Biography

Sarah Elizabeth Shively was born in Iowa City, IA. She married her partner, editor, Marilys Ernst in 2011. Together they have a son, Levi-Shem Shively. She attended Oberlin College for her BA in Theater and The Professional Actor Training Program at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for her MFA. She is a member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

She wrote, directed and produced her first film, Contemplating Emily starting in 2003. In 2005 she was granted a fellowship at the MacDowell Colony while writing the screenplay. The short narrative film premiered at Outfest in 2006 and ended its festival run at the Marché du Cannes: Short Film Corner 2007. Along with her partner, she owned and operated, Open Sesame Productions in New York City. The production company produced small short-format videos for non-profit organizations and various arts related organizations. While pursuing an acting career in New York, Shively also taught English as a Second Language at Baruch College, Hunter College and Columbia University.

In 2015, the family moved to Portland, OR. Shively went back to school earning a Certificate in Intercultural Training at Portland State University, a Certificate in Creative Leadership from IdeoU and an Master of Arts in Multimedia Journalism from the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, 2022. During her time as a student, she produced several documentary-styled videos. Mugshots in the Digital Age ran in the Portland Film Festival in 2021. Moving Into Adulthood will premiere at the Seattle Film Festival October 2022 and has been accepted to several other festivals including the Portland Film Festival 2022.

Shively serves as the President of the Board for Friends of Forest Park Elementary, the non-profit foundation that connects the community and raises money to support students at her son's public school and students throughout Portland Public Schools. The organization raised $196,000 in 2021-2022. She also volunteered for two years for the AEA Liaison Committee for Portland Oregon helping them connect the AEA local community and fund raise for local Portland homeless charities. She was one of the founding members of the Liaison Committee. Additionally, she occasionally performs volunteer service for the local SAG-AFTRA chapter serving Seattle and Portland.
- IMDb mini biography by: Marilys Ernst