As the year begins to wind down, most students take the typical pathway: finishing high school, graduating, attending college, obtaining a job, and then pursuing a career. However, an inspirational conversation with Ryan Stana can guide students to choose their own path and presents the idea of making dreams come true, without a guideline to follow in life.
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Hempfield Area alumni Stana never knew what a typical 9-5 looked like. As an only child, Stana was fortunate to be surrounded by his parents’ success, which allowed him the confidence to follow his dream.
In his time here at Hempfield Area, Stana was not a bookworm, even admitting that he barely passed his senior year math course. Conversely, his passion and love for the performing arts was the highlight of his high school career. As the lead in the school musical, he got a taste of performing on Broadway. In order to chase his dreams, Stana believed taking collegiate level courses would help elevate him to the next level. Everyday after 12 o’clock, his parents would drive him to Point Park University for extra singing, dancing, and acting classes. This feat made him the first Hempfield Area student to spend a half day at a university during a school year.
Along with his already wild schedule, Stana was hired by a corporate entertainment company, where his job entailed helping to choreograph shows throughout the Pittsburgh area. This job taught him more about the business side of the performing arts.
After high school, Stana continued attending Point Park University, where he performed in theater, along with some commercials. His time in college is where he began to start producing, writing, and directing, what he calls, a “a one man band” in the world of performing arts.
As Stana was graduating college, he was presented with an opportunity to return to his roots and take over as the choreographer for our musical “Hello Dolly.” This opportunity was a significant moment in Stana’s life, as he claims, “I have to say that entire experience changed my life because I learned that students were not working for a paycheck. They were working truly because they loved being guided and wanted to create success for themselves. I think at that moment, I realized I didn’t want to be a performer anymore. I wanted to change the entertainment industry, while providing a trajectory for talent.”
This new awareness led him to New York City, and it’s in the Big Apple where Stana’s career took off. Still, it was not without setbacks. It was his father who insisted he quit his first job and pursue his own business. Stana took his fathers advice and ran with it, opening a business in the corner of his apartment with his roommates.
A mass email branded his company as RWS Global. Stana feared that the people he wanted to pitch to wouldn’t want to take a chance on a twenty-one-year-old’s new company. With that in mind, he included in the email that he worked for RWS Global, rather than label himself as CEO. The first response he got was from Clear Channel Worldwide that would pay him $150,000 if they enjoyed his pitch. This endeavor helped him begin his company that is worth millions of dollars today.
RWS Global’s slogan is “Raise Your Experience.” Stana describes the slogan as his company’s, “daily call to action.” He adds, “We want to turn every moment into an emotional experience for our guests. For our clients, we want to collaborate on creative solutions, and exceed expectations. For our performers, we want to provide soul satisfying, personalized career trajectories for them.” Everything their company does is based on this idea. In meetings, during performances, or even deals, their goal is to raise everyone’s experience.
Stana’s business has allowed him to work with many well known celebrities and businesses. His most memorable celebrity collaboration was from his earlier years with Jennifer Lopez. Also noteworthy, this summer, RWS Global worked to produce over 875 events in the Olympics along with all of the medal ceremonies. Stana says, “It truly was an out of body experience.”
One of the highlights of Stana’s job is all the traveling he gets to do. Stana has been to places like Egypt, Australia, and Alaska. However, his favorite place to visit is his family at home in Greensburg. Home is a place of relaxation and allows him to reconnect with his personal life rather than just the business side. With all the traveling he’s done, his mind has expanded to thinking globally, not just locally. There’s a whole world out there, and Stana hopes that high school students don’t limit themselves.
Stana admits that he often doubts his ability to succeed, but through his vision and hard work, he knows that success will follow. “You will have the highest of highs that no one in the world will experience, but you will also have the lowest of lows that no one else will experience. And that’s what you have to expect.” No matter the next step, students should heed his words, choosing to build their own paths, just as Stana did.
