For nearly two decades, Ryan McMahon has been a trailblazer in Indigenous comedy and storytelling across all mediums. His goal: smash the status quo and rebuild the world around him through laughter and Indigenous storytelling.
An independent creative known for risk-taking and bold storytelling, Ryan is an award-winning writer, sought-after keynote speaker, and one of the best Indigenous comedians working today.
Ryan McMahon is an Anishinaabe comedian, writer, critically acclaimed journalist, and filmmaker whose work bridges the realms of laughter and reckoning.
In 2012, McMahon became the first Indigenous comedian to record a one-hour comedy special for mainstream television. His special, Ryan McMahon - UnReserved (CBC TV), bought him his first appearance at the prestigious Just For Laughs festival that same year. He has since built a career defined by truth-telling and transformation, utilizing comedy and documentary as twin tools for good.
As the executive producer, writer, and director of the award-winning Thunder Bay docuseries on CRAVE and APPLE TV, McMahon exposed the deep systemic injustices in one of Canada’s most notorious cities. The series earned five major awards — including two Canadian Screen Awards — and helped spark a national dialogue about power, policing, and the cost of colonialism.
Just last month, Apple Podcasts named Thunder Bay one of the best podcast series of all time globally — proof that when done right, Indigenous stories can have a global impact.
Through his company, Indian & Cowboy Creative Media, McMahon is now leading the next wave of Indigenous storytelling. The company is in the early stages of an investment raise designed to build a sustainable, global Indigenous media ecosystem — one that redefines ownership, champions narrative sovereignty. It creates a platform the world has never seen before.
McMahon's notable works include the three-time Canadian Screen Award (2024) nominated docuseries Thunder Bay (CRAVE TV, 2023), Teepee Or Not Teepee (CRAVE, Bell Media, 2021), Stories From the Land (CBC Gem, 2020), the Thunder Bay podcast (Canadaland, 2023, 2020, 2018), A 12-Step Program For Canada (CBC Radio One, Day 6, 2017), Colonization Road (CBC TV, CBC Gem, 2015), Red Man Laughing (CBC Radio One, 2014), Ryan McMahon - UnReserved (CBC TV, 2012), Ryan McMahon - Welcome To Turtle Island Too (CBC TV, 2010).
Ryan is a proud dad to Ella, Jane, Sam, and Thomas. He lives in Hamilton, ON with his partner Madeline and children.