Ryan Heller
Ryan Heller | |
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Ryan Heller is an American film producer and an executive at Topic Studios where he serves as Head of Film and Documentary. Heller has served as a producer and executive producer on a number of feature films, including Nanny, The Climb, A Real Pain, Splitsville, Club Kid, The Debut and Wicker.
Heller served as an executive producer of the HBO documentary series 100 Foot Wave, which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in 2022 and 2023 and won the award in 2025.[1]
Education
[edit]Heller holds a BA from Boston College and an MBA/MFA dual degree from New York University.[2] He studied in a joint program combining business courses at the Stern School of Business with filmmaking at the Tisch School of the Arts.[3]
Early career
[edit]Heller was a guitarist in the Boston-based indie rock band Aberdeen City, whose members met at Boston College.[4][3] In 2008, Heller made his final appearance as an official member of Aberdeen City at a concert opening for the Hold Steady in Boston. He left the band to attend graduate school in New York.[5]
Career
[edit]In February 2017, Heller joined First Look Media from Starz Entertainment, where he had served as senior director of acquisitions and distribution at Starz Digital. At First Look Media, Heller was responsible for developing new partnerships and expanding the number of titles acquired by the company.[6] In March 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that First Look Media's expanding film, television and digital slate was being developed under the newly branded Topic banner.[7]
Heller has championed projects from new filmmakers including Nanny, directed by Nikyatu Jusu, the first horror film to win the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and The Climb, directed by Michael Angelo Covino, won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He oversaw three Topic Studios films which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool, produced in partnership with Neon; Randall Park's Shortcomings; and Theater Camp, directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. Other projects he oversaw at Topic Studios included Pablo Larraín's Spencer, Kevin Macdonald's The Mauritanian, and the HBO documentary series 100 Foot Wave. Documentary projects on which he served as an executive producer included Nuclear Family, Bring Your Own Brigade, and Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb. In January 2023, Heller was promoted to executive vice president of film and documentary at Topic Studios.[8]
In 2025, Heller served as a producer on Splitsville, directed by Michael Angelo Covino, which premiered in the Premieres section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Earlier that year, he produced the documentaries It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley and Folktales, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He also executive produced A Real Pain, which received two Academy Award nominations and won Kieran Culkin the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[9]
In 2026, Heller served as a producer on Jordan Firstman's Club Kid, which had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Following its premiere, the film was acquired by A24 after a competitive bidding process.[10] Serving as Head of Film and Documentary at Topic, Heller's credits include Wicker, a fantasy drama starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut,[11] which premiered at the 2026 Telluride Film Festival and will be released by A24 December 2026.
Filmography
[edit]Feature films
[edit]| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Pahokee | Executive producer |
| 2019 | The Climb | Executive producer |
| 2020 | The Nowhere Inn | Executive producer |
| 2021 | The Mauritanian | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Spencer | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Italian Studies | Executive producer |
| 2022 | Nanny | Executive producer |
| 2022 | God's Time | Executive producer |
| 2023 | Infinity Pool | Executive producer |
| 2023 | Shortcomings | Executive producer |
| 2023 | Theater Camp | Producer |
| 2024 | A Real Pain | Executive producer |
| 2025 | Splitsville | Producer |
| 2026 | Wicker | Producer |
| 2026 | Mother Mary | Executive producer |
| 2026 | Club Kid | Producer |
| 2026 | The Debut | Executive producer |
Documentary films
[edit]| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Wrinkles the Clown | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Bring Your Own Brigade | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Bernstein's Wall | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Nuclear Family | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Bring Your Own Brigade | Executive producer |
| 2022 | Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb | Executive producer |
| 2023 | Caterpillar | Executive producer |
| 2025 | It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley | Producer |
| 2025 | Folktales | Executive producer |
Television series
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 | Hollywood Acting Studio | Executive producer | 12 episodes |
| 2013–2015 | Tvoovies | Executive producer | 29 episodes |
| 2014 | Llama Cop | Executive producer | 6-episode television series |
| 2018 | The Artists | Producer | 10-episode miniseries |
| 2021–2025 | 100 Foot Wave | Executive producer | Documentary series; 17 episodes |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ryan Heller | Emmy Awards and Nominations". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "*Ryan Heller – NYU Production Lab – Building the Next Generation of Artists". Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- 1 2 Lowry, Tom (2010-10-09). "NYU film course mixes business with pleasure". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Once more, with even more intensity, boys". TODAY.com. 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Hold Steady accentuates the positive". The Boston Globe. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (2017-02-22). "First Look Media Adds Two New Execs to Film, TV and Digital Team". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (2017-03-15). "Atomic-Bomb Movie Among Expanded Slate as First Look Media Brands its Studio (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (2023-01-12). "Topic Studios Promotes Ryan Heller To EVP, Film & Documentary". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Longwell, Todd (2025-05-19). "Topic Studios' Ryan Heller Returns to Cannes with Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' starring Dakota Johnson". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Melanie, Goodfellow; Wiseman, Andreas (2026-05-18). "A24 Takes Global Rights On Jordan Firstman's 'Club Kid'". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (2026-09-12). "'Club Kid', 'Wicker' Producer on Cannes Sales and When Ikea Gets In on Your Trailer Launch: "Sometimes the Internet Just Does Its Job"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
External links
[edit]- Ryan Heller at IMDb