Ryan W. Gates

Ryan W. Gates was born in Wichita, Kansas where he fell in love with the theater at the Wichita Children's Theater and Music Theater of Wichita. He attended boarding school at the Walnut Hill School and Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in Massachusetts where he studied drama before earning a BA from Sarah Lawrence College in writing, film, and production. Ryan's early credits include directing select episodes of the international kid's TV show "Gagsters," producing and directing the live comedy show "The Shark Show," and producing broadcast TV commercials for various advertising agencies. Ryan then turned his attention back to film as he assistant directed short films including the original short "Frozen River" which was later developed into the feature film starring the Oscar Award nominated Melissa Leo. In 2009, he co-founded CreativeRHINO; a San Francisco & NYC based production house, agency, and creative think tank. In 2014, he co-founded Harvester Arts; a visual arts organization in Wichita, KS that engages the community through critical dialogue and the creation of new work. Ryan lives and works in Wichita with his wife Kate Van Steenhuyse and two sons, Maxwell and Dodge.