Ryan Mah

July's global theme is 'MENTOR' and we are super excited to welcome back one of our founding CMVan volunteers, the filmmaker Ryan Mah.

Known for thoughtful, visually-driven documentary storytelling, Ryan Mah's work has aired on Telus, AMI, CBC, and Knowledge Network. In collaboration with Black Rhino Creative partner Danny Berish, Ryan made his feature debut with Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines, which premiered theatrically and is now streaming on Knowledge Network, distributed by Gravitas Ventures. He is currently directing Salt Water City, a three-part series exploring contemporary Asian immigration stories, and producing the fourth season of Postcards From..., an AMI travel series that asks: can accessibility and adventure coexist?
In 2024, he was selected for the Documentary Organization of Canada's Breakthrough Program and the Netflix Diversity of Voices delegation. In 2025, he was selected by the Racial Screen Equity Office to pitch at HKFilmart. In addition to his creative work, Ryan mentors emerging filmmakers through the National Screen Institute of Canada.

Each month we ask our speaker some probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

How do you define and apply creativity in your life and career? Creativity isn’t something I switch on—it’s always part of how I think. Whether I’m editing a trailer or building something physical from scratch, it’s about solving problems in new ways and using creativity to push into unfamiliar, even intimidating, territory.

Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? It’s hard to get into a creative flowstate. Whether I’m editing or working on pitches, it usually happens at 10:30 p.m. or 5:30 a.m.—no emails, no distractions!

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? Meeting creatives from all walks of life. It’s incredibly refreshing to see how people apply creativity and problem-solving in different fields—whether in their work or everyday life.

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? Wayne Wong - The father of freestyle skiing!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? I spent two summers filming with a nudists in the nude.

What are you reading these days? In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain

Where is your favourite place to escape? A cabin in the woods on Pender Island!