Trivia

Because of the length of his career, the duration of his newscasts, and breaking news events, Shocknek is believed to have logged more hours anchoring news than anyone else in Los Angeles.

Shocknek was the original anchor of the first early-morning newscast in Los Angeles, KNBC's "Today in L.A.," starting in 1986. He continued anchoring morning newscasts at KNBC, then at L.A.'s "CBS2 News" without pause until late 2013, before moving to prime-time newscasts on Los Angeles' CBS TV-owned "KCAL9 News at 8 and 10 PM.".

On January 10, 2014, the City of Los Angeles officially proclaimed "Kent Shocknek Day," in honor of his decades of dedicated service.

An avowed fan of James Bond movies, Shocknek's first non-news role was as an extra, playing a fisherman in the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf scene of the 1985 007 film, "A View to a Kill." (Now) producer Barbara Broccoli recognized him near the filming site, and invited him to be part of the background action.

Years before working at the NBC Studios in Burbank, Shocknek snuck onto the lot and backstage at The Tonight Show while still a student to meet Sean Connery. Not wanting to be caught loitering while Connery wrapped up a conversation with someone else, Shocknek turned to the nearest person and started talking with ... Michael Caine.

Named one of L.A.'s top three anchors by L.A. Confidential magazine, Shocknek anchored the news at the CBS-owned television stations CBS2-TV and KCAL9 in L.A.'s Studio City from 2001 to 2014. Previously, he anchored and reported at cross-town rival KNBC-TV in Burbank.

An early concept for Shocknek's first starring role, in "The Six O'Clock," called for his character to be a possible murderer. The screenwriter opted instead for the profession in the final version, calling it a "better fit.".

Shocknek's house in the foothills above Pasadena California was the location for Lana Del Rey's music video, "Blue Jeans" in 2012. The following year he sold the house - minus the alligators in the swimming pool - for $2.4-million.

Coincidentally has appeared in two unrelated films, both titled "The Chosen One." First was Rob Schneider's 2010 comedy, and second was a 2021 independent film, that featured a question-mark after the wording.

Shocknek's portrayal as male lead in the noir film "Very Close Friends," garnered a nomination for Best Cast (along with female lead Laura Welsh) in the TrueView Film Festival (2022). His first film as a producer also was accepted as an official entry in the Toronto Alternative Film Festival (2022).

Despite experience as a competitive driver, once crashed a rare Aston Martin into a hillside less than a minute behind the wheel, making the car unavailable to return to two television productions, Las Vegas with James Caan, and The OC.