Shon Brooks is an American inventor, entrepreneur, award-winning television producer, and a financial advisor. He is most popularly known for his TV show, S.O.B®,^[1] interviewing Dong King and Tommy Ford, and promoting financial literacy among high school students.^[2][16]

He is the founder and CEO of Brooks Financial and Entertainment Consultants in California.^[3][4]

Brooks was born in San Diego to Lee Oscar Brooks and Berthena Bullard.^[5]

Brooks attended ten different schools before the age of 12, including the elementary school at St. Jude, and middle school at St. Bridgette Academy in Glassboro, N.J.

At the age of 16, he moved to California to stay with his grandparents, Philip and Margaret Brooks.

He graduated from Sweetwater High School, where he skipped from 9th to 11th grade and then decided to attend college in New Jersey at Thomas Edison State College, an institution founded under the auspices of Princeton University from where he received a BSBA degree in 1998.^[6][5]

During his college tenure, Brooks worked for United Continental Holdings Inc. as a Sky Cap., where he developed an interest in financial planning and insurance through his interactions with various travellers.

After college, Brooks joined New York Life and later, in 1993, launched Brooks Entertainment.^[8]

Brooks collaborated with Glenn Wood to create the curriculum for two certifications for financial advisors serving 403(b) plan participants.

The certifications are, 'Certified Retirement Specialist (CRS),' and 'Master Certified Retirement Specialist (MCRS),' both granted by the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.

He also wrote the exam questions for the certifications’ Course 1 study guide, “The Basics of 403(B) Plans.”

Brooks won a contract from the US Olympic Committee to write and produce a variety show, “Making A Difference,” which was distributed for three seasons in the San Diego market.^[9] Some of its notable guests included actors Rif Hutton and Julie Foudy.

In 2005, he launched a program “Turn a Penny into Plenty” to teach high school students about savings and investments and to fund field trips.^[10] He also signed an agreement with Westfield Group to prominently display billboards promoting financial literacy inside Horton Plaza in San Diego’s Historic Gaslamp Quarter.

The displays feature a portrait of Brooks as a graphic novel character and tout the message: “Reading Makes Cents.”

Television

In 2006, Brooks created S.O.B® where he served as a writer, producer, and host.

Some of his most notable guests include boxing promoter, Don King, and actor-comedian, Tommy Ford.

The show is distributed by Cox Media Group (formerly known as Cox Communications) on Monday Night Football.

S.O.B® also aired on the NFL Network, ESPN and in selected markets on AT&T and Direct TV.

Currently, Brooks is developing another season of S.O.B®.

In May 2013, Brooks launched the S.O.B® cigar, Shon Brooks Star CigarTM, a brand of handmade cigars manufactured in the Dominican Republic.^[11][12][13]

In 2017, he signed contracts with Amazon and Cox Media for the distribution of S.O.B®.^[14][15]

Game Development

Brooks is developing two immersive console games, Save One Bank and Stock Picker, in partnership with Chronic Logic.

The games will reside on the Microsoft Xbox platform.

Segments of the earlier iterations of the game were promoted in classroom pep rallies in the San Diego Unified School District.

Brooks married Habeebah King on May 5, 2012, in Jamaica.