Four Industry Veterans Unite to Launch
Paper Route Studios
A Modern Production Company
Toronto studio brings together decades of experience across music, film,
advertising, and brand storytelling to serve global platforms and world-class brands
PRESS RELEASE
Producers and creative executives Dave Harris, Corey Russell, Jamie MacKay and Blair Vermette have joined forces to launch Paper Route Studios, a Toronto-based production company creating premium content for global platforms, studios and brands.
The four industry veterans bring decades of combined experience spanning film, television, music, advertising and emerging production technologies, with credits and relationships that include Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, CBC, ESPN, Hulu, Crave, NHL Original Productions, Sundance Film Festival and Universal Music Group.
Paper Route Studios operates across four primary areas: premium documentary films and series; commercials and brand campaigns; branded storytelling and campaign films; and full-service Canadian production for U.S. and international studios and producers. The company will also develop and produce original intellectual property.
“We have each built careers in different corners of the industry, but we share the same belief that strong work begins with a great story and the right people around it,” said Dave Harris, Executive Producer. “Paper Route allows us to bring those relationships and experiences together in a way that is collaborative, nimble and built for how content is being made today.”
Since its formation, Paper Route has established commercial relationships with BetMGM, Redken, BarkBox and SharkNinja. Documentary projects are currently in development or production with CBC, ESPN and Hulu, while members of the team have delivered programming for Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Crave and NHL Original Productions.
Recent work also includes The World Lives Here, a cinematic campaign produced for TSN in connection with the FIFA World Cup in Canada, narrated by Kiefer Sutherland. Centred on Canadian multiculturalism and the country’s deep ties to the global game, the film portrays Canada as a meeting place of cultures, communities and football traditions.
“Documentary storytelling is changing quickly, but audiences still respond to the same thing: stories that feel honest, specific and emotionally true,” said Corey Russell, Executive Producer. “We want Paper Route to be a home for ambitious filmmakers and partners who care as much about the substance of a project as they do about its reach.”
“A strong idea should never be limited by the way things have always been done,” said Blair Vermette, Chief Creative Officer. “New production technologies give us more ways to explore an idea and expand on what is possible, but it still takes creative judgment and craft to turn that possibility into something audiences will remember.”
A New Kind of Canadian Studio
Paper Route was built on a simple premise: Canada punches above its weight in storytelling talent, and the world deserves to see it. The studio offers U.S. producers and brands a compelling Canadian advantage, including experienced crews, competitive economics, deep federal and provincial tax credit expertise, and a full suite of production capabilities from development through delivery.
“We’ve each spent decades doing this work at the highest level,” said Jamie MacKay, Chief Operating Officer. “Paper Route is about bringing that experience together under one roof, with the relationships, the craft and the ambition to tell stories that travel.”
Paper Route Studios is based in Toronto, Ontario, and is actively developing documentary and branded-content projects for global platforms.
The Founders
Dave Harris, Executive Producer, brings more than 25 years of experience across music, film and brand storytelling. He began his career leading artist marketing at BMG and Sony Music for acts including Foo Fighters and John Mayer before founding Shed Creative, a hybrid agency responsible for major campaigns for Samsung and Intel and documentaries including Long Time Running and Shawn Mendes: In Wonder. Following Shed’s acquisition by Universal Music Group in 2022, Harris launched 86 Media House, specializing in premium, music-driven storytelling.
Corey Russell, Executive Producer, is one of Canada’s most decorated documentary producers. His credits include Amazon’s All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs; the Critics Choice Award-winning The Go-Go’s, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; the Canadian Screen Award-winning Rush: Time Stand Still; Killing Patient Zero; Hot Docs favourite Beautiful Scars; and the box-office success Blue Rodeo: Lost Together. Russell also helped launch GameTV and served as head of programming for GolTV, Canada’s first 24-hour soccer channel.
Jamie MacKay, Chief Operating Officer, brings more than 20 years of experience as a founder and executive, most notably leading Align through sustained growth. Working at the intersection of business infrastructure, creative strategy and digital innovation, he develops the operational frameworks that allow creative ventures to grow and scale.
Blair Vermette, Chief Creative Officer, is a director and creative leader with two decades of experience in commercial and television production. During his career, he has sold a series to Ovation and co-founded a global production house. His commercial work includes projects for BarkBox, SharkNinja and VICE. Vermette also leads Rabbithole, a hybrid creative studio focused on next-generation visual production.
Paper Route Studios: https://www.thisispaperroute.com/
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