Ryan Trefes is a filmmaker, producer, and journalist from Louisville, Kentucky, currently based in New York City, NY. He is a producer of premium documentaries such as the critically acclaimed The Fire and The Forgotten for PBS and Lie to Me: Deepfakes and Deception currently in development. Ryan is a video graphics animator and video journalist at the Wall Street Journal and the former head of production at NowSimplified, a startup media company that explains complex political topics in new and engaging ways. As a journalist, Ryan has produced and covered stories across the globe from Cienfuegos, Cuba to Lusaka, Zambia. He specializes in explainer videos that utilize motion graphics to entertain as well as inform. 

His narrative work is distinguished by his use of comedy as a vehicle to explore serious topics such as adoption. He is a graduate of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts where he wrote and directed the award-winning short film, Little Apollo. Ryan values the importance of journalism as well as entertainment in our modern society and is committed to his passion for both.