Our Runners

Welcome to The Runners Club - To all newcomers to the industry, graduates and freelancers,
The Runners' Club is a dedicated diary service that caters soley for runners and for the people who need them in the entertainment and media industry.

The Runners' Club was founded by Nicholas Sherard who began his career as a runner some 20 years ago. He is now successfully producing and directing and set up The Runners' Club as a way to give others the opportunity to break into the business that he loves so much.

The Runners' Club offers an essential service to the industry by providing key crew who, in the scheme of things may well be at the bottom of the ladder, but who are an essential element of any project - the runner. Everyone needs runners from day to day and from project to project and here at The Runners' Club our mission is to be the definitive service agency that the industry calls upon.

Under our umbrella our members will stand out from the crowd and with thousands of people fighting for the same job and all wanting to get into the industry, our agency and our strong visual brand will definitely put you at the front of the queue.

We look forward to welcoming you on board and wish you every success.

What We Do For Our Runners

 

As a dedicated agency for runners, our core business is to look after our members and assist them in running their industry diaries and sourcing potential work. The Runners' Club is committed to providing an efficient and reliable diary service for all our runners. We are a professional service and we expect our runners to be as professional as possible both when using this service and especially when they are on a job.

To all potential Runners...

for less than a cup of coffee per day, we will...

The Runners' Club has a 'rotation promise' which means we will provide fair and equal opportunities of work to every runner we have on our books. (this is however, dependent on runners fees being up to date). If you are a'Frontline Runner' you will be at the front of the queue.

 

The Usual Expectations Of A Runner

 

The term 'Runner' was coined in the film industry and is recognised as an important role, however, runners are at the bottom of the ladder as crew goes...they are everybody's assistant and often called goefers, skivvies, dog's body etc. A runner's role is vital in helping any production to run smoothly as often enough they do all the jobs no one else wants to do. The runners role itself, while varied, is often demanding and unglamorous and likely to involve making the obligatory tea or doing errands rather than mingling with star actors. You could quite easily have a grumpy camera operator or grip if they haven't had their bacon butty or had 2 sugars instead of 1 in their tea...they need to be looked after as time is money on any size shoot. So, in short 'the runner' is an essential crew member.

Runners provide a range of support in every area of film production. They can be called upon to do almost any unskilled task to help, chores could include:

Do you still want to be a Runner?

Successful runners who have the right attitude, are unflappable and have drive, will go far. The hours will be long, unpredictable and unsociable. Runners are expected to work flexibly to meet schedules and deadlines. A driving licence is essential as travel is frequent during the working day. Having a car is even better, early starts, late finishes, isolated locations, running errands - A tough initiation, but essential.

Competition for places is fierce, however, there are no set qualifications for entry. Experience is important but not essential. Common sense will be your best asset.

When starting out, a lot of the jobs may be unpaid - the harsh reality of the industry - but If you don't do it someone will....All experience helps paid or unpaid. We would all like to live in an ideal world where we get paid for the job we love, sadly, we don't. So embrace whatever work comes your way - You never know when your next job will be or who you might meet.

You should be prepared for some tough times but the rewards can be huge. Getting that first job in this industry can be the most difficult part of anyone's career but you will have gained some valuable experience and hopefully a few useful contacts that may be able to help you along the way. Being a runner gets you a thorough grounding that could ultimately take you to the top jobs in the industry.

Please note: To get any work, steady work at that, takes months and sometimes years. You have to be determined, hungry, tenacious, resilient, patient, pro-active and have the stamina to cope with the highs and lows. Luck plays a big part, right place, right time. Nothing will fall on your lap.
Keep working at it........smile and enjoy your work.

How Much Does A Runner Earn?

In the world of Entertainment, a freelance runner can earn anything from £0 to £150 plus per day. Commercials usually pay the best rates. The average daily rate is in the region of £50.00 - £80.00.

The average working day is usually about 8 - 10 hours but often enough the hours will be longer. On feature films and longer contracts you may be asked to do 6 day weeks. This is quite common and part and parcel of the industry.

At the Runners Club we strive to get all our members paid work and encourage companies to find it in their budget. We do not negotiate or impose terms, we discuss the job details with the client and simply link both parties together. The Runners' Club doesn't actually pay you for the jobs we source for you, nor do we take a commission. The employer pays you direct and you simply invoice them for the fees agreed.

The industry is extremely competitive and to gain that all important experience and add credits to your CV, runners may also choose to take on unpaid volunteer placements as a way into the industry in order to move up the ladder. So if you have the stamina and are prepared for a bit of hard graft then this is the industry for you.

Everywhere in the country, film makers, artists, photographers, writers, actors, producers, musicians, singers, DJ's are all trying to get their career off the ground in some way or another and the majority of the time they don't have funds to make things happen. This, however, does not put off the hundreds of thousands who wish to engage in the industry everyday.

Joining The Club

So if you are interested in joining this is what you need to do:

The Locker Room

Every successful applicant becomes a life time member of The Runners' Club and is automatically placed in 'The 'Locker Room'.

The locker room doesn't cost anything to join but we provide the following for each new member:

A visible online web profile where you can access your member's account with your personal login details, update your CV, diary, receive our in house newletter.

You will also have access to some of our additional 'in house' services but to benefit from the our 'full services' and essentially be put forward for jobs by our booking team, you will need to upgrade and become a 'Frontline Runner'.

Frontline Runners

To become a Frontline Runner and benefit from our full services you will need to subcribe and upgrade from the Locker room.

Once you have subscribed you will automatically be put forward for all job opportunities. You will also benefit from the full services that we provide, which can be found in the welcome pack in your member's area.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! We have to stress that The Runners' Club is not a recruitment/employment agency and is unable to guarantee work. However, as part of our professional services we endeavour to always search for opportunities within the industry on a daily basis. Our team will use all means of communication available to them (ie. Text, email, letter, fax etc) to keep in touch with all runners and to ensure you have every available opportunity to accept (or decline) a new booking.

[ © The Runners' Club 1999 - 2010 ]