Ryan Jay

Entertainment Journalist on TV & Radio. Actor. Producer. Director. Editor. As an Oz Historian, I produce and emcee Wizard of Oz-related events and presentations, at fandom cons, museums, theaters and schools across the country. In recognition of this work, I was honored to have my handprints & autograph cemented near those of notable Oz celebrities at the Oz Museum in Kansas; and was bestowed honorary lifetime membership by the L. Frank Baum and All Things Oz Historical Foundation in New York. WICKED: I attended the Broadway opening night of WICKED in 2003 and reviewed it for The Baum Bugle. I was at the 5th Anniversary The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken concert, covered the press junket for the 15th Anniversary A Very Wicked Halloween, and was granted exclusive access by PBS to interview the conductor and producer of WICKED in Concert in 2021. I have worked with Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth and composer Stephen Schwartz several times, including their participation in an Oz documentary I am currently directing/producing. I am proud to report that an auction for tickets to see the WICKED National Broadway tour and dinner with me, as an Oz Historian, sold for $5000, raising funds for youth arts programs at Milwuakee's Marcus Performing Arts Center. I was invited to cover the press junket and walk the red carpet and attend the world premiere of the film WICKED: Part One. Other highlights include work and interviews with stars from WICKED, Return to Oz, Oz the Great and Powerful, NBC’s Emerald City, The Wiz Live, The original Broadway & revival of The Wiz, Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, Sci Fi’s Tin Man, The Muppets Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Off-Broadway’s The Woodsman, Tom & Jerry Back to Oz, Boomerang’s Dorothy & The Wizard of Oz, Prime Video’s Lost in Oz, relatives of the stars and once-surviving Munchkins from MGM’s The Wizard of Oz; and more - all which can be seen on my YouTube channel.