She also appeared as a murder suspect on A&E's hit series, The Glades (2010), in 2012. In the episode, Debby played Hailey, a recovering cocaine addict. In addition to her work with The Disney Channel, Debby recently appeared on ABC's Private Practice (2007), showcasing some of her dramatic acting chops. Since then, 16 Wishes has been successful in over 30 countries, worldwide, and is continuing to draw in strong viewership numbers.
The movie premiered to 5.6 million viewers and made it as second on the list of cable's top 25 most popular shows of that week, twice. One of the first of many Disney co-productions, Ryan took an active role employing online and guerrilla marketing techniques to the film that had a tiny marketing budget. In 2010, Debby starred in the smash hit Disney Channel film, 16 Wishes (2010). From there, her career took off - securing one of the starring series regular roles on Disney Channel's The Suite Life on Deck (2008) which debuted in 2008. She also appeared in a handful of national television commercials.
Debby got her start in film, landing roles in Barney: Let's Go to the Firehouse (2007) and the MGM feature film, The Longshots (2008) alongside Keke Palmer and Ice Cube. After three years in Germany, the Ryan family moved to Keller, Texas, where they lived until they made the move to Los Angeles, to allow Debby to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. By the age of nine, she knew she wanted to be an actor. While in Germany, Debby became fascinated with acting in local plays and musicals. Debby moved to Texas as a small child and lived there for five years, before moving to Wiesbaden, Germany, with her family, where she lived for three years.