Ryan is the founder of Visit Films, a leading worldwide boutique film sales company, and sister companies Monument Releasing, a NY-based distribution company, and Pretty ____ Ideas, an LA-based incubation company through which he has produced and EP'ed a wide range of films. Ryan has been responsible for the acquisition, worldwide sales, and development of numerous important American independent and international films that have premiered at and won numerous prizes in all the major film festivals, such as Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Venice and Toronto. He is the executive producer of Oscar nominated Ascension, Silver Bear Winning Robe of Gems and produced Sanctity of Space. He has worked with filmmakers as diverse as Harmony Korine, Werner Herzog, the Duplass Brothers, Joe Swanberg, Josephine Decker, Joanna Hogg, Mark Cousins, Theo Anthony, Kogonada, and David Robert Mitchell. In addition to many Gotham and Independent Spirit Award winning titles, he worked on the Oscar-nominated Australian film Tanna. Ryan speaks on numerous industry panels each year, including for The Gotham, the Sundance Institute, and the Cannes Producer's Network.
Hailing from Seattle, WA, Madeleine discovered her love of independent film from an early age, attending SIFF’s month-long festival annually. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with Honors in Film and Creative Writing, and worked as social media manager for Cucalorus Film Festival while there. After moving to New York in 2015, she started working in the film event space, most notably as creative director & event producer for Videology Bar & Cinema before joining the sales team at Visit in 2021.
Before coming to Visit, Travis worked with film as both an educator and a programmer. In southern California, he taught film studies courses at Santa Barbara City College and the Oak Grove School. During a pandemic stint in Vermont that lasted for more years than he had anticipated, Travis programmed for the Vermont International Film Festival, White River Indie Films, and the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College. He was regularly drawn to the Visit catalogue, booking such daring works as the Oscar-nominated Ascension, the Silver Bear-winning Robe of Gems, and the Ukrainian documentary Rule of Two Walls. Travis holds an MA in English from the University of Oregon.
Ray is an Ithaca College graduate in Television & Digital Media Production and a Tribeca Film Institute alumna. Her work in independent film began as an Office Production Assistant in New York. With a background spanning production, development and acquisitions; Ray has experience with boutique agencies and major media brands, including the American Film Institute, FilmNation, the Intellectual Property Group, Showtime and AMC’s Shudder. Her passion for distribution of independent cinema grew through volunteer involvement with NewFEST Pride, and she is thrilled to be in-house as Visit’s Sales & Marketing Coordinator.
Raised partially on the West and East coasts, Sophie graduated from Wesleyan University where she nourished her love for independent and foreign films. It was there that she established her background in film education, film criticism, production, and repertory programming. Having moved to New York in the Summer of 2023, Sophie started for Visit in festivals but soon found herself working primarily in acquisitions and sales.
Originally from Connecticut, Ariana studied at Scripps College in California where she majored in media studies and French. She then worked in fashion, initially in wholesales and then in e-commerce at Kidiliz Group. In 2018, Ariana moved to France, where she eventually pursued a master’s degree in film at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. Through this master’s, she completed an internship in film production and acquisitions at Logical Pictures, solidifying her love for film. During the summer of 2023, she moved back to the United States, and in March 2024, she started to work at Visit Films as a Festivals Assistant.
Lydia grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Oberlin College, where she found her love for producing films and editing student work. She graduated in June of 2022 with degrees in both Film and Economics. She moved to New York in early 2022 for internship work, and found a home at Visit, where she handles post-production materials and delivery.
We're always looking for great interns! If you're interested in applying, please send a resume and cover letter to mt@visitfilms.com!