How we came together

How did four Texas State alumni from different academic fields create an up-and-coming multi-platform production company from the ground up? Well, simply, it can be attributed to the vision of Ryan Love and the tireless efforts and drive of Emily Reas. Like a spark to a flame, it was not until after both had independently packed up and moved west to Los Angeles that they met and formed a symbiotic working partnership, starting with Ryan Love’s award-winning Master’s thesis film “Flow”. Both share an industrious attitude and artistic passion for character-driven works, and Emily’s even-keeled perspective and knowledge laid the groundwork for the company’s formation, as Ryan brought in two of his friends, Riley Songer and James Herrera, to round out the company.

Joining Ryan in his move out west was his friend Riley Songer, who met each other when they joined the same extra-curricular theatre fraternity, despite neither majoring in theatre. The two slowly bonded over movies and stories, as well as a common view of the world. He handles more of the grunt work, and has good ideas sometimes. James Herrera met Ryan shortly after graduating Texas State and the two made their first short film together before Ryan moved to Los Angeles. With a love for epic storytelling and an avid reader, James has many talents and side-projects that make use of his knack for screenwriting and editing, including his own podcast series. For a fun fact, it was James’s wife Nicole who originally came up with the idea for the name Blind Salamander for the company, since “Blind Salamanders” are native to San Marcos, Texas, home of Texas State University.

Across all forms of media, we here at Blind Salamander Films aim to tell stories grounded in truth that resonates with audiences from all walks of life, pushing boundaries through the lens of underrepresented and authentic voices.