Following his graduation from the University of Oklahoma, with a degree in film studies, he moved to New York, where he went on to study theatre at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Within months of arriving in New York, he was cast in the role of Bill Lewis on the CBS Daytime Drama, Guiding Light - a role he would play for the next three years. Ryan relocated to Los Angeles and landed the role of Billy Abbott on CBS’s The Young and the Restless. Following his tenure on The Young and the Restless, he returned to New York and continued working as an actor, appearing on Law and Order: SVU, and starring in two feature films for Lifetime Television. It was also during this time that he decided to try his hand at fiction writing. It wasn’t long before he was writing full-time. Within two years, he completed the manuscript for PLAY DEAD, his first published title.