Ryan has been working in documentary media for over 10 years. In 2014, he directed and produced his first feature length documentary Bronx Obama. Hailed by Variety for being "funny and insightful," the film is currently airing on Showtime and has screened at film festivals around the world, including HotDocs, CPH:DOX, True/False and many others. It was selected "Best of Fest" at AFIDocs.

Ryan's recent work has been featured on This American Life, The BBC, The New York Times, MSNBC and The Huffington Post, among others. For the PBS science series NOVA, he produced Musical Minds, a documentary about the effects of music on the brain featuring Dr. Oliver Sacks. He also recorded over 300 audio interviews for StoryCorps, the NPR oral history project, and launched their podcast in 2007. His short work has screened at the IFC Center, DOCNYC, the Imagine Science Film Festival and numerous stage performances. His claymation film, Power Surge, won Best Animation at the 2004 Flicker Film Festival.

Ryan has recently guest lectured at Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon and the New School. He holds a B.S. in Radio/TV/Film from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the NYFA Artist Entrepreneurship Program. He is also a member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. The New York Times has that said Murdock "defies categorization," which he considers a compliment.