Independent film and television. Rooted in Alaska. Created for the world.
01 / Studio
Lionhelm Studios is an Alaska-based independent film and television studio developing narrative features, documentaries and series for international audiences.
We are drawn to the hero’s journey: people pushed beyond the lives they know, faced with a difficult choice, and changed by what they do next. Sometimes courage means standing against the world. Sometimes it means trusting another person, or finding the strength to begin again.
We develop each project with a clear audience and a realistic path to production. Our ambition is to bring enduring human stories to the screen through international collaboration and a more disciplined way of making films.
Alaska is our home. Our stories are built to travel.
Our work reaches from Alaska to Romania and beyond. We are building connections between American and European filmmakers, with stories that carry a strong sense of place and speak to people far beyond it.
02 / Projects
Explore the films and series we are bringing to the screen.
Feature documentary
Cops. Former drug dealers. They were never supposed to be on the same side. Now they are.
In Alaska, former drug dealers and police officers form an unlikely alliance to help people escape addiction, testing what trust and second chances can make possible.
Narrative feature • Historical drama / survival thriller
In wartime Transylvania, a Jewish industrialist and a Romanian farmer forge a friendship as persecution closes in. An overcoat becomes their means of escape, and the measure of what one man will sacrifice for another.
Narrative feature • Coming-of-age comedy / historical adventure
In the final years of communist Romania, a teenager and his friends circulate forbidden action movies. Inspired by their screen heroes, they discover that imagining rebellion and living it are very different things.
Documentary series
Across the world, baseball scouts search for the next great player, while young athletes and their families stake their futures on the hope of being discovered.
03 / Approach
We are building a studio where creative ambition and production discipline develop together. Each project begins with a compelling story, a defined audience and a practical plan for reaching the screen.
Concept art
01
Our ambition is to connect American and European filmmakers through genuine co-production: shared creative development, complementary expertise and a stake in the work we make together. Romania is central to the model we are developing.
02
We shape budgets around the demands of each film and the audience it can realistically reach. Development includes planning for production, financing and distribution, so the creative idea has a credible path forward.
03
We are developing workflows that use emerging tools, including AI, to explore ideas, plan production and solve selected visual challenges. Creative judgment remains with the filmmakers. The aim is to put more of the available resources on screen.
Our goal is to build a repeatable way of making ambitious films at a scale that gives them a stronger chance of commercial success.
04 / Founders
Ryan Ray and Dan Druhora founded Lionhelm to bring stories of courage to the screen and build a studio capable of producing them with creative conviction and business discipline.
Co-founder
Ryan is a producer, entrepreneur and former U.S. Army combat medic with experience building and leading complex organizations. At Lionhelm, he leads business strategy, financing, operations and studio growth.
Co-founder
Dan is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and producer whose work spans narrative and documentary storytelling. At Lionhelm, he leads creative development, production strategy and cinematic direction.
05 / Contact
We welcome conversations with co-producers, distributors and partners who share our belief in the stories we are bringing to the screen.
For co-production, distribution and studio partnership inquiries, tell us a little about your interest in Lionhelm.
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