Wendell Shannon, born and raised in Baltimore City, discovered his passion for writing in elementary school and graduated from Southwestern Senior High in 1982. Drawn into street life, he faced incarceration, where he earned an associate’s degree from Essex Community College. Upon release, he pursued his dreams that included founding Go Daddy Productions to publish books and greeting cards and earning a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University.

 

He published several titles under his Go Daddy Productions imprint, including For the Love of Fast Money (2004), Business As Usual (2005), and The Wolf Trap, a novel by Dennis Wise (2006). He graduated from Coppin State University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology and later released Amina’s Trouble in 2016. Beginning in 2017, Mr. Shannon earned another title after producing and directing “THE DENNIS WISE STORY: If I Should Die,” a two-part documentary, under Streetwise Production. 

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Inspired by his grandchildren before COVID-19, he began writing children’s books to include stories about each one and founded The Youth Empowered to teach business, financial literacy, and education. Though he once laughed at the idea of becoming an educator, Mr. Shannon now finds purpose in using his creative gifts. His current goals are producing Supreme’s Dream, an animated children’s movie, and releasing his autobiography, Black is Beautiful, on all platforms in the fall of 2025.