THE RUNNER
The Runner is a linear dramatic web series aimed at fans of crime fiction and urban dramas. It can be compared to series like Narcos, Suburra, and Top Boy.
The story revolves around drug runners in the Greater Toronto Area, trying to navigate the pitfalls of working for a criminal enterprise.
Season 1 was produced in participation with the Bell Fund and was covered in dozens of press articles and media outlets, including trades like Playback and Screen Daily, and radio shows like Canada Talks on Sirius XM. The trailer and first episode alone surpassed half a million views on YouTube.
This short-form digital series created by BIPOC filmmakers received exceptional critical acclaim, playing the festival circuit for nearly three years. The Runner won numerous international awards including ‘Best Series’, ‘Best Action/Thriller’, ‘Best Editing’, ‘Best Original Score’ and earned a 2021 Canadian Screen Award nomination for ‘Best Direction’.
Despite its humble origins, The Runner has gone on to attract considerable interest at markets like MIPCOM, AFM, EFM, and the Marché du film, where it received an industry screening. The series sold to numerous territories including: Scandinavia (Smile Entertainment), Benelux (Just Media Group), Japan (Fine Films), Turkey (Fabula), Poland (Polsat), South Korea (Jaye Entertainment), and Brazil (Box Brazil Play).
In Canada, the first episode was released for free on YouTube to drive traffic to platforms like Vimeo on Demand and Amazon Prime – where the entire first season was made available to rent or purchase.
N5 Pictures is proud to have directly and indirectly employed over 76 Ontario film/TV/IDM professionals in the making of The Runner S1. The production team worked with diverse communities, including organisations like Lights Camera Access, which helped us hire people with disabilities and adjust the picture on fair representation.
Having been awarded development financing by Ontario Creates and Aspire Entertainment in 2023, The Runner Season 2 is on track to continue the success of the series and significantly grow its audience.
Press:
Wangersky, Nick. “The Runner – A Digital Series That Picks Up The Pace.” Hollywood North Magazine 5 Sept. 2019.
Kay, Jeremy. “The Runner Digital Series.” AV Club 11 Nov. 2019.
Eddie, David. (Host). (2019, Feb 27). The Runner a Canadian Web Series [Radio broadcast episode]. IHeartRadio. Toronto, ON: News Talk AM1010
Dore, Allison & Brody, Jay. (Hosts). (2019, Jun 16). The Runner [Radio broadcast episode]. The Breakdown / Canada Talks. Toronto, ON: Sirius XM.
Links:
IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10724306/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Vimeo on Demand https://vimeo.com/ondemand/therunnerseries