We recently connected with Thomas Ryan Ward and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Thomas, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I was very lucky to have been born into a family that embraces the arts in many aspects. My great grandfather was the illustrator who created the Morton Salt Girl and Mr. Peanut, we had many musicians and singers on both sides of my family, and, like many young people who go into the Performing Arts, I was encouraged to “put on little plays” with the neighborhood kids.
When I was 13 or so, my father began allowing me to use his videorecorder and these “plays” became short films, as well as videoed daily journals (the precursor to a vlog?). My favorite films used odd angles, over-the-top characters, and surreal settings – from Vertigo to The Right Stuff, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen to Metropolis… I was hooked.
As theater was a more readily available outlet for the arts where I grew up (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), I soon became an actor with the local community theaters and University programs nearby. These experiences (for the ages of 14-18) aided me in becoming a more well-rounded performer… acting, singing, building sets, hanging lights, etc. In the back of my mind, I always knew I wanted to direct, not act, as well as get back behind the lens… presenting the world as I saw it or perhaps how I’d like it to be,
Should there have been film courses, festivals, or art movie houses in my hometown, I truly feel that I would have gravitated to film more quickly. I am not saddened that theater took precedence in those early days, because I believe that it has made me far better at relating to actors than many directors I have worked with (in front of and behind the camera). My collaborators and I allow for a lot of improvisation on set, whether that be in the changing of a line to better suit a performance or an impromptu lighting effect or camera angle. I truly wouldn’t want to work any other way.
Today, collaboration is how I am best learning about the nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking. Surrounding myself with highly educated and talented crews makes my knowledge continue to grow in a way that I film constantly exciting… perhaps more than if I had gone to a traditional film school.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
When most people think of me, I am guessing they think ‘Jack of All Trades…’ – graphic design, brand managing, illustration, videography and editing, marketing and advertising, educator and then the arts –producer/director, writer, actor, singer, and master teaching artist for students with special needs or learning differences. Though the old adage ends “…Master of None”, I have hardly seen that to be true for those I have collaborated with for over 20 years.
From Canada to Costa Rica, the Left Coast to Maine, I have worked with professionals in a wide array of industries… but it was the handful of internships I enjoyed in Manhattan during my time at Fordham University that truly forged my path toward producing. From 1996 though 1998 I worked with Off-Broadway and Broadway production companies that created touring shows (like The Who’s TOMMY), Broadway mainstays like GREASE and CHICAGO, and history-changing non-profits that revitalized 42nd street into the cultural Mecca we know it as today. Being ‘behind the scenes’, seeing where the money went and to whom, as well as all of the components required to keep a megalithic project going informed how I was seeking to create new projects.
My recent feature film, VORTEX: A Film Anthology, was created by Grayson Berry Productions (an eponymously named film company spearheaded by my producing-partner and actor/director, Grayson Berry) and Indie Rights Movies of L.A. This exciting labor-of-love was executed during the pandemic with a small, dedicated team of up-and-comers in the New Jersey/New York area. The beauty of creating an anthology over a single story feature film is that it allowed us to try different genres, filming techniques, varied locales, and a variety of comedic and dramatic tones… there wasn’t “one voice” or “one look”… it truly was a collaboration. The film is now streaming on Amazon and will soon be coming to Apple TV, Google Play, and several other platforms.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Often when I tell someone new about my many adventures (misadventures) and projects, they respond, “How is that possible! How old are you?!” The reason for this reaction, I believe, is that the educational system (specially in America) touts and plots a very linear trajectory for young people – “Become skilled in something so that you can get a good job. Work hard at that job so you can have a stable life.” I am in no way saying that doesn’t work (or should work if that is the mantra of the system you spend nearly half your life being a part of)… but for creatives, in my experience, the journey is often far more fluid. Dreamers move to PLACE A, that leads to meeting PERSON B, which blossoms into a collaboration with COMPANY C. I tell my students (creative or otherwise) that if I had it to do over again, I would have taken more business courses than artistic ones. Sure I love throwing pottery and having access to a kiln… but knowing how to open a business account or accurately deal with your taxes is a huge problem for many artists. Additionally, marketing/branding/advertising courses are a MUST nowadays as everyone’s creations lead to the formation and promotion of a BRAND. Honing your TALENT is a given but being able to monetize and transform it into a business is an ART as well.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Corporations and Local Governments needs to take a page from the Non-for-Profit playbook. Though many industries easily see worth in funding multimillion dollar stadiums for football teams or sponsoring the largest film festivals, if they took part in a more grassroots collaboration with emerging artists (as patrons during the Renaissance once facilitated), they could handsomely reap the monetary and bragging-rights rewards for producing the next Stephen Spielberg or Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. You don’t have to ‘discover’ talent on AMERICAN IDOL or after they have self-produced their first hit record before fostering the growth of future professional artists. Note I am not saying ‘Future Superstar’, as those wheels already turn quite well (even if not to the artist’s immediate benefit). If larger organizations thought of CREATIVES as potentially accruing stocks in their portfolios by funding fledgling record studios, filmmakers, dance troupes (etc.), they would in-turn establish and foster a relationship with creatives which could lead to a prosperous return on investment (or at least tax incentives)… while investing in communities with untapped talent that have little to no resources to encourage and inspire it. If ‘money makes the world go round’, perhaps, the world would go around a little more harmoniously if the distribution of funding were not solely doled out to “sure things” or “pre-packaged superstars”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vortexanthology.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vortexanthology/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomasryanward
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-ryan-ward-0875b86
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThomasRyanWard
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhs5gIrFYPLueTbPoy7TMA
Image Credits
Headshot by Danny Sanchez, NYC/NJ celebrity photographer for Us and Spin magazines.