The communications executive Jason Shumaker, who played key roles at MTV and VH1 early in his career, has died at 55.
Jason Shumaker died on February 16 from complications of acute myeloid leukemia, according to Deadline.
Before rising up the ranks, Jason Shumaker served as the lead publicist on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
He played a key role in helping the drag competition flourish, and the series — which premiered in 2009 — has so far produced 18 seasons.
Shumaker’s tenure with the show saw its eponymous host, RuPaul, become a household name, and the series has expanded with numerous spinoffs.
Jason Shumaker also managed communications for MTV and its sibling networks MTV2, MTV Live, MTV Classic and mtvU.
During his time with MTV, Shumaker oversaw publicity for major MTV events, including the network’s Video Music Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
He also handled publicity for the network’s priciest scripted series so far, the fantasy adaptation The Shannara Chronicles, and he worked as the lead publicist for MTV’s Scream adaptation, as well as the performance series Unplugged and the reality shows Fear Factor, Floribama Shore, Are You The One? and Siesta Key, among others.
Shumaker first became a force in the world of publicity while working for Logo, which originally aired RuPaul’s Drag Race.
That series later moved up to VH1 in 2017, before transferring to MTV in 2023, with all three networks being part of the basic cable empire of Viacom (now Paramount Skydance).
After a promotion, Shumaker began handling publicity for multiple unscripted VH1 shows, including Celebrity Rehab, VH1 Divas and VH1 Storytellers.
Following his time at Viacom, Shumaker became the US communications director for the entertainment- and travel-focused startup The Culture Trip, though he soon moved on to work in executive communications for Verizon, according to The Wrap.
He made another move in 2022, when he jumped to Google.
He held the position of executive communications manager for platforms and ecosystems marketing as he continued moving away from his earlier entertainment roots.
In that role, he managed communications for high-profile events, including the Cannes Film Festival and tech events such as Mobile World Congress and CES.
Shumaker left the entertainment industry completely in 2024 when he joined CRH, an international supplier of building materials based in Dublin, as its director of internal communications.
Shumaker is survived by his parents, Lew and Cathie Shumaker, as well as his sister Tammy Golden, brother-in-law Patrick Golden and his three nephews.
He will be honored with an upcoming celebration of life ceremony and a mass in New York City, before his burial in Delaware in upcoming months.