Ryon Horne is a video journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and co-owner of the independent film company, The Horne Brothers, LLC. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, raised in South Florida and now residing in Atlanta, Ryon’s 22-year-career has taken him around the world to capture the human experience through his lens.

 

Ryon sees everything cinematically, even if it’s a two-minute video. As a kid, the underdog classic “Rocky” was his standard for storytelling and through the years, he was compelled to work his way to the film industry to convey the same types of stories. However, he took a Research and Media class in the seventh grade and was introduced to the power of journalism through the 1987 documentary-series “Eyes on the Prize.” He discovered how journalism could create change and awareness in his community. At the age of 16, he would set a path that led him to work two years as an intern for the Miami Herald. 

 

He attended Clark Atlanta University to study print journalism, and landed a job at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in his junior year, ultimately joining the staff full-time.  From there, Ryon’s curiosity and determination propelled him to learn every aspect of the newspaper business by working in the Features, Business, News and Sports departments.  During that time, he also started a video production business with his two brothers, Tyson and Byron. The company hit the ground running, and the brothers produced an independent film, short films, and concerts. 

 

These experiences prepared Ryon for his next career move as the first full-time video producer for the AJC in 2007, where he was instrumental in growing a new audience for the century-old newspaper. With projects such as “MLK Remembered: 40 Years Later,” a three-part series about the anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, and “Super 11,” a feature that spotlights Georgia’s top high school football players, viewership grew from just 3,500 video views a month to more than 1 million a month in three years.

 

This was just the beginning.

 

In 2010, The Horne Brothers were directors, producers and editors of the award-winning documentary “The Start of Dreams,”  which spotlighted a plethora of stars including Denzel Washington, Kenny Leon, Samuel L. Jackson, Viola Davis and Phylicia Rashad. The film was an official selection in more than 20 film festivals and won Best Documentary and the Audience Awards at the 2012 Bronze Lens Film Festival.

 

In 2014, Ryon was chosen by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s editor Kevin Riley to travel to Metz, France. There, the two documented the pilgrimage of Shirley Sessions, a woman determined to uncover the untold story of her late husband, who spent 14 terrifying days of fighting in the “Battle of Metz,” during World War II. “The Liberator’s Widow” short documentary revealed the survival of Eddie Sessions and the 95th Infantry war heroes who liberated the small town of Metz from Nazi Germany.

 

In 2016, Ryon was part of the AJC’s investigative team that exposed the misconduct of doctors with patients and the culture of cover-up within the medical field. The Doctor & Sex Abuse investigation made headlines across the nation, including “Good Morning America,” and ultimately caused medical boards around the country to re-examine the way doctors are disciplined for sexual misconduct. The investigation went on to win several national awards, including Scripps, Peabody, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and was named a finalist for a 2017 Pulitzer prize.

 

Ryon’s drive and commitment to truth and humanity through journalism and documentaries is evident in the work he’s produced since he was 16 years old.

 

When not behind a camera or deep in post-production, he spends every moment with his loving wife of 18 years and his four incredible children.