Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Ring.
Hi Luke, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Unlike many emerging directors his age, 21-year-old filmmaker Luke Ring did not grow into his voice on a film-school campus or inside a studio backlot. His story begins quietly, on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, where he spent most of his life in Saint Joseph Michigan. While his peers were moving to New York or Los Angeles to chase a career in film, Luke chose a different route. He stayed home and built everything from the ground up.
His early work was funded entirely out of pocket. Every lens, every light, every project he crafted under Sukavision came from his own savings. Over the years, he invested more than fifty thousand dollars of personal income into gear, locations, collaborators, and the stories he wanted to tell. It was a risky commitment for someone so young, but one that ultimately shaped the director he is becoming. Luke learned to treat filmmaking not as a hobby or a distant dream, but as a real profession long before he ever stepped onto a professional set.
The turning point arrived when filmmaker and writer Ryan Cheevers of Little Red Fern returned from Los Angeles and took notice of Luke’s discipline. Cheevers recognized the rare consistency in Luke’s self-funded work and introduced him to JV Studios, the Chicago-based production company preparing to expand into Southwest Michigan. That introduction became the doorway to a new chapter. Luke soon joined the team full time, stepping into the role of Creative Director and earning the trust of mentor Vince Pinto, who helped sharpen his instincts for larger-scale commercial work.
What makes Luke’s path remarkable is how rooted it is in Michigan. Rather than feeling limited by his location, he used it as a creative advantage. He developed his visual language along the lakefront, shaped his storytelling in quiet local neighborhoods, and built a directing career in the same community that watched him grow up. His Michigan upbringing gives his work a sense of grounded intimacy, even as he directs commercial projects for clients in Chicago, Los Angeles, and throughout the Midwest.
Meanwhile, his commitment to narrative filmmaking has remained unwavering. His short film Little Library, made with the same personal funding and grit that defined his beginnings, premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The Great Escape, filmed entirely in St. Joseph and scored with a full live orchestra, showcased the scale of what he was willing to attempt on his own terms. His upcoming sci fi drama Xela continues that evolution, marking his most ambitious personal project to date.
Today Luke splits his time between Chicago and Saint Joseph Michigan, a balance that mirrors his creative identity. Chicago supplies the commercial energy and fast-paced production environment. Michigan offers reflection, clarity, and the space to shape his own stories. With more than fifty thousand dollars invested into his craft before turning 22, he has positioned himself not only as a self-made director, but as someone who is building a long-term career with intention.
To understand Luke’s rise is to understand the power of choosing your own path. He is proof that a filmmaker can stay in Michigan, self-fund their vision, build their skill set independently, and still rise into the industry with a voice that feels unmistakably their own.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For 21-year-old director Luke Ring, one of the most compelling emerging voices in the Midwest, the journey has been anything but straightforward. His beginnings trace back to Saint Joseph Michigan, far from film schools, studio lots, or established industry pipelines. With no formal training and no connections, Luke took the self-taught route, learning through relentless practice. He spent his teenage years experimenting with short films, editing alone in his bedroom, and creating hundreds of videos that sharpened his instincts long before he had access to professional sets. Much of that early period felt like building a career in isolation.
There were setbacks. Projects fell apart. Resources were scarce. And in a community where filmmaking wasn’t seen as a conventional path, Luke often questioned whether his ambitions could take root in Southwest Michigan. The dream of becoming a working director in Chicago or Los Angeles lingered in the distance, but the next steps were unclear.
A turning point arrived when filmmaker and writer Ryan Cheevers, founder of Little Red Fern, returned to Saint Joseph after years in Los Angeles. Recognizing Luke’s drive and discipline, Ryan became an early champion of his work. It was Ryan who first connected Luke with JV Studios, the Chicago-born production company that would eventually relocate its headquarters to Saint Joseph Michigan. That introduction changed the trajectory of Luke’s career. What began as a freelance opportunity evolved into a full-time creative position, giving him access to commercial projects, mentorship, and a team that believed in his potential.
Within JV Studios, Luke found the support he had never experienced before. Under the guidance of Creative Director Vince Pinto, he stepped into larger productions and developed the skills required to work with Chicago- and Midwest-level clients. But the challenges didn’t disappear. Balancing commercial demand with the growing identity of his own brand, Sukavision, meant long days and even longer nights. He navigated tight turnarounds, lean crews, and the pressure of rising expectations while independently crafting narrative projects like Little Library and The Great Escape. His upcoming sci fi drama, Xela, pushed him further than any project before.
Working between Saint Joseph Michigan and Chicago shaped Luke’s resilience. JV Studios provided mentorship and opportunity. Ryan Cheevers and Little Red Fern opened the first door. Every obstacle added another layer to his artistic identity.
Luke’s journey has not been smooth. It has been shaped by uncertainty, resourcefulness, and grit. Yet those very challenges are the foundation of the filmmaker he is becoming. For a 21-year-old director quickly gaining momentum in both Chicago and Southwest Michigan, the difficult path was never a detour. It was the training ground that made the rise possible.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When exploring the emerging film voices shaping the Midwest, few stand out as distinctly as 21-year-old director Luke Ring. Based between Chicago and Saint Joseph Michigan, Luke has already built a body of work that many seasoned filmmakers would envy. As a Creative Director at JV Studios, the Chicago-rooted production company that expanded into Saint Joseph, his career unfolds at the intersection of commercial precision and narrative ambition.
