Ryan Conarro helmed the creation and launch of Inside Wire: Colorado Prison Radio, as part of his work as Director of Creative Media for the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI). Inside Wire is a station by and for incarcerated people in Colorado and beyond. It’s the first and only statewide prison radio station in the U.S., and it broadcasts 24/7 to the public via coloradoprisonradio.com and the Inside Wire app. The station was recognized with a 2023 Silver Anthem Award for Human and Civil Rights. Before joining DU PAI in 2020, Ryan spent 6 years as Creative Producer and Community Projects Associate at Ping Chong + Company in New York, where his work included creative placemaking initiatives, live theatrical events, and community story websites. Ryan’s work in broadcasting began in 2001, when he was Public Affairs Director for KNOM Radio in Nome, Alaska, and that work continued through various collaborations with KTOO Public Media in Juneau. His work has been recognized with the national Leadership U Fellowship of Theatre Communications Group and the Mellon Foundation; a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award; a Brooklyn Artists Fund award; and three Alaska Broadcasters Association Goldie Awards. He earned a BFA in drama and English at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College. He lives with his partner Max in Denver.
