Shannon Frank was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the niece of Emmy Award-winning actor Gary Frank and producer Carroll Newman, and cousin of actress Jessica Frank. Shannon was a finalist in the 1989 and 1991 Miss San Jose Pageants and won the title of Miss Congeniality. She has modeled for numerous campaigns such as Blockbuster Video, City of San Jose, Burbank Suzuki, RGB Studios and many others. Her two sons, Jamie and Jacob, have modeled for national campaigns such as Mervyn's, Macy's, New York Times Square, City of San Jose, and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.