Ryan Clarkson
- Producer
- Executive
Ryan grew up in suburban Detroit, Michigan as the eldest son of five to an Albanian-American mother and English-American father. His maternal grandfather was a successful Detroit entrepreneur and owner of the world famous Brass Rail. His paternal grandfather fought as a U.S. Marine during WWII. He was the first in his family to attend college, a proud University of Michigan Wolverine, where he studied International Security Affairs and the hard sciences. He studied law at Michigan State University, earning his J.D. summa cum laude. He joined a prestigious Midwest firm out of law school and transferred to its Los Angeles office in 2007. In 2011, Ryan founded his own firm, where he has since represented litigation clients including producers and other members of the entertainment industry.
As his legal career progressed, Ryan gained valuable insights into the growing uniformity of Hollywood studio productions. With the proliferation of big-budget tentpole productions and franchises, the industry yielded fewer new stories. Marginalized voices remained at the margins, and would-be risk-takers stayed stranded on the fringes.
With Ryan's industry expertise, he co-founded Leveller Media, which harnesses AI and blockchain technology to empower independent producers and investors around the globe to unlock stories left out of today's Hollywood studio model.
As Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Ryan is involved in all aspects of Leveller's business, with a special focus on legal issues, regulatory compliance, operations, and relationships with creative partners and investors. After three years in stealth, Leveller officially launched on October 16, 2019.
In his spare time, Ryan enjoys golf, basketball, and studying foreign languages and cultures. Ryan is proficient in French, Spanish, Farsi, and Albanian.
As his legal career progressed, Ryan gained valuable insights into the growing uniformity of Hollywood studio productions. With the proliferation of big-budget tentpole productions and franchises, the industry yielded fewer new stories. Marginalized voices remained at the margins, and would-be risk-takers stayed stranded on the fringes.
With Ryan's industry expertise, he co-founded Leveller Media, which harnesses AI and blockchain technology to empower independent producers and investors around the globe to unlock stories left out of today's Hollywood studio model.
As Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Ryan is involved in all aspects of Leveller's business, with a special focus on legal issues, regulatory compliance, operations, and relationships with creative partners and investors. After three years in stealth, Leveller officially launched on October 16, 2019.
In his spare time, Ryan enjoys golf, basketball, and studying foreign languages and cultures. Ryan is proficient in French, Spanish, Farsi, and Albanian.