Meet Ryan M. Luevano | Playwright | Screenwriter | Talent Manager
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We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan M. Luevano and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ryan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is my middle name. As someone who works in the entertainment industry, I take risks every day. It’s an ongoing challenge because risk has a best friend: fear. This four-letter word can be crippling. For me, fear is fuel and risk is a match. I take the risk, flick the match then let fear ignite and hope I don’t get burned—that’s it. As a writer I use the tools of my craft and life to write stories that are weird, unique and original it hopes that they will resonate, entertain and ultimately sell. As a talent manager I take a risk every time I sign a client. I don’t know if they will do the work, have the talent, or even the mindset to get consistent work in this very crowded marketplace. It’s also my job to motivate my clients to takes risks—that’s like asking someone to take your hand as you both jump out of an airplane. Risk is everything. More often than not risk does comes with rewards, and sometimes I get burned. But I always keep a fire extinguisher handy.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
If I had to boil down my career as an artist into its simplest labels, I would say I’m a storyteller and a salesman—words that seem oxymoronic when placed side by side, but let’s see if I can make the connection. As a writer what sets me apart is that I leave the burden of hope in the hands of the audiences. I write out-of-the-box plays and screenplays with humor and compassion about messy, complex and relatable protagonists on a transformational journey. I write for the moment after the curtain falls or the credits roll. I seek to create a buzz in the room. This buzz is the consideration of hope. Even so, being a writer is not as romantic as it sounds. Writing is lonely. Writing is exhausting. Writing is stressful. Writing is hard. And then, after it’s finished, and after the countless rewrites, I must peddle this thing around so that I can earn a living…and of course share my remarkable story with the world—blah, blah, blah. My salesman hat goes on and I’m open for business: “Scripts, scripts, get your red-hot scripts!” Even with my talent clients, I need to help them tell their story, then sell it. Storyteller and a salesman, connection made…I hope.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Two facts about me that anyone who knows me will tell you: One, I work very hard and play just as hard, if not harder. Two, I have all my fingers on the pulse of all this city’s leisure establishments. There isn’t enough space in this article for me to cover a full week of activities, so I will just give you some highlights. We will put on our fanciest garbs and visit to the world mecca of magic, The Magic Castle. There we will see a private magic show by my client “Hollywood’s Favorite Magician” Jeff Black and well as various other shows. We will go to many jazz shows. Black Rabbit Rose, for perfect cocktails and fire music Monday through Saturday; Jazz Eclectica event Bar Lis on Tuesdays on the roof of the Thompson Hotel; and Delilah in West Hollywood on Sundays. For dancing we will go to literally any nightclub in town, Desert 5 Spot, swing dancing at Cicada, Clifton’s and any and all of my favorite Huston Brother’s speakeasies (No Vacancy, Madam Siam, La Descarga etc.). For food we will go visit my friend Daniel Kotz, executive chef and Beauty and Esseux to start, then head to Mother Wolf, Kateen, Mainro and countless other restaurants. What I’m leaving out is beaches, theatre, comedy shows and more music spots, but hopefully you get the idea. And there’s of course a roster of various clandestine locations that feature underground jazz, cocktails, dining, special performances and dance parties that last until the sun comes up. Unfortunately, those must remain a mystery. I love this city.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I will forever dedicate my success to my parents. Firstly, because as a child they took the time to read me a bedtime story every night before bed. We had hundreds of books—I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t know it then, but these little nighttime reads instilled in me not only the love for stories, but also on a subconscious level they were masterclasses in storytelling. At four years old in my racecar pajamas, I went to writing class every night. From fairytale classics to my favorite book, Bob and Shirley: A Tale of Two Lobsters, these were my textbooks. I learned about theme, characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and style. Secondly, their unwavering support, even when they fundamentally don’t understand what it is I’m doing sometimes has been and is still vital to my ongoing journey.
Website: ryanmluevano.com
Instagram: @ryanwritesreality
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-luevano
Twitter: @tinpanla
Other: https://www.maestroandmagic.com https://57busmusical.com https://writers.coverfly.com/profile/writer-5a82da669-133075
Image Credits
Carli Lind