Melissa Shakun MFA ’08

Melissa Shakun MFA ’08 is an award-winning art director with over a decade of experience in television, film and theater.

Currently the art director on Saturday Night Live (SNL), Shakun designs scenery and art directs the live sketches each week the show is in season. She has been working on the show since 2018. Her work has earned her an Emmy® Award win and nomination for Outstanding Production Design For A Variety, Reality Or Competition Series for seasons 46 and 47.

Prior to SNL, Shakun served as the art director for NBC’s musical production of Jesus Christ Superstar Live. Her work was recognized by the Television Academy with her first Emmy® Award win for Outstanding Production Design For A Variety Special.

Shakun has also designed for corporate clients including Spotify and Johnson Controls.

Additional Art Direction credits for film and television include The Kids Tonight Show, Difficult People (season 3), The Jim Gaffigan Show (seasons 1 and 2), The Mysteries of Laura, The Americans and selected episodes of Blindspot. Melissa was the Assistant Art Director on East New York, Tell Me A Story, Blindspot, Homeland, Sneaky Pete, The Normal Heart movie, Katie Couric’s Talk show, and “Antarctica, Empire of the Penguin,” a ride at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL.

Broadway credits include Scandalous, A Christmas Story, Baby It’s You, Present Laughter, Shrek National Tour (Assistant Set Designer), and Bye Bye Birdie (Associate Set Designer). She has designed several theatrical productions at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Powerhouse Theater Collaborative and the Seacoast Repertory Theater in New Hampshire.

Shakun is a mentor through her union USA829’s Equity through Design Mentorship Program and has guest lectured at several universities throughout the United States.

She adores sharing her passion for set design with eager students and would like to thank her husband Lee, cat Calvin, her family and friends for their constant support.