We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Blatto a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
Back in 2019, I went to go see David Liebe Hart at a venue in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. Growing up watching him on [adult swim], I knew I had to get the VIP tickets so I had a chance at meeting him. Not only did I meet him, but I got to have extensive conversations with both him and his manager which led to me being offered an internship out in L.A. the next summer. We all know what happened next… COVID-19 came around and nixed those plans completely. Stubborn and determined, my partner Kris and I made the trek from Buffalo to L.A. by car that summer with the hopes of doing our own thing and seeing what happens. We knew we wanted to make a sketch comedy show as we had made skits together before, but we didn’t know who we could get to be apart of it. We met up with David when we got there, along with several other actors from [adult swim], who were out of work due to the pandemic, and paid them out of our own pockets to act in our skits. From there came ‘The David Liebe Hart Show’ of which we are in the midst of producing our third season set to premiere next January. We garner no funds from this production, and all the writing, directing, funding and editing of this project comes solely from me and a small team of my friends who I’m forever lucky to have trusted me in this endeavor. I plan to one day make my small “company” official, and make a living off pursuing my passion every single day.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been making content (mostly YouTube videos) for my entire life. I remember watching FRED along with other YouTube videos and knowing that this was exactly what I wanted to do. I got my first camera for my 10th birthday in 2009 and haven’t stopped using one since. I like to think that since that fateful day, I’ve honed in on plenty of skills necessary for my craft, and can credit most of that to my time at SUNY Fredonia where I majored in video production. Although I learned a lot in my classes, I feel I learned the most from the people I surrounded myself with, who inspired and still inspire me to make content that would impress them and (most importantly) make them laugh. I feel the one skill I have that I have fine tuned the most is editing, as it is the most tedious and time consuming aspect of my work. I like to create weird, sort of out-of-leftfield comedy bits that are heavily inspired from the [adult swim] shows that I grew up watching, such as Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! I work mainly with the Adobe Creative Suite, primarily using Premiere Pro, Audition and Photoshop. I am most proud of my editing work in the most recent season of ‘The David Liebe Hart Show’ and cannot wait to surpass those milestones in the next season.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I think the main question that I get asked by people who genuinely care about my future is something along the lines of “so what are you gonna do with all this?” Everything I create is ideally getting me closer and closer to achieving my long term goal, which is to make a living in a big city, ideally in California, producing my own comedy-based show through my production company for a network or streaming service. I’m hoping the work that I put out now might catch the eye of someone looking for writers/editors on their project, which might allow me to get a foot in the door and work my way up to making a living producing my own content. I attempt to ensure this by putting my best work into a portfolio that I try to give exposure to whenever I get the chance. I plan on submitting my content to festivals next. I’m already doing what I love, but my dream is to be successful doing what I love.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me are the relationships that I form with the people that I am working with on projects. I get to work with all sorts of different types of people (some VERY different) which inevitably create moments and memories that last a lifetime for me. I think people who know me would pretty easily say that I am a sentimental person, to which I would agree, but besides memories and good times, a lot of these relationships prove to be big inspirations for me for ideas, jokes and drive. I truly do value the relationships made in the field at a deeper level that just a business partnership, but I do also like sharing success with the people I’ve worked with and hearing that they’re proud to have been apart of it, because, needless to say, I couldn’t have created it without them. I try to develop connections through my relationships to further myself and those who want to continue working with me. I hope to one day make the right connection that changes my life for the better.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_blatto_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.blatto
- Twitter: @ryanblatto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@blastoproductions
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blastoprod