Erin Ryder believes the best stories move people to action.

For over 20 years, she's built that belief into a career, producing and directing across sports and entertainment for giants like Amazon, ESPN, and NBC Olympics, and earning an Emmy along the way. As founder and CEO of Pax Pictures & The Away Team, Erin has directed campaigns that don't just entertain but shift culture: Peloton's On The Leaderboard, John Legend's Humanlevel, Lisa Ling's Yes I Am for Girl Scouts of Los Angeles, and Light A Spark for the US Chamber of Commerce. She's executive produced series for Facebook Watch, Nickelodeon, and YouTube, sold shows to Travel Channel, History Channel, and National Geographic, and helped shape the creative vision behind Amazon Prime's first exclusive season of Thursday Night Football, the WNBA, and the Yankees.

But Erin's real subject has always been people, specifically who gets to be seen, and who gets to lead.

That's what brought Playmakers to life: a community she founded in Nashville to give women in sports the belonging, access, and growth she wished she'd had earlier in her own career. It's also what led her to the classroom, where she served as Professor of Practice in Belmont University's Sports Administration Department, mentoring the next generation of industry leaders.

A photographer, world traveler, and lifelong advocate for equality, Erin holds a master's in television and film from Syracuse University's Newhouse School. When she's not building something that matters, she's exploring the world with her dog and co-pilot, Cowboy, always looking for the next story worth telling.