BOAT ROCKER STUDIOS GREENLIGHTS ANIMATED SERIES 'NANO RUNNERs'
The company's first fully financed series from its animation studio powerhouse Industrial Brothers is now in early production
TORONTO, ON – October 6, 2026 – Boat Rocker Studios, the award-winning independent entertainment company, has greenlit its first fully financed animated series, Nano Runners, created by Industrial Brothers co-founder Matthew Fernandes. Boat Rocker will present the series at MIPCOM, alongside its recently announced fully financed unscripted slate.
"It's been a little over a year since Boat Rocker Studios returned to private ownership and refocused our strategy on IP development and ownership. This project, from the immensely talented mind of Matt Fernandes, is exactly the type of project we want to be investing in," said Jon Rutherford, President, Global Content & Rights, Boat Rocker Studios. "We're excited to combine the ingenuity and creativity of Matt and Industrial Brothers, with Boat Rocker's best-in-class production, distribution and franchise management expertise to present something wholly unique to the marketplace at MIPCOM."
Nano Runners (26 x 11’), an action-adventure series for ages 6+, is produced by Boat Rocker Studios and Industrial Brothers. It follows teenage fugitives Kai and Jade who flee their home planet after it is destroyed by machines, only to crash-land on Earth and discover they're smaller than bugs. Raindrops hit like bombs, beetles become kaiju, and their only hope is to find a lost colony of their people. But as they discover the beauty beneath the danger, the machines arrive to strip Earth bare. Now the smallest heroes on the planet may be its last line of defence.
The series, which has long been a passion project for Fernandes and the Industrial Brothers team, will be written and story-edited by Craig Martin (Inspector Gadget). It is executive produced by Boat Rocker co-founders Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier (Dino Ranch: Island Explorers) alongside Rutherford (A Tale Dark & Grimm), and Industrial Brothers’ Fernandes and Tammy Semen (Daniel Spellbound).
The series will be available in late 2027 and distributed globally by Boat Rocker Studios. Boat Rocker manages global franchise development and consumer products.
####
For further information contact:
Regan Reid
Director of Communications, Boat Rocker Studios
About Boat Rocker Studios
An independent, integrated global entertainment company, Boat Rocker Studios’ mission is to create and own premium content, build a world-class library of IP and deliver unmatched expertise in the curation and distribution of entertainment from creators worldwide to audiences everywhere. With offices around the world, Boat Rocker brings end-to-end creative expertise, robust business operations, and global franchise capabilities across Scripted, Unscripted, Documentary, Kids & Family and Animation content. A selection of Boat Rocker’s projects includes Bet (Netflix), Mix Tape (BBC, Binge, RTE), The Ridge (BBC Scotland, Sky New Zealand Originals), Geek Girl (Netflix), Invasion (Apple TV+), Palm Royale (Apple TV+), Orphan Black (BBC AMERICA, CTV Sci-Fi Channel), Puppy Pirates (Netflix), The Next Step (BBC, Corus, CBC), Dino Ranch (Disney+, Disney Junior, CBC), and Dino Ranch: Island Explorers (Amazon Kids+, CBC, Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA). For more information, please visit www.boatrocker.com
About Industrial Brothers
Industrial Brothers is an award-winning Toronto animation studio creating original, world-class entertainment for kids and families globally. Its portfolio includes Dino Ranch, Daniel Spellbound, Remy & Boo, Kingdom Force, Dot., and Top Wing. Operating as part of the Boat Rocker Studios family, Industrial Brothers remains committed to championing creator vision and driving the future of global kids' IP.