We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Manley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of my biggest passion projects is a production company focused on female centric stories called Minx. I created it with my good friend and fellow screenwriter Janelle Goforth. Our working tagline for now is “Female centric stories are our bread and butter” It’s still just in the planning process and it’s far away from being realized but we’ve already come up with a lot of unique projects to lead with. The first project would be a high concept comedy pilot called Astronaut Amy that’s about 90% of Earth’s celebrities moving to Mars after Earth is ravaged by global warming. We’d follow that up with a dramedy pilot called Proctor that follows a fifteen year old Elizabeth Proctor during the Salem Witch Trials and her rivalry with Elizabeth Hubbard, the teenage brown nose who started the trials in the first place by accusing her of witchcraft. Tonally, it would be similar to Wednesday and Riverdale.

I’d love to model the company after Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Pictures and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. I really admire how they took their career into their own hands and found projects that they connected with, but weren’t given the opportunity to be shown on a grand scale. Following in those trailblazers’ footsteps is something I aspire to.

Ryan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a screenwriter who’s in love with the 80s and 90s. Everything from the bright pastels, to the hairstyles, to the slang, music, and the movies, I’m obsessed with it all. I write scripts that make you say “Wow they haven’t made stuff like this in a while, but they should. I miss those days.” When it comes to dramas I enjoy writing character pieces that instantly transport you back to decades ago. On the comedy side of things I try my best to evoke John Hughes classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles. Writing movies and TV is literally the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, and it’s what makes me the most happy. To say I’m a quirky guy is a bit of an understatement. Two phrases I’ve heard over and over throughout my life are “You are quite the character” and “That’s just Ryan being Ryan.” Whatever they mean, I fully accept both to be true. I’m proud to be me, because it’s all I know how to do.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The number one question I get from people not in the creative field is, how do you come up with your ideas? But I’ve always felt that writing is less about trying to come up with magic out of thin air and more about listening. From the second I wake up in the morning I hear a bunch of characters talking. At first it seems random but after a few minutes I realize that it all makes sense I just have to figure out who’s saying what and connect it like a giant puzzle. After I’ve got the first five pages down I stop hearing dialogue until I figure out what kind of music each person in the script listens to. I just shuffle through music and whatever artist they start talking to again is what I’ll have to listen to until the script is finished. Music is a huge part of my creativity and I don’t like being in silence too long. Anyone who knows me has probably heard me humming a lot throughout the day, it may seem odd or annoying to some but it helps me relax and not lose my artistic drive. The point I’m trying to make is do whatever it takes to keep that creative spark alive. Embrace your weirdness, be unique, and don’t be afraid to live life like no one’s watching.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Taking a long look at yourself in the mirror and conquering your shortcomings is one of the hardest obstacles you’ll ever have to face. No one likes doing it, but writing allows me to overcome some of my biggest fears by disguising it as “storytelling.” Whether it’s a hard hitting drama set in the 1800s or a time travel film, every project I’ve ever worked on has been about me someway, somehow. Every time I finish one I feel like I’m a better person for it and I’ve learned something about myself. Writing is my therapy, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I figure there’s lots of other people out there like me, so if they can be helped through tough times by my work while also being entertained then I’ve done my job.   

Contact Info:

• Twitter: @SuburbanRyan

Image Credits
Irwing Contreras