https://ryanessmaker.com Ryan Essmaker Thu, 24 Jul 2025 02:07:56 +0000 https://ryanessmaker.com en https://ryanessmaker.com/Header Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:53:20 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Header Design. Direction. Storytelling with soul.I work across film, design, and product to help teams tell more human stories. For film and video production → House of Cohle Email me &nbsp;/ More info&nbsp; https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Tellie Sun, 06 Mar 2022 22:05:09 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Tellie Tellie&nbsp; 2020-2022 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a71de6075abf4a49b3098b801375a097ac194ac8f6eb23f4d3f01ca7f3500b36/Tellie-Preview.jpg" data-mid="142016833" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a71de6075abf4a49b3098b801375a097ac194ac8f6eb23f4d3f01ca7f3500b36/Tellie-Preview.jpg" /> Tellie was a flexible publishing platform that gave creators more control over how they told their stories online. I led the rebrand, product design, and creative direction—including brand voice, visual system, and expressive video work. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Simplecast Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:53:21 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Simplecast Simplecast&nbsp; 2018-2019 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b0491e8b289f541d022569240ea5513e37857ecb652d6769bd25b92e19ce8ffd/thumb-simplecast.jpg" data-mid="57961403" border="0" data-no-zoom alt="Simplecast" data-caption="Simplecast" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b0491e8b289f541d022569240ea5513e37857ecb652d6769bd25b92e19ce8ffd/thumb-simplecast.jpg" /> Simplecast is a modern podcast hosting and analytics platform used by creators and enterprise publishers alike. I led the product redesign and rebrand—work that contributed to the company’s acquisition by SiriusXM. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Modern-Treasury Wed, 23 Jul 2025 22:07:48 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Modern-Treasury Modern Treasury&nbsp; 2022-2025 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1ef63ba3baef0da5c558d5f2f319a1091e87d51c549787460af88ed9034cc640/mt-preview.png" data-mid="236214112" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1ef63ba3baef0da5c558d5f2f319a1091e87d51c549787460af88ed9034cc640/mt-preview.png" /> Modern Treasury powers complex payments for modern finance teams. I built the in-house video function and created story-driven content across campaigns, events, and customer stories. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-TGD Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:53:21 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-TGD The Great Discontent2011-2019 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/767618ec433f22a3ac8e2555857dee19201aace82e0c8be9740fb69cf9c3d1f7/thumb-tgd-03.jpg" data-mid="57934319" border="0" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/767618ec433f22a3ac8e2555857dee19201aace82e0c8be9740fb69cf9c3d1f7/thumb-tgd-03.jpg" />The Great Discontent is a magazine and interview series spotlighting artists, makers, and culture-shapers through longform storytelling. As cofounder and creative director, I led the brand, web, and print design—shaping its honest, artful voice across 300+ interviews. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Ted-Gibson-Ascension Thu, 24 Jul 2025 02:07:56 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Ted-Gibson-Ascension Ted Gibson Ascension2025 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c08a7f7d2bad3a72b5136241acd621dcf58194d3ec24b552dd4d06c9998d38ea/preview-ted-gibson-ascension.png" data-mid="236216236" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c08a7f7d2bad3a72b5136241acd621dcf58194d3ec24b552dd4d06c9998d38ea/preview-ted-gibson-ascension.png" /> A dreamy fashion video series for Ted Gibson’s wellness brand, shot in Palm Springs and styled by Ted himself. Co-directed, shot, and edited by Ryan for multi-platform release. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-The-Beat Sun, 06 Mar 2022 22:38:43 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-The-Beat The Beat&nbsp; 2022 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7c852a5f102ea2eb962467778c64f0963ca8c50469c228d5804e5aa4618fc172/the-beat-tiny.png" data-mid="236247777" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7c852a5f102ea2eb962467778c64f0963ca8c50469c228d5804e5aa4618fc172/the-beat-tiny.png" /> The Beat is a Q&amp;A-style docuseries on creativity, featuring working artists and makers across disciplines. I conceived and directed the series, handling everything from booking and interviews to cinematography and post. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-KSR Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:55:54 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-KSR Kickstarter 2017 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a370bf20da1b13b0534df3677bfa30b2ca0c6825d98b69af4c17444ab6f1ba02/thumb-ksr.jpg" data-mid="57938243" border="0" data-no-zoom alt="Kickstarter" data-caption="Kickstarter" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a370bf20da1b13b0534df3677bfa30b2ca0c6825d98b69af4c17444ab6f1ba02/thumb-ksr.jpg" /> Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. While at Fictive Kin, I re-envisioned the platform’s most viewed page and explored a refreshed marketing site to support a planned rebrand.&nbsp; View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Posture Thu, 02 Jan 2020 22:23:44 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Posture Posture, Issue 32016 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/da8be65f31133c1f217716e1034251f121b7bbfaea5ee85354f6f60c12db519f/thumb-posture.jpg" data-mid="57937521" border="0" data-no-zoom alt="Posture " data-caption="Posture " src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/da8be65f31133c1f217716e1034251f121b7bbfaea5ee85354f6f60c12db519f/thumb-posture.jpg" /> Posture was a bold magazine exploring identity, art, and gender through a queer, feminist lens. I led design direction on a refreshed visual system—focusing on repeatability, production efficiency, and a format that preserved the magazine’s originality. View Project https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Eclipse Thu, 02 Jan 2020 22:24:38 +0000 Ryan Essmaker https://ryanessmaker.com/Preview-Eclipse Eclipse2019 <img width="1800" height="1440" width_o="1800" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d9bb82271000903493248cca0be9e2f60966bdd5a4a9f947557f8b98d0597317/thumb-eclipse-02.jpg" data-mid="57937628" border="0" data-no-zoom alt="Eclipse" data-caption="Eclipse" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d9bb82271000903493248cca0be9e2f60966bdd5a4a9f947557f8b98d0597317/thumb-eclipse-02.jpg" /> Eclipse is an original musical written by Leland Naylor, incorporating the music of Robyn. I collaborated on the libretto and led early brand and design exploration for the project during its initial development phase. View Project