Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Ratelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Ryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Being a business owner can definitely be challenging at times, however, I believe that the reward far outweighs the risk (or occasional sleepless night). As a creative, I’ve always struggled with balancing my artistic and creative interests with my work life, so five years ago, I made the decision to combine them. RRR Creative, the agency I run with my husband and business partner Sam, allows both of us to flex our creative and entrepreneurial muscles through a wide variety of personal projects and professional clients. We’re never bored creatively or otherwise! RRR offers a wide range of creative services for clients, such as public relations, branding, graphic design, and digital. It’s our goal to lead with vibrant visuals and compelling storytelling to catapult the brilliant work of our clients forward. I love working with clients and make it my mission to ensure we have a wide variety to keep me on my toes. From Hollywood and Broadway stars to the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the U.S., to restaurants, fashion brands, and non-profit organizations – our roster is eclectic and exciting. We also funnel a lot of our artistic endeavors through the agency, including producing film and theater, art and design, and other ventures. While it can sometimes be stressful to manage your own business and all of the responsibilities it comes with, I find it incredibly freeing to have full decision making power over who we collaborate with. I also love the ability to make my own rules and my own schedule.

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 grew up in a small town in Connecticut with very artistic parents. My dad drew brilliant sketches, my mom was incredibly crafty, and together they refinished antique furniture as a hobby. I was always surrounded by some form of creativity and I loved it. Around the age of 8, I found theater and the bug really bit me. From then on, I was in every local theater production possible. Eventually, I started directing and then designing and painting the sets and the posters and marketing materials too. After college I made the move to New York City and quickly landed a job at one of the largest public relations firms representing Broadway shows. I quickly fell in love with theatrical p.r. – it was a combination of everything I enjoyed: creative, fast paced, exciting and I was working directly with so many of the Broadway legends I had long admired. The new job also gave me a front row seat to seeing and learning how Broadway shows were built and marketed. After 16 years in the business and representing campaigns for more than 25 Broadway shows, I decided to open my own agency with a broader scope of services.

At RRR Creative, I’m able to couple my vast experience in p.r. with my creative and artistic passions. Projects where I get to work one-on-one with a client to capture their brand in a newly designed logo, insignia, and/or website brings me great joy. I also love designing art for theatrical productions and events. There’s a tremendous amount of creativity in public relations too – it’s storytelling at its finest.

Producing film and theater is also a huge part of my day-to-day life. I’m proud to be on the producing team of the Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and have several exciting theatrical projects in development, including a children’s musical based on the book “Merrilee Mannerly,” a compelling new musical called “The Message,” created by my husband Sam Ratelle based on his upbringing in a religious; an adaptation of a New York Times #1 best-selling book by Susan Cain; and “Alice in Dragland,” a fully interactive new experience based on Alice in Wonderland.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many, the pandemic was a tricky time for us at RRR. At that point, our business was almost completely dependent upon clients rooted in live entertainment and fashion. We provided p.r. and digital services for a number of theatrical productions that were suddenly closed and performers who were out of work for the foreseeable future. The fashion division had been incredibly busy with a staggering number of red carpet appearances, fashion weeks across the globe, and high profile engagements like The Met Gala for a variety of clients including, Billy Porter and some of Broadway & Hollywood’s finest, and of course – all of the events ceased to exist. The incredibly unusual downtime at home created the space for me to dream and plan. I recommitted to all the things I hadn’t had time to do before. I started to paint again. I began writing. I poured time into my producing projects. I planted seeds for projects that would help me diversify my professional life. As the world began to open, Sam and I had a renewed vision for RRR Creative and a handful of new, fruitful projects ready to go. We began splitting our time more efficiently between client collaboration and our own projects and the shift has been incredibly rewarding in every way.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my co-founder and business partner on OK Cupid! As I mentioned, my business partner is also my husband, Sam. We met eight years ago, began dating, I gave him a drawer in my apartment for his things, and soon after – we got married. Soon after that, we started a business together. What a whirlwind! Owning and running a business with your spouse isn’t for the faint of heart. Thankfully, we have very different skills sets and professional interests and, therefore, we don’t always work on the same projects. When we do collaborate, it’s a lot of fun, for example, we recently designed the “Ziegfeld Follies” exhibit together at the new Museum of Broadway and that was a blast. Over time, we have learned that we have to make a conscious effort to separate work from our personal lives. That said, I love the “family business” we have created together and proud of all we have accomplished together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rrrcreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryrat
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryanrratelle/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-r-ratelle-0b155645

Image Credits
Santiago Felipe