Ryan Hope Travis is an actor, director, and multi-hyphenate filmmaker. As an actor, Ryan has guest starred on HBO's The Watchmen, Investigation ID's Dead Silent and Swamp Murders, and a national commercial for BET. He has performed in numerous independent films, and for his onstage work, he was nominated “Best Actor in a Play” by Broadway World CNY. As a multi-hyphenate filmmaker (e.g. writer/director/cinematographer), Ryan has 10 short films to his credit, with several having their world premieres at film festivals in New York City, Miami, Austin, Los Angeles, and the Academy Award-qualifying, Atlanta Film Festival. His debut feature film, Cocoa in the Dark, is currently in post-production.

Ryan was commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts to write and perform A Shout in Salty Water, a one-man show based on interviews with 17 low-income African American fathers in Syracuse, NY. His other one-man show, June 16, is an autobiographical piece based on interviews with fathers in Washington D.C. Both productions explore the role poverty plays in fatherhood.

Ryan is an assistant professor in acting and performance at the University of Florida. He has over 10 years of teaching experience at both universities and professional training institutions. He taught a variety of acting and creative writing courses at Syracuse University, Colgate University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, among others. Ryan was recruited by the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Syracuse University to develop a pilot community theater program that connected Syracuse community members with SU students. In that capacity, he successfully directed and conceived 8 original productions, for which he was presented the “Special Recognition for Artistic Contribution” Award by Vera House, a non-profit organization for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors.

In addition to his work as a filmmaker and actor, Ryan also creates devised plays/productions/movement pieces that come from the lived experiences of ensemble members. His theatrical roots and administrative style were a great fit in his capacity as Executive Artistic Director of the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, Inc. in Syracuse, NY, a position he held for three years. In a short time he reinvigorated the 34 year old Black theater and expanded their mission to include works rooted in social activism and community engagement.  His arts administration experience also includes serving as the Engaging Men Project Coordinator and Youth Project Director at Peace Over Violence in Los Angeles.

Ryan pursued Pan African and African World Studies in college (B.A., Fort Valley State University) and graduate school (M.A., Syracuse University). He went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Florida ('12). He has written for The SAGE Encyclopedia of African Cultural Heritage in North America, 2015 and Syracuse New Times. Additionally, he is the founder and lead filmmaker of Arcable, a film production company dedicated to producing works of art rooted in social commentary. Ryan is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. (For more, visit Resume/CV).