is a writer/director who most notably works on network promos. He recently won a 2023 Gold Promax Award for the NBC brand spot America’s Favorite Network which aired in Super Bowl LVI and made the Today Show’s Buzziest and Best Super Bowl Commercials List for 2022.
In the year prior, Ryan took home the Gold Promax Award for best direction for the spot, Peacock Knows Comedy. This was the second time Promax has honored him with their top prize for directors and his third nomination. (Winning for Celebrity Apprentice and Nominated for his work on The Voice “Anonymous” spot)
For Super Bowl LII, Ryan had two high profile projects, directing The Voice Super Commercial, which won a CLIO Award and was called out by Yahoo Sports, The Chicago Tribune and Rolling Stone as one of year’s best Super Bowl spots. He also worked closely with film legend Spike Lee editing a Network Brand spot that paid tribute to Prince and aired during the pre-game.
Ryan has also directed two independent features. Temps, which dives into modern day love and commitment through the eyes of temp workers, became an indie film success story. Despite its micro budget, the Temps trailer struck a nerve with audiences and went viral, racking up more than 50 million views. Those views turned into sales, and Temps became a chart-topping romantic comedy - hitting #1 on iTunes bestseller list.
His first feature, A Big Love Story, a romantic comedy about a guy trying to lose weight to find love, took home seven festival awards, including Newport Beach Film Festival’s Breakout Filmmaker of the Year, Beverly Hills Film Festival’s Audience Choice – Best Feature and the Manhattan Film Festival’s, Best Comedy. Variety called it "unpretentiously well turned," while Hollywood Reporter raved, “it brings fresh life to the overworked romantic comedy genre.” Criterioncast simply called it "an absolute revelation."
Ryan has worked with NBC, PEACOCK, NBC Sports, ABC, BRAVO and the WB as a writer, producer, and director for on-air promos. Over his 20-year career he has worked on some of television's biggest success stories, including Modern Family, Dancing with the Stars, Will & Grace, This is Us, and many more. He has written and directed for some of entertainment’s biggest and most recognizable names, including Jackie Chan, Ariana Grande, Seth MacFarlane, Eva Longoria, Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Jason Bateman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Zendaya, Betty White and many more (click here for a list of talent).
Ryan was awarded a CLIO for his work on a This is Us trailer that launched season 2 and also picked up a CLIO nomination for his Will & Grace short film that also went viral on Facebook gaining more than 30 million views within 48 hours. To date, Ryan has been honored with more than thirty awards for his work in television marketing.
He studied film at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.