About

I’m not sure why, but writing out an about page is always one of the hardest things for me to do. This little fun fact about me, although interesting, isn’t really a good thing considering that 1.) for people to care about what you’re saying they need to know who you are first 2.) the about page is always one of the most visited pages on any blog 3.) the about page is one of the first things that I look at when visiting a blog.

You would think that since I’m a marketing guy I would be all excited to get this page knocked out for my own, personal blog. But, that’s just not the case, which both frustrates me and intrigues me all the same time. Anyways, enough about that — welcome to my world, I’m glad you made it.

I’m Over 30 Years Old and Married (there, I said it)

To be honest, marriage was something that I never thought I would ever do. Seriously. You hear some people talk about how they’re ‘scared of commitment’ or ‘aren’t ready to settle down’, but until I met Stephanie I hadn’t been in a serious relationship since I was 17 years old. If you’re trying to put that into perspective, before I met Stephanie I was a junior in high school the last time I had an official girlfriend.

I dated plenty of girls, but I never called any of them my girlfriend. Let’s just say that I had some major relationship issues and that I’m incredibly blessed to have found Stephanie when I did.

We were married on August 29th, 2009 and it’s been an awesome ride ever since. Marriage is one of the most rewarding and challenging things that I have ever experienced and it’s been awesome to see how far Stephanie and I have come as a married couple. I plan on writing a lot more about marriage, so this isn’t the last time you’ll hear me talking about it.

I should probably also mention that I’m over 30 years old (I was born on January 30th, 1980). Just typing that out kinda blows my mind. I used to think that being 30 was so far away and that by the time I hit that age I would be a millionaire for sure. Well, I’ve quickly busted through the 30-year mark (wow, that was fast) and the last time I checked out my bank account I didn’t see 7 figures, but I would say that I’ve been blessed with a pretty amazing life. Sometimes I even feel like my life really started getting interesting around 30, but I’ll go into that later.

I Love Pugs (everyone should have one)

I can’t really take any credit for this, but I have a love for Pugs that I never thought was possible. First of all, I’ve never had an indoor dog that I actually had to take care of. When I was younger we had a dog named Dutchess, but she was always outside and my dad always took care of her. Due to the fact that I never spent much time with her I never really developed a relationship with her like most people have with their dogs.

Stephanie on the other hand has always been around dogs and when I met her she had an obsession with Pugs that I couldn’t really identify with. Even when we first were dating she would talk about how one day she was going to get a Pug and it was going to be named Frank. She ever had a stuffed Pug that she named Frank — when I first saw it in her bedroom she quickly let me know that it was only temporary until she got her real Pug named Frank.

Once we moved out to California and moved into a pet-friendly apartment it didn’t take Stephanie to long before she found her Frank and we made him part of the family. Now that we’ve had him for over two years it’s hard to imagine not having a Pug around and even though Frank’s got some ‘unique’ qualities that I had to get used to, I absolutely love having the little guy around. Simply put, pugs are pretty much the bomb.

I Would Consider Myself A Runner (well, most of the time)

I haven’t always loved to run (it used to be considered punishment when I played basketball), but I can’t get enough of it now. It keeps me in shape, it helps me burn some stress and it’s something that Stephanie and I love to do together. I used to be really good at going to the gym to lift weights and run, but ever since I had surgery on my shoulder a couple years ago I have never really gotten back into the swing of things. I’ve never completely stopped running, but I’ve never really been consistent with it, either which pretty much drives me crazy.

I’ve found that the older I get and the more responsibility I have getting myself on a schedule for things like running is important if I want to have any chance of keeping it up. I’m not a scheduler and never have been, so this isn’t real easy for me to do. But, from what I’ve seen so far it works so I’m going to stick with it. I’m hoping to only run more and more as time goes on (and I want to do more races), but first I need to get consistent with it.

I Live in San Francisco and Work For A Startup (yes, I take my dog to work)

If you would have asked me 5 years ago to list out where I thought I would end up living I can almost guarantee that San Francisco wouldn’t have been on the list. But, when Stephanie and I packed up everything we owned into one car and made our way out to California a few years ago it just felt like the right thing to do. Moving from Indiana to California was like pretty much like moving to another country (or planet) for us, but it’s been an amazing and life-changing journey for both of us.

If you’re thinking about moving to somewhere new for the first time I would almost always say go for it. Moving to a new place is never an easy thing to do, but you’ll learn a lot about yourself in the process and once you get settled in, meet some new friends and feel at home it’s pretty awesome.

