Biographie
Ryan, a Canadian-born American writer and director, recently sold his genre-blending thriller CUL-DE-SAC to Sony, produced by his frequent collaborator Jon M. Chu (WICKED). He is currently scripting a four-quadrant fantasy adventure for Hasbro and Electric Somewhere, and developing a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN-style project for Hobie Films, which attracted Matt Shakman (THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS) and Joachim Rønning (TRON: ARES) during the pitch phase. He also penned the screenplay for Jem and the Holograms (2015), Universal's live-action adaptation of Hasbro's toy line and animated series, released theatrically worldwide.
In television, Ryan is writing and directing Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True (2026) for Disney and Hallmark—the first film Disney has ever set within its parks—scheduled to premiere in Christmas 2026. He wrote the multiple Primetime Emmy-winning Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) for Disney+ and ABC, a hybrid live-action/animation tribute featuring Martin Short, Josh Groban, Rita Moreno, David Alan Grier, and H.E.R. He also wrote and directed Santa Tell Me (2024) and Sugarplummed (2024) for Hallmark; Santa Tell Me ranked as the No. 1 new Christmas movie of 2024 across all broadcast networks and streaming platforms, while Sugarplummed earned him a Directors Guild of Canada Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Directing. Other credits include adapting Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within the Cartel (2017) for Amazon and Ubisoft, creating and directing Abby Normal (2016) for Disney Channel, and writing and directing across three seasons of Hulu and Paramount’s acclaimed streaming series The LXD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (2010).
A graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television, Ryan studied under a Hollywood Foreign Press Association scholarship. His thesis film, The Midnight Express (2002), screened at over thirty international festivals, won the Audience Award at Slamdance, and was exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Based in Los Angeles, Ryan is a member of the Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of Canada, and the Television Academy. He is represented by Rob Carlson at United Talent Agency and Mike Fera at Kaplan/Perrone.
