We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Self. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Ryan, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I would tout all the skills I learned in college — I could act, write, direct, edit, produce, etc. I just wanted any opportunity possible to help create film and TV. But then one friend (and future employer) gave me the best advice I’ve ever received. “Pick two,” he said. “Or one if you can.” If you try to be a jack-of-all-trades in a creative field, no one knows where to put you. You end up getting lost in the shuffle. When a job opportunity comes up, you want to the best person the hirer knows at X. It doesn’t really matter what X is, you just want to be at the top of the list — the first person they think of when they need that skill. If you’re third or fourth on a dozen lists, that’s a dozen jobs you’ll never get. Creatives generally don’t like being pigeon-holed into one thing, but when you’re getting your start, being pigeon-holed is the best gift you give yourself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in St Louis, Missouri and attended college at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. I moved out to LA immediately after graduating and never looked back. I’ve spent decades performing and teaching improv all across the country, and I’ve been an actor in numerous commercials, TV shows, movies, and video games. In recent years, I began focusing more on writing. I wrote for the final two seasons of The Tom & Jerry Show and assisted the showrunner for Season 2 of The Flight Attendant. I worked in Development for 2 years at Warner Bros and I’m currently developing/writing an original show for Paramount+, among other projects.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I married an actress several years ago and in doing so realized I needed to pivot from acting to something more financially consistent. As much as I loved being an actor, I knew that two actors supporting each other would be extremely difficult. And I always felt like I was a better writer than actor, I just had early success with acting when I first moved to LA. So after 8 years living in LA, I made a hard pivot, determined to start from scratch if I needed to. Fortunately, I got very lucky and my experience translated into the new field nicely, so I was able to make a living writing way sooner than I had expected. You are never too old to start something new. Taking the plunge is always worth it.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Your friends are always your best resource. I moved to LA knowing no one, and I have always hated “networking.” So my first few years felt like a real struggle. Like I was “doing it wrong.” But what I’ve discovered after years of living in this city is that none of my opportunities have come from networking with strangers. Rather, I’ve watched as my friends (ones I’ve made from just hanging out and doing non-industry-related things) have grown in their experience and careers until the point where we’ve begun hiring each other. A rising tide raises all ships.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryanscottself/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2515760/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk