Shawn Hazelaar grew up in Lewiston, California. He graduated from Trinity High School in 1987. After completing two years of college and receiving an Associate s degree in general education Shawn joined the army where he did a two year tour of duty in Germany during the Persian Gulf War. After the army he went back to school achieving a Bachelor's degree in business. In 1995, Shawn moved to Marin County in where he took film classes and achieved a second Associate's degree in communication/film while at the same time working full time for the Novato School District in the Special Education department.

From a very young age Shawn was captivated by movies and always full of ideas, hoping that maybe one day he could create his own stories. When he first got involved with the art of film making at the College of Marin he was fascinated by it and determined that this is what he wants to do for living.

During his first semester he completed a short horror film shot in 16mm, called Alien Zombie. He worked on various short films and commercials for Proctor Light and Motion and Forte Films in the Bay Area. In 1998, he and his friend, Chris Bollini, produced a couple exercise video for seniors - Key to Health and Senior Strength Solutions.

In 2000, Shawn completed a student film, Prey. It was shot in 16mm with a running time of 51 minutes. It was well received at film festivals. After finishing film school Shawn shot his first feature lenght film, Mortuary, which is currently in the final post-production stages. This film was written, produced, directed and edited by Shawn. Given the budget constraints Shawn took this film to the best it can be, together with a talented Bay Area cast, composer and sound designer.