People don’t usually fall for the idea of becoming a New York Times Bestseller. They write multiple articles, even books, while honing their craft until they are good enough to achieve coveted writing status. This is exactly what happened to Shea Serrano. That’s not to say he didn’t deserve it or had the talent to be one, but that wasn’t his goal.
Serrano was a man who was just trying to make a few dollars by writing. His talents span writing, journalism, illustrations and social commentary. He is also a television writer and producer. He simply does.
Shea Serrano’s bio
Shea’s is nothing out of the ordinary.childhood. He grew up in Valley Hi although he was born in San Antonio, Texas. For his education, he attended Sam Houston State University where he joined a fraternity, Omega Delta Phi. His major in Sam Houston is unknown at this point, but as a talented writer, he has a chance to major in an arts-related field.
As mentioned earlier, Shea’s resume is quite diverse. When he graduated, he worked in the construction industry in Houston and held a blue-collar job before becoming a teacher. Serrano taught 8th grade science students for nine years after college.
When responsibilities increase and income isn’t enough to keep up, the logic was to find a way to increase income and that’s what Shea Serrano did. When his wife, who was pregnant at the time, was laid off, Shea needed extra income to supplement her teaching salary. Desperation to earn extra income would launch Shea Serrano’s career in journalism and writing.
His first writing job was for Near Northwest Banner. As an avid hip-hop fan, Shea exploited the lack of writers for hip-hop. His writing style and opinion quickly won over editors and publishers nationwide. He started getting referred and soon after he was writing for GQ, ESPN, LA Weekly and other notable media platforms in the country. He currently writes for The Ringer.
With his hip-hop views such a hit among readers, Serrano decided to take it a step further and write a book. He published his first book, Bun B’s Rap Coloring and Activity Book, in September 2013. His book lived up to the success that awaited Shea’s writing career.
In October 2015, Serrano published the book that would establish him as a writer and thought leader. The book, The Rap Yearbook: The Most Important Rap Song of Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed hit shelves on October 13 and sensationally made the New York Times Bestseller list. While it might have been a fitting hit for a man who isn’t a traditional writer, the book was optioned for a documentary series in March 2016 and made Billboard’s list of 100 Best Music Books by all the time.
Serrano’s success with books was not over. He had found a genre he excelled in and he wasn’t going to back down. He published another book, Basketball (and Other Objects) in October 2017 and, like its predecessor, is on the New York Times bestseller list. The hallmark of the book’s success was a stamp of approval given by President Obama in a Facebook post, declaring it to be one of his favorite books of that year.
When he’s not writing for media publications, he’s on social media debating and discussing multiple issues ranging from hip-hop to basketball to writing. He regularly interacts with fans and his use of social media has helped him build a cult following.
The Mexican-American is also a philanthropist who uses his voice and a newsletter he created with his partner, Arturo Torres, to raise money for several charities.
wife, family
They say whoever finds a wife, finds a good thing. The case has never been so real for Shea, whose success inadvertently comes from his reaction to helping his wife in this time of distress. The couple have been together since they met in college in 2000. Although they planned a wedding, they can’t get out of it because his wife, Larami, was hospitalized the day before the wedding and therefore married at the hospital. They share three children whom Serrano affectionately calls in public Boy A, Boy B, and the baby. A French bulldog completes the beautiful family.