JEH: Your name has become one of the most recognized in the industry over the past few years. True, you have incredible credits, but many great artists in the past have come and gone. But for the longest time, your name still shines. What’s your secret?

Ryan: Hmmm... that's a tough one but I'll give it a shot, I don't really have a secret but I can give you more about who I am and my internal processes and maybe that has something to do with any success. 

“There's no need for hand-waving or excuses 'cause your work will speak for itself”

I think the best advice I can give is to draw and design what you love because now with the internet as the main portfolio review vehicle there are no excuses as far as getting your work out there.  With even the most basic website you can be assured that if your work is outstanding it WILL be seen and noticed and jobs will come.  There's no need for hand-waving or excuses 'cause your work will speak for itself. 

Another reason for my visibility is that I think my design sensibility has a 'lightness' to it, for lack of a better word.  I don't get too serious or morose with my process or subject matter and maybe that makes me more acceptable to a larger audience or client base.  Who knows, the one real advantage I think I have is that people of my age are part of a very small group of people that were trained analog and now produce digitally.  On one side, some of the old timers are (unfairly) thought of as dated or whatever because of the look of the media they use.  Then, there is the huge reservoir of young new digital artists who are out there kicking asses in the industry today.  But there are some concept artists in that sweet spot who grew up seeing movies in the theatre once or maybe twice and having to wait literally years until they ever saw that Queen Alien or Tron Lightcycle again; those of us who were trained in gouache and acrylic and markers and did hundreds of paintings in that medium but weren't so hesitant to get into the digital media.  I consider myself lucky to have these 'limitations' to push against...

JEH: You are currently working on the new Star Trek movie. Without breaching any confidentiality agreement or getting you in trouble, what aspect of the project interests you the most?
 Ryan: There's really very little I can say about the movie at all. They’d probably kill me!  Besides, I know that your readers don't want any spoilers about the design or aesthetic this movie is going for.  I can say that it's been tons of fun and there's a great Art Department and a really cool Production Designer by the name of Scott Chambliss that makes going to work a lot of fun.  And of course it's great to work with this young legend JJ Abrams who brings story and character back into these effects movies which is great.