Ben Ryan started out in the mid 1990's in Chicago at the American Academy of Art as a painter and illustrator. He left the Academy after the first year and started working as a production scenic artist on film and commercial sets. It was at this point that Ben joined an underground film club and school called Chicago Filmmakers. It was at Chicago Filmmakers that Ben found his love of filmmaking. He uses his principals of composition and light from painting to apply into film.