Rankin was born in Danbury, Connecticut and attended the University of Maine, where he was the president of the student video club, and was a winner at the Maine Student Film and Video Festival.[2][3] As a college student, Rankin was the star and co-producer, along with Efram Potelle, of a movie called Dorm. The film was originally intended to be a serial for campus TV, but ended up being a campus-murder mystery. The pair convinced their friends to appear in the film, and received donations from campus organizations, which they used to rent out empty dorm rooms as a set. The film took 3½ months to make, and was shown in Maine theaters, and was available to rent from video stores in Maine.[4][5]
In February 2026, it was reported that Rankin reteamed with The Daily Wire to direct an untitled action thriller produced by Bonfire Legend and starring Jonathan Majors.[11] The film is reportedly a standalone sequel to Run Hide Fight titled Run Hide Fight Infidels. However, production was reportedly plagued with several injuries, labor issues, and accidents, with several crew members lobbying to unionize.[12]
