Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Shoe. 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. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I worked at my prior agency for almost 9 years where I rose from a contract producer, to VP. During that time I built a great working relationship with a creative director, Casey, who is now my business partner. I would do contract work for him and his business, time permitting, which lasted for about a year and a half. As we continued to work together we saw an opportunity to both commit to the business full time. It was a huge risk for me, being secure at a company I had been with for so long, and in a position where I had a lot of autonomy. On top of that, I am a father of 3 young daughters, so job security is extremely crucial for me. It was a also a risk for Casey, to bring on a partner to a studio that was ran by just himself for the prior 2 years. When we pulled the trigger on me leaving my job and joining Good Secrets full time, we were able to bring on my past agency as a client – continuing that relationship and allowing their work to keep momentum even during my shift. The risk was worth the reward, as we’ve been continuing to build momentum, booking clients we are proud to partner with, winning awards for our work, and even being added to the awesome roster at Ripple Reps. This is the best professional decision I’ve ever made, and I am excited about what Casey and I are building. I’m going into 2025 with renewed purpose and vision.

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?

Growing up, I was obsessed with film and always knew I wanted a career tied to that passion. I studied Film & TV at NYU, focusing on writing and producing. My senior year, I was inspired by directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Mark Romanek, who started in music videos and advertising. This led me to pursue advertising after graduation. I began freelancing, even directing some commercials, before landing my first agency job as a Production Assistant. I quickly moved up to producer and, after a handful of years at different agencies, became a VP at one where I worked for nearly 9 years. While my background was mostly live action, I delved deeply into animation during that time.

I’m now Partner and Executive Producer at Good Secrets, a nimble design and animation studio. We create everything from character animations and photorealistic product renders to broadcast spots and social ads. We pride ourselves on our talented network of artists and the enjoyable, collaboration we have with our clients. For us, the process is as important as the outcome. In 2025, we looking to expand into new mediums, staying medium-agnostic but always driven by great design and animation. Our goal is to deliver the best work with the personal touch that sets us apart from larger studios.

Any advice for managing a team?

No matter the project, have fun and be lighthearted. If the team can come together daily, get some quality face time and have some laughs, even if it’s remotely, it makes the process so much more enjoyable. And when people enjoy the process, the work is better for it. That doesn’t mean not to take the work seriously. On top of having fun it’s important to challenge one another – to push every member of the team to do their best work and to never settle.

As an EP I also firmly believe in championing your team’s work. If I stand behind what they’ve done, and can defend the choices they’ve made, I know that they’ll trust me as a leader, because I have their back. That mutual trust and respect is crucial in maintaining high morale and outputting great creative.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I hired Good Secrets at my past agency for a big animation project. Casey and I start collaborating on a ton of work after that, and eventually realized that we shared a lot of the same goals and ambitions. Our skillsets compliment one another, and we decided that if we joined forces as Partners of Good Secrets, we could build something we were both proud of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goodsecrets.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodsecrets.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-secrets