Ricardo Ramos was always drawn to the idea of working in the world of television. “I think ever since I was a kid, I was always interested in something related to TV. I even played with the idea of perhaps journalism or broadcast journalism.”

Growing up in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a city on the Texas border, Ricardo knew he would have to leave his hometown to pursue his dream career. “[In Ciudad Juárez] these types of careers, they're not common. I just went on Google and started searching TV school, film school, cinema school, and Full Sail popped up,” he says. “I remember visiting and I'm like, ‘I’m hooked.’ It just, for me at the time, seemed like the right answer.”

While in school Ricardo found direction, realizing his interest in producing early in his studies.

“I was always [attracted] to producing because it's, to me, making it happen. I like dealing with the different departments, department heads, contributors, or subjects that we're shooting.”

Full Sail also helped Ricardo unlock another important interest for his future career: nonfiction storytelling.

“I started just producing side projects and took a documentary class that was very insightful for me. That's when I was like, ‘Oh, I think it's the nonfiction genre that I want to pursue.’”

After finishing his film studies, Ricardo enrolled in his master’s, studying entertainment business to help better prepare himself for a career in producing.

“So much of what I learned in the master's, I apply both professionally and also with my personal life, so I think that was a great decision. I was doing my master's, working for [director Toby Phillips], getting set experience.”

And the grad’s hard work paid off. Since graduating, Ricardo has worked on a range of impressive docuseries for streaming services including Disney+, Netflix, and Apple TV+, all telling the stories of real people and their life experiences.

“[It’s fulfilling] to be able to be part of programming that shares real-life stories with actual real-life subjects or participants,” says Ricardo. “I've also gotten into work on shows with all kinds of people. The very first one I worked on here in LA was with three boxers, one of them was an Olympian. I've gotten to work with survivors of Scientology. I've gotten to work for Hillary Clinton on this show called Gutsy, where we feature a lot of inspirational and motivational women doing really good work in their respective fields. It keeps it interesting. All kinds of people from all walks of life.”

With producing credits on series including Gutsy, Living Undocumented, and Apple’s recent Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend, Ricardo has been able to utilize the skills he gained while studying at Full Sail and apply them to a career he always dreamed of in his youth.

Ricardo interviewing a participant during the filming of Messi’s World Cup for Apple TV+.

On Messi, Ricardo joined the team in post-production as a supervising producer to help craft the story for the four-part sports documentary.

“I came in March of last year, so the World Cup had already happened, but we were at a point where we had to put all the pieces together, figure out all the backstory we want to tell. It was working a lot with our showrunner and our editors, figuring out what's the best way to tell Messi's story in four episodes, and at the same time interweaving the World Cup.”

For the accomplished graduate – who is currently working as a supervising producer on Disney+’s reality TV series Los Montaner – the lessons imparted during his time at Full Sail have had a lasting impact, saying, “It was a very good experience for me and that's something I share with current students whenever I get to speak. You get out of it what you put into it, so I try reminding students it's an investment, not just a financial investment, but also an emotional investment, a time investment. What are you going to do to ensure that it's the best possible experience?”