Ryan Cunningham, film/TV producer
As co-owner of the NYC-based studio Running Man, Ryan Cunningham [02 Film/Animation/Video] collaborates with filmmakers, showrunners and comedians— including Amy Schumer, Tracy Morgan and John Mulaney—on high-profile projects. She consults on scripts, works on set during shooting and oversees everything from editing and visual effects to music and sound design. “At RISD I was exposed to every element of film production and post-production,” says Cunningham, “and that knowledge helps me tremendously now.” With Netflix, HBO and Adult Swim among her many clients, she also frequently partners with emerging directors on independent films, including recent winners at the Los Angeles and Tribeca film festivals.
Shepard Fairey, artist/activist
For more than 25 years, Shepard Fairey [92 Illustration] has critiqued and shaped popular culture through guerrilla art campaigns of global proportions. In addition to the OBEY Giant street art project he began while at RISD, he is known for his powerful Women’s March posters from 2017 and his ubiquitous 2008 Hope poster of Barack Obama, which is included in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery collection. Fairey, whose fine art work is shown at museums throughout the US and abroad, also runs a clothing company called OBEY and works in the commercial realm through his LA-based creative agency Studio Number One.