Thanks to support from the Lady Betty Martin Fund, he produced his first solo short, Boot, which will be screened at Sunderland Shorts Film Festival 2018. The film also helped him secure a place on a Film Production course at the University of Salford, for which he is currently studying in MediaCityUK. Although Ryan specialises in writing and editing, he has worked on a number of production roles, and has directed and co-directed nine shorts.