Shannon". www.listal.com. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  11. ^ Garcia, Thania (2024-02-21). "'Splash City' Film From Rapper Berner and 4 Ways Entertainment Sets Cast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  12. ^ Shafer, Ellise (2022-07-29). "'The Wilds' Canceled at Amazon Prime Video After Two Seasons". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  13. ^ Kare, Jeffrey. "Review: North Carolina Theatre's IN THE HEIGHTS". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  14. ^ "5 Questions with Reed LoRenzo Shannon, who will portray "Sonny" in North Carolina Theatre's Upcoming Production of "In the Heights"". TAR. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
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