Ryan Santa Cruz

Ryan Santa Cruz is a Mexican-American filmmaker, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and raised in Puerto Vallarta, where he attended ASPV, the American School of Puerto Vallarta. Ryan is currently studying Film and Television Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (Class of 2029) alongside his twin brother, Owen.

Ryan Santa Cruz began editing during quarantine with CapCut, laying the foundation for his work in post-production. His practice now spans Adobe After Effects, his primary creative tool, alongside Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid Media Composer, and Pro Tools.

With several years of post-production experience, Ryan brings together editing, compositing, color grading, visual effects, and sound design. His work connects technical precision with visual storytelling across short films, documentary projects, and experimental cinematic pieces.

Ryan Santa Cruz is also exploring how artificial intelligence can serve as a tool for filmmaking. He has written, directed, and edited several films created with AI and has participated in AI film festivals, approaching emerging technology as another instrument for visual storytelling.

In 2023, Ryan Santa Cruz and Owen won the #FilmSA competition in San Antonio with their documentary The Missions of San Antonio, which advanced to an international competition hosted by the Organization of World Heritage Cities.

Cruzerz Films is an independent production studio founded by Ryan Santa Cruz, his twin brother Owen Santa Cruz, and their father Ricardo Santa Cruz. Together, they develop short films, visual effects, and AI-assisted cinematic projects, bringing a collaborative, family-led approach to independent filmmaking.