True Stories About Surprising People
Lady Jessie: A Vietnam Story trailer
Fall 2019
Lady Jessie
Co-written and co-produced by Ruyak Media and Dos Eckes Productions
Reno’s Jessie Beck was the first woman to own a major gambling casino in Nevada. LCDR Richard ‘Dick’ Perry had worked with Jessie while attending college; he then became one of the Navy’s fiercest fighter pilots, flying from the USS Oriskany during the Vietnam War. In 1965, Jessie began sending him care packages. She then sent more packages to Dick’s squadron the Ghost Riders, and to his partner squadron, the Saints. Over time, Jessie sent tens of thousands of packages to many US troops in Vietnam. Her generosity forged enduring and life-changing friendships. In gratitude, the Navy and its pilots gave Jessie Beck a legacy in the sky.
Spring 2019
The Not-Dying Girl
Co-written and co-produced by Ruyak Media and Dos Eckes Productions
Lauren McCullough was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer just weeks after graduating from high school. This documentary traces Lauren’s powerful battle to survive, her efforts to promote awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research and her ‘bucket list’ of accomplishments which included the wedding of her dreams. Inspired by Lauren’s remarkable blog, this program is titled, The Not-Dying Girl.
The Not-Dying Girl Trailer
In Development
Photo: Sian Kennedy
The Dave Sanders Story
Dave Sanders was devastated by his wife’s death. Cathy Sanders died of cancer just eighteen months after the birth of their third child. In the midst of Dave’s blur of grief, single-parenting and the struggle to maintain a career, came a strange and unexpected request. Would he help a group of people whose money had been stolen in a Ponzi scheme? This is the beginning of The Dave Sanders Story.
Related Work
Beth and Alex in the Studio
Insight with Beth Ruyak on CapRadio
Insight with Beth Ruyak was a live news and entertainment program from Capital Public Radio in Sacramento. Beth hosted the hour-long, weekday show from 2012 to 2020. Among the program’s compelling guests was iconic rock climber Alex Honnold. Part of his conversation with Beth in October, 2016 landed in the National Geographic documentary Free Solo.