ABOUT

RYAN GABRIEL DAVIS is a multi-faceted, versatile entrepreneur and artisan. A Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, he’s spent the past decade as a self-employed builder, carpenter, property manager, and interior designer working on residential properties in Central Pennsylvania and Northern California. He is dedicated to the arts, working as an event producer, an art director, and a set designer for local and national projects. Ryan’s dynamic portfolio of work is proof of his ability to excel in various industries, leverage his knowledge in diverse roles, and multi-task to manage large-scale operations.

Ryan’s career began in Lancaster County with the founding of his former company, Animal House Productions, in 2012. Animal House—a music, arts, and events production company—produced independent concerts throughout Central Pennsylvania for venues such as Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, Chameleon Club, The Millworks, and Tellus 360, working with local and national notable acts: Big Thief, This Will Destroy You, Lucy Dacus, Tigers Jaw, Mannequin P, Andrea Gibson, and so many more. He’s served as a stage manager and booking agent for local festivals like Roots & Blues Festival, Lancaster Pride Festival, and Extraordinary Give, as well as large-scale national productions such as Kanye West’s DONDA LP III in Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago, the US OPEN sports event at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY, and The Emerald Cup, California’s premier cannabis festival. Despite closing Animal House Productions in 2021, Ryan has continued to book private and public events for Lancaster entertainment agencies and serve as a local consultant for event program budgeting and logistics.

Ryan’s career in music and entertainment later led him to opportunities as a lead set builder, designer, and art director. For six years, Ryan built and designed TV commercial sets for clients such as Pennie Health Insurance, PSECU Bank, and West Shore Home. He also worked on local indie film sets and national TV productions like Vh1’s Season 2 of My True Crime Story and TLC’s Amish Mafia. His art direction speaks to his ability to not only devise a creative vision but also develop and actualize that vision with large construction and production teams.

When directing and constructing sets, Ryan uncovered his love of building and construction which now serves as the current version of his entrepreneurship. As a craftsman, Ryan’s building and development history began ten years ago when he entered the trades community. Since then, he has built several residential projects: one tiny home, one 2-bedroom cabin, a 5-bedroom house, two 7-bedroom houses, and a third-story addition to a residential home. He also has extensive experience renovating residential properties and offices. His hands-on work has given him vast knowledge and understanding of building materials and costs; financial projections on new construction, renovation, and repairs; and the challenge of building and designing in micro spaces. His skill set includes woodworking, stick-framing, roofing, electrical, plumbing decking, demolition, drywall, painting, siding, trim and molding, and custom built-ins. Ryan is committed to building durable and sustainable projects with a keen attention to detail, typically managing and sourcing for substantial budgets.

Ryan’s determination to revitalize Lancaster City is evident in his consistent interest in commercial development. In 2018, he placed 2nd in the city of Lancaster’s Southern Market Request for Proposal for an event venue, artists’ studio, and bar titled “House of 81 Minds.” After, he ran a local market study for the area’s entertainment business, successfully predicting a decline in music venues. In 2021, he attempted to capitalize on this predicted decline by transforming the historic bar, The Sundown Lounge, into a nightlife club with affordable housing studios in Lancaster’s West End under the alias, “The Starlight Saloon.” Since 2018, Ryan has been consistently proposing a boutique hotel concept with lodging, housing, and entertainment space to honor the historic Swan Hotel, a vision he is still working to bring to fruition.

Currently, Ryan is a property manager and real estate investor with a small residential portfolio. He is the owner and founder of two start-ups: Black Sheep Limousine, a distinctive, professional, luxurious transportation service based out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Amishwebsites.net, servicing Amish communities and businesses with web design, logo creation, and more. In 2022, he opened an affordable housing program in Lancaster City called House of Subtle, which provides communal, affirmative, and exclusive living for LGBTQ+ communities.

From the beginning, Ryan has held an innovator’s vision, always a decade ahead of Lancater’s revitalization. As an avid life-long scholar, he exhibits a self-motivated dedication to learning new things that are palpable in his experience across multiple industries. His journeys throughout the United States, surfing and exploring in a camper van built with his own hands, have inspired him to bring progressive influence to the Lancaster community from the West Coast. He has been an advocate for spotlighting marginalized folks from his early days as an event producer—booking women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community before others noticed the lack in Central PA. Throughout his career, Ryan has been recognized for his proactive attitude and relentless determination to not just dream, but actualize that dream. He is dedicated to the arts and to the Lancaster community; whether that’s leading teams, managing projects, or executing creative endeavors, Ryan consistently delivers high-quality outcomes and exceeds expectations.