Luke’s work spans Chicago commercial campaigns, branded content, and narrative films, yet all of it carries the same unmistakable thread: emotional clarity wrapped in cinematic imagery. Industry peers often describe his style as grounded, visual, and deeply human. He is known for crafting sequences that feel lived in and for pacing that mirrors the emotional rhythm of the characters on screen.
What makes his trajectory remarkable is that none of it came through traditional paths. Luke never attended film school. Entirely self-taught, he built his foundation by creating relentlessly. Before turning 21, he wrote and directed 11 short films and uploaded more than 500 videos to his YouTube channel, sharpening his instincts through pure repetition. That volume of work, combined with his unwavering curiosity, framed his early years and molded the filmmaker he is becoming.
He is also famously inspired by masters. Friends and collaborators often note how his storytelling sensibilities pull from Spielberg’s wonder, Nolan’s structure, Kurosawa’s movement, and Scorsese’s emotional precision. Those influences echo in his work, not as imitation, but as a lens through which he refines his own voice.
Within JV Studios, Luke has taken the lead on commercial projects for major brands such as Wilson Sports and Sky Zone, establishing himself as a young director who can handle both high-pressure commercial environments and intimate narrative sets. Working under Creative Director Vince Pinto has given him space to grow quickly, and the studio’s move to Saint Joseph Michigan offered him a rare opportunity to build a Chicago-level career directly from the lakeshore community that raised him.
In his independent work under his brand Sukavision, Luke continues to push himself creatively. His short film Little Library premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The Great Escape, filmed entirely in St. Joseph and paired with a full live orchestra score, showcased his ability to execute big ideas with a small team. His upcoming sci fi drama Xela signals a new stage of ambition, exploring memory, identity, and emotional fracture through a striking, minimalist lens.
What sets Luke apart is not just talent but discipline. His self-directed training, hundreds of projects, and willingness to experiment have given him a clarity that is rare at his age. He blends the heart of narrative cinema with the efficiency of commercial production, creating work that is both technically precise and emotionally resonant.
As he continues shaping film in Chicago and Saint Joseph Michigan, Luke stands as one of the most compelling emerging directors of his generation. Young, self-made, and relentlessly creative, he represents a new kind of filmmaker growing from the Midwest, one defined not by traditional routes but by instinct, grit, and an unshakable sense of purpose.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
In the shifting landscape of modern independent cinema, few young artists embody the momentum of the Midwest film movement as clearly as 21 year old director Luke Ring. Splitting his time between Chicago and Saint Joseph Michigan, Luke has carved out a unique niche as both a commercial storyteller and a narrative filmmaker. His work at JV Studios, the Chicago production company that expanded to Saint Joseph, has already placed him behind the camera for brands like Wilson Sports and Sky Zone. At the same time, his personal brand Sukavision continues to push his creative voice through short films such as Little Library, The Great Escape, and the upcoming sci fi drama Xela.
When asked what guidance he has for artists just beginning their film journey, Luke emphasizes momentum. He believes many young filmmakers hesitate because they are waiting for perfect conditions. In his view, growth comes from creating consistently, even when the tools or circumstances feel small. He reflects on how his own path started in Saint Joseph Michigan long before any professional opportunities arrived, and how simply making weekly videos taught him instincts that no classroom could.
Luke also stresses the importance of observing life. For him, strong directing starts with paying attention to small details in people, movement, and atmosphere. He believes that these observations shape a director’s eye far more than any piece of equipment. That sensitivity to the world around him is part of what gives his films their emotional clarity and their clean sense of rhythm.
Another theme Luke returns to is community. Early in his career, he tried to handle everything alone. Once he joined JV Studios and began working under Creative Director Vince Pinto, he discovered the value of a team that challenges and supports you. He often credits the studio’s expansion into Saint Joseph Michigan as a turning point that allowed him to build a Chicago level career without leaving the place that shaped him. The mentorship, trust, and collaborative energy at JV Studios accelerated his development in ways he did not expect.
He also acknowledges how important patience is at the beginning. At 21, he is deeply aware that a directing career is built over years, not weeks. Each project, whether a commercial in Chicago or a narrative piece filmed on the shoreline of St. Joe, teaches him something new about tone, performance, and emotional pacing. He believes slow growth creates a stronger artistic foundation.
Above all, Luke encourages new creators to stay curious and stay grateful. He believes in protecting a sense of mystery in the work, staying connected to why you started, and consistently showing up for your own vision. His career so far stands as proof that you can begin in a small Midwest town, find your voice, and rise into the industry with persistence, intention, and community behind you.
At only 21, Luke is emerging as one of the most compelling young directors working between Chicago and Southwest Michigan. And his perspective suggests that his best work is still ahead.
Pricing:
- To work with Luke please reach out to thejvstudio.com and request to work with Luke
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lukering.com
- Instagram: luker1ng
- Youtube: luker1ng
