By: William White & Nazalia Justiniano
Boston University News Service
Currently on the road with their Minivan tour, The Runarounds have become the stars of their own show. Premiering on Sept. 1, 2025, the show has become one of Amazon Prime Video’s trending hits, solidifying the indie rock band’s place in the television and music industries.
As they drive from state to state, the band is constantly reminded of their success by their restless fans — hungry for more than just a performance on their screens. But before the show’s premiere and start of the tour, creator Jonas Pate and co-writer David Wilcox crafted the pilot, centered on how television and music collide.
After his Netflix show “Outer Banks” became a viral sensation, Pate knew it was time to follow his dream of creating a show about a high school band.
“Belief, belief in the project and belief in yourself is 80% of the battle,” said Wilcox. “If you could understand what The Runarounds was when I started on this, it was nothing, there was nothing there. Jonas had cast this band, and put them together, and they were all playing music and then he had a notion for the show, and I came in to write the pilot.”
Not only was it important for the show to include authenticity from the cast — Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, Jeremy Yun, William Lipton, and Zendé Murdock — but from those behind the scenes as well. Wilcox, who has been instrumental in crafting both the story and sound, echoed the project with the same heart and honesty that the characters bring to their music.
“You’re jumping off a cliff with a bunch of fellow musicians, and if it works, great, but if it doesn’t — which is going to be the case 99% of the time — it’s sort of this beautiful failure,” said Pate.
Beyond just the music, Pate and Wilcox focused on realness and authenticity. From the band performing live as they filmed to the portrayal of their personal growth over the past five years, the show captures every ounce of authenticity.
“My whole thing,” Pate continues, “is how do I make this feel as real as I possibly can? How do I get the nuances of band tension and what to write, and time on the road and in the van, sleeping on top of each other, having no money. Could I really bring that to the screen and have the music be cool?”
Over the course of five years, the band went through their own hardships, individually and together, creating the rhythm that was later scripted. Fans are able to see the raw emotion of each actor on and off the screen, watching the band relive the moments throughout the show.
Whether you are watching The Runarounds through a screen, or in the crowd at a sold out venue, the creative minds — creator, co-writer, directors, and the cast — add depth and authenticity to the storyline.
