After being cast as Gavroche in the San Francisco production of Les Miserables at the age of 10, Rider began an acting career that spanned a variety of genres and formats. He became best known in his teens for his role of Shawn Hunter on Boy Meets World, which ran for seven seasons on ABC. 

After the show wrapped, Rider pursued his education, graduating magna cum laude from Columbia University and receiving his M.F.A. in Fiction & Literature from Bennington College. Meanwhile, he starred in Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever. He’s been covered in blood for a slew of horror and thriller films since. Back on stage, he was Benjamin Braddock in both the First US National Tour and Australian productions of The Graduate.

Moving behind the camera with his brother, Rider wrote and directed short films that have played over 60 festivals worldwide and won both audience and juried awards. He returned to his roots, this time as a director, for three seasons of the Emmy-nominated Girl Meets World. In addition to his screenwriting, Rider’s writing has appeared in The Believer, Bullet Magazine, Shondaland, and more.

His play Never Ever Land premiered at Theatre Unleashed in Los Angeles in the fall of 2019.

He's the creator and co-host of the podcast, Literary Disco.