CONNECT WITH RYAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 

RYAN MCMAHON IS A COMEDIAN

Ryan McMahon is an Anishinaabe comedian, writer, media maker & community activator based out of Treaty #1 territory (Winnipeg, MB). Armed with a degree in Theatre & as a graduate of the prestigious Second City Conservatory (Toronto), Ryan’s comedic storytelling style is fast paced, loose & irreverent as he explores the good, the bad & the ugly between Indian Country & the mainstream.

Since 2010, McMahon has recorded 3 National comedy specials (Welcome To Turtle Island Too, UnReserved & Red Man Laughing) & 2 taped Gala sets at the prestigious Winnipeg Comedy Festival. In 2012, McMahon became the 1st Native comedian to ever record a full mainstream comedy special with CBC TV (Ryan McMahon - UnReserved) and later that year made his debut at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, QC where he was named to the NEW FACES list at the festival.

Ryan's latest full length CBC comedy special, Red Man Laughing, aired Nationally on CBC Radio 1 in 2015.

McMahon's new live show, Wreck-On Silly Nation, is scheduled to tour across Canada in 2017. It tackles massive themes like reconciliation, Canada's 150th birthday party & the intricacies of moose meat pie.

Ryan has written for the GLOBE & MAIL, VICE, CBC, CBC Aboriginal, APTN among others.

Ryan is a media maker, writer & digital media builder

When not doing comedy, Ryan is probably recording Red Man Laughing, planning for Stories From The Land, building Indian & Cowboy or setting the ground work for the Makoons Media Group.

Ryan is the CEO of the Makoons Media Group - a digital media company that focuses on telling Indigenous stories to worldwide audiences. In October 2013, Ryan founded Indian & Cowboy, the world's only listener supported Indigenous podcast media network. Creatively, McMahon has grown the Red Man Laughing & Stories From The Land podcasts into major players in the Canadian digital media space.

Learn more about Ryan's digital media work

To learn more about, listen to or become a part of these projects, visit our websites by clicking on the logo!

Ryan is a COMMUNITY activator & WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

Ryan has been delivering ground breaking, effective, engaging Youth & Community Leadership & Empowerment workshops since 1999.

McMahon has blended the best practices of Augusto Boal's work, mainstream lifeskills & leadership programming/training, balanced with cultural teachings & Indigenous world views to create workshops grounded in fun, challenging & practical pedagogies that engage & activate communities. Rather than a cookie cutter approach, Ryan tailors each workshop experience to the goals of the host community.

COLONIZATION ROAD IS NOW BOOKING SCREENINGS WORLDWIDE WITH RYAN MCMAHON.

I'm proud to announce that Colonization Road, a 50 minute documentary on Canada's colonial past told through interviews, comedy & my rantings, just had its world premiere at the 2016 imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, and we are now taking bookings for screenings & live appearances.

In this film we unpack the suite of policies & legislation that expedited the creation Canada and we examine how these policies were put in place at the cost of Indigenous Peoples, our Nations & the lands and waters we have lived in relation to for thousands of years.

This film is not so much an indictment on Canada, it is a film that looks at Canadian history through an Indigenous lens. The film was made as an effort to create a common place to start, a common language to speak, when we look at the the possibility of reconciliation and a pathway forward in Canada.

FILM SYNOPSIS

In towns throughout Ontario, there are startling reminders of the colonization of Indigenous territories and the displacement of First Nations people. Anishinabe comedian, Ryan McMahon, takes us to his hometown of Fort Frances and down its main drag, which is called Colonization Road. Similar streets have similar names in towns and cities across the province, direct reminders of the Public Lands Act of 1853 and its severe impact on First Nations, their treaties and their land in the name of “Canadian settlement.” On his journey through Ontario, McMahon explores the history of these roads, meets with settlers in solidarity and raises significant questions about “reconciliation” and what it means to “decolonize.”

You can book your screening & public appearance by clicking the button below.

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KEYNOTES &COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

ARTIST STATEMENT

Long before I was a professional comedian & writer - I worked with Youth. I was a Friendship Centre baby growing up and I'm proud to say that I've been involved with Youth Leadership, Training & Programming for well over half of my life.

I often speak candidly about the fact that Art, more specifically Theatre, saved my life. It gave me a place to rest my worries, it gave me skills to communicate & learn about trusting others, it gave me a place to be myself. 

The key to Empowerment & Leadership in Youth Communities is ensuring Youth are being heard and are given the space to be themselves. In the workshops series' that I deliver - this is where we begin - communication, trust & creating a safe and inclusive space for Youth to be themselves.

My job is not to save Youth, my job is to help show them who they are by challenging them to uncover gifts they already carry.

WORKSHOP STATEMENT

The workshop series' that I offer are flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of the host community. We work together to meet your goals and I won't bullshit you - I won't come to your community for a paycheque and leave the Youth without tangible skills or programs/exercises to build from. 

I believe in connecting community with community. Often our Youth are disconnected from those that can make the biggest difference in their lives - the community members. I engage various members of the community to help us deliver the workshops and I try to connect Youth with community members that work in the various programs and services to help carry goals forward.

Have a look below and see if any of these workshop options fit anything you might be doing in your community. If you think there might be a fit there - send me an email at the bottom of the page.

Thanks for reading.

GET TO KNOW RYAN MCMAHON

IN THE MEDIA.

"McMahon angrily delivers his reflection on colonialism & racism all perfectly punctuated with hilarious bouts of fury." BRIARPATCH MAGAZINE

"McMahon's comedy is mischievous and skilled, cutting through tricky subjects like a comedic surgeon. He dares you to laugh & think." EDMONTON JOURNAL

DOWNLOADS.

We've prepared these easy to download .pdf files for you to read over to help you make your decision. Have a look at Ryan's Artistic Bio and read up on his workshop offerings or hit the press kit to read what the world has said about him.

PRESS & MEDIA INQUIRIES.

For all media inquiries, interview requests & other appearance requests - please use the email form below and use "MEDIA" in the subject line.

We will respond to all media inquiries the day they are sent.