On the heels of his win for a regional Heartland Emmy® Award in the category of Best Documentary, Topical, the Alumni Office had the chance to catch up with Ryan Gates ‘98, President & CEO at PANO Marketing. Ryan gave us the backstory to his award-winning film and all that brought him to this moment, a story that extends all the way back to CH-CH.

Gates took a circuitous route from Kansas to Boston before finally arriving on campus in the late 90s, but as a self-described “theater nerd”, he’d had a lifelong love for the arts. It was in college at Sarah Lawrence that he switched from theater to film production, realizing it was the perfect bridge between his love of creative storytelling and the more technical aspects of film. “I spent a lot of my career trying to fit into one box… film allows you to be all those things,” Gates explains. “It checked all the boxes.” It’s a mentality that was familiar from both CH-CH and Sarah Lawrence, places that allowed for myriad choices. “You could do ballet and play basketball,” he adds. In these communities, “The things that were outliers…were actually the things that made you cool.”

Ryan’s career continued its roundabout route (he produced everything from children’s television to horror films) before a stint on the board of a local federally qualified health center (FQHC) led to his creation of PANO Marketing, a marketing firm serving clients in health care clinics, regional care networks, and more. Through a local grant, PANO went on to produce the documentary Hope in the Heartland, which takes a hard look at Wichita’s homelessness crisis, and the problem solvers finding innovative solutions. 

Ryan’s lens as an educator (he also teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses at Wichita State University) shines through in the film, although he’s quick to point out, “I’m a facilitator, not a teacher. I present what I know…and let's come up with something new together.” 

Another theme evident in Ryan’s deft weaving of the documentary’s narrative is that of respect, particularly that which members of the police task force and the social workers have for their homeless clients. Ryan is quick to relate this back to the respect he received from mentors and teachers at CH-CH. “In the 90’s, I could push people away… There were a number of individuals [at CH-CH] that pushed back and saw me for who I was.” Indeed, in all his roundabout career journey, there is nothing ambiguous about Ryan’s passion for the School. “I’m a die hard CH-CH fan,” Ryan admits. “The school saved my life.” 

He credits beloved former faculty - including Margaret Allen, Bill Gostylo, and Sean Ferguson - with steering him towards the path where he continues to thrive today. Dr. Allen, in particular, earns Ryan’s praise: “Where others saw a problem kid, she dug in.” He likewise jokes of Sean Ferguson, “I drove Ferg nuts! He deserves an award for putting up with me.”

Speaking of awards, Ryan’s face breaks into a smile when asked to reflect on the moment where he won his regional Emmy®. “It was cool.”

The regional Emmys® - set in Oklahoma City - featured all the bells and whistles (think red carpets and tuxes) of the Daytime Emmys®, but with the local charm of having friends from the hometown newspaper at the next table, the competition for his category. “We’re all holding hands… and they called our name… It was amazing.” He describes it as a moment of pure validation, both for himself and his wife, who also works in the arts, and the sacrifices they’d endured “to do the things we do.”

Another thing that’s for sure: Ryan is not resting on his laurels. He already has plans for his next project, uncovering health disparities in a historically black Wichita neighborhood in the wake of a train wreck that leached chemicals into the soil. Ryan is determined to keep making the stories that matter, telling the truths that need to be told, and believing in those who need a nudge in the right direction to stay on the path to success.

Watch the Documentary:

Learn more and watch Ryan’s 2025 Regional Emmy® Award-Winning Film Hope in the Heartland Wichita’s Quest to End Homelessness