The Creative Gap #83 - Ryan Booth - Choosing Conviction Over Comfort
9 snips
Mar 10, 2026 Ryan Booth, a filmmaker who moved from DP and commercials to directing the feature Stages after an eight-year journey, reflects on choosing conviction over comfort. He discusses breaking out of the commercial box, owning a clear directorial vision, holding tension with agencies, building durable collaborations, and the persistence required to finish a feature.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Lead By Owning The Vision
- Stop engineering others' happiness and own the vision; your job is to cast a vision and bear its consequences.
- Ryan changed his post-job question from "Is everybody happy?" to listing what he was proud of and why.
Hire People Who Challenge Your Instincts
- Hire people who resist your first instinct so the film isn't just your reflexes; balance your camera urges with disciplined collaborators.
- Ryan hired DP Pat Golan to prevent him from always "whipping the camera around."
Present The Bold Option With A Backup
- Push creative choices in real time: present the bold option first and keep a safe backup, then let the client decide.
- Ryan convinced an agency to present the stylist's risky first choices and got them approved twice.