As a teenager Davis was a young conservative and at fifteen founded a conservative youth website called "The Conservative Teen E-Zine." The site attracted local media attention and helped him become the Student Council President at Salisbury Christian High School. At sixteen he was given an award for his years of service to the Catholic Church as an Altar Server by Bishop Santarelli.[citation needed] In 1999, at seventeen, he was John McCain's Maryland State Youth Coordinator, working largely on the Internet organizing voters.[citation needed]

Ryan moved to New York in 2000 and began working in the theater. His first New York credit was as Assistant Stage Manager on The Storm Theatre's production of Gillette starring NFL Hall Of Famer John Riggins. He continued to work in indie theatre with The Storm Theatre and companies like NativeAliens, The Chip Deffaa Festival, and co-founding his own Conspiracy Theatre Company.

In 2004, returning to the theatre after sixteen months in politics, Davis directed a "sensational production" of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Rochester, New York.

In May 2007 Davis directed a concert version of Big Tent: The Tammy Faye Bakker, at Off-Broadway's New World Stages, in New York City. The show features music and lyrics by Ben Cohn, Sean McDaniel, and a book by Jeffery Self. A star-studded concert of songs from the show is scheduled for February 2008 at New York's Metropolitan Room.

In November 2007, Davis directed Jeffrey Self in My Life on the Craigslist at Off-Broadway's New World Stages. The show focuses on a young gay man's sexual experiences on Craigslist.

In May 2006, Davis and Joe Drymala premiered their new musical White Noise at a pair of sold-out readings in Midtown Manhattan. The musical, inspired by the Nazi-Pop Duo Prussian Blue, was a media hit and was featured on Good Morning America and ABC Primetime Live.

White Noise was invited to participate in the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival. The show played to packed houses and was given a NYMF Award Of Excellence Honorable Mention for its score and named one of Talkin' Broadway's Best Shows of 2006.

Davis talked of threats the creative team received during the production in interviews with Radar magazine and Broadway World. In the interview on Broadway World, Davis said; "We get hate mail. We get talked about on the hate message boards. I feel like I’m doing something right in life if white supremacists hate me; I'd be doing something wrong if they were fans."

The musical is headed to Broadway, however Ryan J Davis appears nowhere in the credits. And, although there is some speculation as to the fact that Davis' friends were just allowing him to have a co-creator credit in initial workshops, and he really had nothing to do with the show, such a statement has never been released.

The original Rent star Anthony Rapp has been announced as the host of the 2nd Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant set for Monday evening, April 28, 2008, 8 p.m. at New World Stages (340 West 50th St.). The event will mark the annual fundraising benefit for the Ali Forney Center (AFC).