Ryan Monolopolus

Ryan Monolopolus was born and raised in the small city of Buffalo, NY; it was there that he developed his passion for storytelling. After graduating from the University at Buffalo with a degree in Media Production and Sociology, he launched a boutique production company "Mono Productions" and has been traveling and working ever since.  Since 2015 Ryan was been working as a freelance director. His major work includes the feature documentary Recovery (2015), the TV Pilot 64/8, the American Civil War epic SHENANDOAH (2017), and the human-puppet drama Friends to the End (2017). Commercially he has collaborated with some of the world's leading brands including Converse, PGA Tour, World Organization, HP, Act on Climate, Rescue Me!, Outside Magazine and many more.  Ryan has worked on major union sets and on small crews internationally creating media. His work has been distributed worldwide, commercials nationally broadcast, and he recently won six awards at the Holiday 48 Hour Film Fest in New York, including Best Director. An avid traveler and martial artist, he spends his free time teaching and traveling in and outside the USA. Above all Ryan has been able to merge his passions in the media/entertainment industry that all converge under one life mission: To tell powerful, compelling and engaging stories to the world. In 2017 Ryan became a freelance director with FilmTribe.  In 2015 he launched an action design company On Camera Combatives, which has trained more than 2500 actors and performers in its first year of operation. In that same year Ryan joined the screen actors guild after his appearance on the TV Pilot The Grand Prince of Moscow. Since then Ryan has been performing regularly on shows including The Originals, MacGyver and more.  Ryan is also a former world champion in sports martial arts, he fought for Team USA between 2006 and 2010. He currently trains and teaches Filipino martial arts around the USA and Canada.  Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia and New York City, Ryan spends his time behind the scenes as a director/producer, and in front of the camera in acting/stunts.