Ryan Trenhaile
I make complex things make sense.
I’m a creative executive with 25+ years of building brands, products and creative teams across healthcare, technology, sports, gaming, entertainment and film. Wherever I’ve landed, the pattern is the same: something is broken, outdated or unclear, and I build the team, the system or the story that fixes it.
My story
I started in game and film production, building environments and characters for titles like Midtown Madness and Resident Evil 2, then moved into Hollywood visual effects. I worked on Prometheus and White House Down, collaborated with Academy Award winning supervisors Volker Engel and Marc Weigert, and had the chance to speak directly with directors Ridley Scott and Roland Emmerich. At Legend3D, I diagnosed a production bottleneck affecting a 100+ artist crew and helped adopt a new process that kept projects shipping on time.
From there I moved into building companies and creative organizations. I co-founded Game Changer MVP and grew it to $6M+ in annual revenue, working directly with executives at the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Padres and others to turn fans’ phones into game controllers in the stadium. I directed creative for CEO keynotes and the 5G and Home Internet launches at T-Mobile, and led UI/UX at Foresight Sports through its acquisition by Vista Outdoor.
Most recently, as Director of Creative & Brand at CalVEBA, a nonprofit health trust, I built an in house creative agency from scratch: the people, the pipelines and a 51 page Brand Book that became the creative standard.
What I bring
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Clarity. I translate specialized, complicated subject matter into brands and stories people understand and trust.
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Builder’s instinct. I build the teams, systems and standards that let creative work happen reliably.
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Executive partnership. I connect strategy and storytelling, and I’m comfortable presenting directly to senior leadership.
How I lead
Big picture thinking with hands on execution. I coach through regular one on ones, set clear expectations, and keep the quality bar high. I care less about the title on my desk than whether the thing we built works for the team, the brand and the business behind it.
Recognition
Emmy Award winner. 48 Hour Film winner (Best Special Effects, Best Title Sequence). Education: School of Communication Arts, Minneapolis, A.S. in Multimedia Design.
Closing
I’m looking for a VP or Head of Creative role, remote or in San Diego. If you’re building a brand, a creative team or something that doesn’t exist yet, I’d like to talk.
Email me: Ryan@Trenhaile.net