Dez Ryan lives and works in Dublin, Ireland full time… where he is the Co-Creator, Co-Executive Producer and Presenter of The Raw Sessions a show he originated with his creative partners Chris Gubisch, Rocker Meadows and all the guys of Surplus Music.
Dez is currently a Creative Director at Lotus Media in Dublin. Dez is also now in development with Lotus Media on a feature film project set here in Ireland for summer 2010 called 'Willing & Able'.
In addition he has written a new television drama with writing partner Neil Alumkal called 'Interstate'. Dez and his American band SURPLUS are now in talks to finish a full album of original Raw Session tracks created and recorded in front of the cameras between 2006 – 2007 and has started a new music project here in Dublin with fellow musicians and singers Frida Sjostedt and Juhani Kotaniem.
In 2006 Dez Ryan and Chris Gubisch started their jam band SURPLUS in a studio in Van Nuys, California. Dez & Gube as they were known had an idea to create an album from a series of improvised singles – created, recorded, and mixed in one 12-hour session.
Rocker Meadows and Dodge Meadows joined them as the record label and money to back this idea along with Surplus band members John Bagdasarian, Oscar Meza, Bobby Winter, Ryan Nash, Mark Robinson, Dan Epand and manager Chris Spellman.
The challenge was to write, record and mix new improvised songs in front of documentary cameras for the band's debut album and DVD. 'SURPLUS - THE RAW JAMS' is an experimental, totally improvised album looking to be released in the fall of 2009.
The Surplus*Music Company began as the investors behind the band SURPLUS and the original idea to film what has become The Raw Sessions in Van Nuys, California.
Backed by investment from brothers Rocker Meadows and Dodge Meadows and partners Chris Gubisch, John Bagdasarian, Oscar Meza, Chris Spellman and Dez Ryan – The Surplus*Music company and its various projects soon became a working shop in LA.Surplus*Music has scored for Showtime and HBO and done video and film production and post production for commercials, music videos, movie trailers, music industry EPKs, behind the scenes DVDs and full music compositions for films and TV.
Mark Nolan and Graham Nolan run the production company and post house LOTUS MEDIA out of Sandymount.
It was Mark, Graham and Dez that decided to work together to Executive Produce The Raw Sessions – developing the original idea into a TV series attracting sponsor Sony Ericsson and broadcaster RTE Two to the project.
The staff at Lotus Media made the series come to life: these are Mark & Graham Nolan and Dez Ryan executive producers, Al Butler, producer, Ross Killeen, editor, Charlie Doran, director of photography, Scott Smith, online editor & graphic designer, Simon Flanagan, sound engineer & mixer, Fintan Butler, assistant editor, Imelda Burke, production assistant, and Frida Sjostedt, web manager.
The show is a first for music television on many levels for Ireland and the world allowing audiences to download the track they see made on the show while they watch the series.
