Deborah Altus, PhD, LCAC
Carl Binder, PhD
Abigail Calkin, PhD
Judith J. Carta, PhD
Stephen B. Fawcett, PhD
Patrick C. Friman, PhD, ABPP
Vincent T. Francisco, PhD
Charles R. Greenwood, PhD
R. Vance Hall, EdD
Nancy Hughes Lindsley, PhD
Robert Lecomte, PhD
Ogden R. Lindsley, PhD
Edward K. Morris, PhD
Pamela L. Neidert, PhD, BCBA, LBA-KS
Johnathan Pinkston, PhD
Derek D. Reed, PhD, BCBA-D
Todd R. Risley, PhD
Sandra Ruby, PhD
Richard L. Schiefelbusch, PhD
B. F. Skinner, PhD
Trina D. Spencer, PhD, BCBA-D
Barbara Terry-Campbell, PhD
Thomas Zane, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Thank you from the creator, Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA:

Filmmaking is like building a puzzle; however, you have no reference image to look at, and there aren't a clear number of pieces to the puzzle. This is part of what I love about the niche I've grown into in content creation in behavior analysis. It's a process of discovery, shaping, and ultimately stimulus control. Along the way, I learn, and the image becomes clearer and clearer as more effort is put in. Below is the over 5000 pieces to this documentary - by far the largest puzzle I've discovered and put together to date in my career.

It's also a confusing and emotional process. No matter how much you pre-plan, the process has unknown variables that will impact things that ultimately affect the final product. There can be weather-related issues, an interviewee becoming ill and unavailable, a lack of reference or source material to better relate a concept to the end audience... literally anything can become a variable along the way.

Then there's the public judgment and scrutiny. Any scientist should welcome this, and I wholeheartedly do, but it doesn't make it easier to handle... I purposefully arranged this film to include the most knowledgeable people on the planet for the topic, which was necessary but also brings the pressure of every cut, every segment, and every visual meeting the quality of those experts. Everyone involved has been an absolute pleasure to work with in this capacity, but I guess where this is going is that it's been a long journey. 15 months on a calendar, but in ways, it's been 15 years. 15 years ago is when I stumbled into this field and fell in love with the process of knowing this way - knowing the world through the lens of a behavioral scientist.

Many people need to be thanked for this vision coming to life, and it's hard to draw the line where - my first teacher, my university teachers, my early mentors, each of the talks I've attended at conferences, the random bar conversations at events... it's all interwoven. Please know that everyone involved on camera or mentioned in the film volunteered their time and that the lessons I learned either during our interviews or prior through past experiences are why this even had a chance of becoming something. I appreciate every one of you and what you've offered me. This is in part, a small gift back as a thank you to each of you and the broader science at large.

When you choose to pencil in the time to watch this film, please know that I could not be more excited for it to be viewed, discussed, and scrutinized, but I am also quite anxious. History is a difficult subject matter to capture and work with because while there may be historical facts, the process includes a lot of less concrete processes along the way. There are a few things I think people will find interesting, which is that there is almost no content around B. F. Skinner (outside a few references with respect to the Experimental Analysis of Behavior) as well as almost no content on autism spectrum disorders or our work with neurodivergent communities. There are, of course, references, but I wanted to focus solely on the development of our applied branch of the field, which you'll see is rich in applications beyond what we're most known for publicly.

Thank you for your time, and I hope this helps you and those you serve in some capacity.

Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA

RYANO, LLC is an Approved Continuing Education (ACE) (# OP-19-3037) provider and The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (“BACB”) does not sponsor, approve or endorse RYANO, LLC, the materials, information or sessions identified herein.