One of the main reasons we moved to California was because it’s the mecca of all things tech and internet, which means it’s the perfect place for me. Before moving to the West Coast I had been involved in the tech scene for a long time in Indiana, but I always felt like the real place to be was in Silicon Valley. Indiana had some small groups of tech people who were making moves, but overall I didn’t feel like there were any real startup opportunities for me there. So, I somehow found a startup that I could work for and an apartment that Stephanie and I could live in so off we went.

When I get asked about why I made the move from a career standpoint I always explain that being a tech guy and heading to Silicon Valley is like an actor who drops everything and heads to Hollywood or a finance guy taking off to Wall Street. It’s just what you do if you really want get after it.

So, that’s what I did and two startups later I have a ton of stories and lot of experience with how startups work and what it’s really like working for one. Right now I’m the marketing/sales/product development/customer support/kitchen cleaner/dog-sitter for isocket and we’re on a mission to make premium online advertising easier to find, buy and manage and we’re well on our way. Startup life can be demanding sometimes, but it’s always an adventure and you’ll never be bored. Oh, and the fact that I can bring Frank into work is a nice perk, too.

I’m A Christian (always a work in progress)

Being a Christian is much more than just being religious and going to church on every Sunday, although if you would have met me just 5 years ago that would have pretty much been the case. More and more I have started to realize what having a true relationship with God means and how my faith should be the foundation that the rest of my life is built on.

Stephanie has played a large part in helping me build my faith and we are both going on this awesome journey together. We found an amazing church when we first moved to Caifornia and have been getting plugged into what they’re doing more and more as time goes on.

One personal goal that I’ve set for myself this year is to finish reading the Bible from cover to cover over the next year. I’m not going to lie, the Bible isn’t the easiest book to read all the way through, but I’m determined to make my way through it. I’ll do my best to keep you updated on my progress.

I Love Editing Video (it’s all about the story)

I love telling a good story and I feel like there’s no better way to do it than with video. It’s amazing what you can do if you have a little bit of video and some creativity. I not only love editing and creating videos, but I also love to see what other people are doing with video, too. The best way to keep up with what the cool kids are doing is by going on YouTube and seeing what’s getting people’s attention. Some YouTubers I like watching right now are Tobuscus, MysteryGuitarMan, FreddieW and RayWilliamsJohnson. They all have their their own style when it comes to doing video and they’re all super successful at what they do.

Soon T Be Answered Questions (yeah, I’ll get to these at some point…)

You can check out some of the videos that I’ve edited up over here on YouTube.

I’m A Published Author (random, I know)

I’ve Been A ‘Man On the Street’ For An NBC Station (even more random)

I’ve Been On Wheel Of Fortune (the most random thing, ever)

I Ended Up In My Underwear At My Wedding Reception (and was completely sober)

I’ve Been To The Congo On A Mission Trip

 

 

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6 Comments

  1. Huge fan of many Youtubers. I would recommend you add the Shaytards and vlogbrothers to your list. I think you’ll like them!

  2. I love what you’re doing with Mo. Trust and access are some of the most important requirements for making a great film – I especially like what you’re doing with Mo because it is a sustainable and scalable model and is also based on genuinely doing good. Hit me up sometime, maybe I can join you on one of your shoots and vice versa!

  3. Hey there Ryan,

    My name is Josh May, a 22 yr old media guy from the east bay. I would first like to say that I am a fan of the work you do with HomelessMO, great idea and very thoughtful. The reason I’m contacting you is because I would like to help. I Have help create youtube channels and make them awesome. Here is a link to an example of my work :

    http://www.youtube.com/maxwellpowersmusic

    I would like to do the same for the HomelessMo Channel. If this is something you are interested in, please let me know. Hope all is well and would love to have a beer with you sometime regardless. Cheers,

    – Josh May

  4. Lamia

    hi,
    first of all, i apologize for my english, i’m french!
    i live in Nice in France (near Monaco and Cannes) i’m not rich but i see everyday a difficult vision: so many homless people in the street. sometimes i give money or food tickets. I really like your action, a charity support network.
    By these few words, I just want to congrats you. say to Mo hi from France!

  5. I read your “about page” and is pretty good.
    Good thing you are Christian, just hang on at the time of hardships, have faith, Jesus is by your side.
    Have a good one, Blessings.
    Jose Lasa.

  6. happymax

    need some dental work. what is the name of Mo’s dentist? tia