Biography
Ryan Philander is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and editor based in Los Angeles. A member of the WGA West, his work spans narrative, unscripted, and documentary formats, with credits across top networks including HBO, Netflix, ABC, NBC, FOX, SyFy, Discovery, History Channel, and VH1.
Early in his career, Ryan taught filmmaking at the New York Film Academy's Universal Studios campus before becoming a sought-after editor and producer in the reality and docu-follow space. He has helped create and sell shows for A-list talent such as Simon Cowell, Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Billy Bob Thornton, Willie Nelson, Ava DuVernay, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
As a writer-director, Ryan's scripts have placed in major screenwriting competitions including the Titan Awards, Screencraft, Filmmatic, StoryPros, Emerging Screenwriters, Scriptapalooza, the Page Awards, the Austin Film Festival, and the Academy Nicholl Fellowship (placing three times in the top 15%).
Raised in a biracial household by parents who worked in psychiatry and law, Ryan brings a multidisciplinary curiosity and sensitivity to his work-blending science, the humanities, and emotional truth in his storytelling. Originally drawn to the West Coast through athletics, he played soccer for Chapman University, where he also studied film and honed his skills in screenwriting, cinematography, and editing.
Outside of production, Ryan mentors young creatives through the Young Storytellers program, which serves under-resourced public schools. He is passionate about the role storytelling plays in shaping a more just and equitable world.
Ryan lives in Los Angeles, California.
