What Running Subway, LLC does

Running Subway, LLC is a New York-based, end-to-end entertainment production company founded in 2004 by James Sanna (formerly Executive Producer at Madison Square Garden Entertainment). The company conceptualizes, produces, markets, and manages a portfolio of museum exhibitions, immersive experiences, theatrical productions, and operated venues. Its current active properties include RiseNY (a Times Square flying ride combining a Ric Burns documentary, pop-culture galleries, and motion-based ride technology), the touring Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (3M+ guests across 18 seasons, 70+ cities, 1,700 performances), and licensed exhibitions such as Jurassic World by Brickman (50 LEGO dinosaurs, 6M+ bricks), Dead Sea Scrolls: 75th Anniversary Exhibition, The Art of the Brick, and Leonardo da Vinci. It also operates or has operated venues including Discovery Times Square, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, and Bodies...The Exhibition.

The company's revenue model spans four streams: direct ticket sales through its own website and physical box offices, venue operations management, professional services fees from theatrical production and touring (rights procurement, general management, venue booking), and exhibition production/licensing economics with major IP holders. It serves two principal customer segments: a B2C audience of families, tourists, and individual consumers seeking cultural and entertainment experiences, and a B2B audience of museums, cultural institutions, theaters, and corporate brand partners hosting touring productions. Distribution runs through owned-and-operated venues (primarily NYC), partner museums and theaters across 200+ U.S. cities, and direct online ticketing. Pricing is pay-as-you-go and not publicly disclosed.

The organization is lean — 1–10 employees — and uses outsourced production labor, partner venue infrastructure, and licensed IP to scale across concurrent productions. It is privately held and founder-controlled, with no disclosed institutional funding rounds, public listing, or parent company. Senior leadership includes President/CEO James Sanna, SVP of Production Elin Eggertsdottir, CFO Glenn Masterston, and board member Kenneth Munoz (partner at SCP Worldwide). Headquartered at 70 West 40th Street, 9th Floor in Midtown Manhattan, the company reports an active operating status with multiple current and upcoming productions spanning 2022 through 2025.

Name

Running Subway, LLC

Legal name

Running Subway, LLC

Website

https://runningsubway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Running Subway, LLC is a New York-based, end-to-end entertainment production company founded in 2004 that conceptualizes, produces, and tours museum exhibitions, immersive experiences (RiseNY), and theatrical productions (Dr. Seuss' Grinch Musical) for museums, cultural institutions, and consumer audiences across 200+ U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Production

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Broadway & Commercial Theatre Productions (MPAGABAA)

Keywords

• Live entertainment production
• Immersive exhibition design
• Theatrical touring productions
• Experiential attraction development
• Museum exhibition production

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales to consumers for experiences at their operated venues including RiseNY, theatrical productions, and touring exhibitions. Revenue generated from individual admissions and group/family tickets.
2. Venue Operations: Operating and managing live entertainment venues across the country. Running Subway has opened and operated four unique venues in New York including Bodies at the South Street Seaport, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex, and Discovery Times Square.
3. Theatrical Production & Touring: Producing and general managing theatrical productions including Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, which tours across 70+ cities. Revenue from touring production fees and venue bookings.
4. Exhibition Production & Licensing: Conceptualizing, producing, and managing museum exhibitions with licensed IP. The company secures rights, funds, builds, operates, and tours productions like Dead Sea Scrolls, Jurassic World by Brickman, and Leonardo da Vinci exhibitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Running Subway is an end-to-end entertainment production company that conceptualizes, produces, markets, and manages theatrical productions, museum exhibitions, immersive experiences, and live entertainment venues. The company secures rights to iconic IP, builds and operates its own venues in New York City (including Discovery Times Square and RiseNY), and partners with 200+ museums and theaters nationwide to tour productions such as Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical and Jurassic World by Brickman.

Product overview

Running Subway is an end-to-end entertainment production company that conceptualizes, produces, markets, and manages a diverse portfolio of exhibitions, immersive experiences, theatrical productions, and venues. The company's core offerings include RiseNY (a multi-sensory attraction combining film, museum galleries, and a flying ride), current exhibitions like Jurassic World by Brickman, Dead Sea Scrolls, The Art of the Brick, Bricktionary, and Leonardo Da Vinci, and theatrical productions including Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. Running Subway also operates venues including Discovery Times Square, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, and Bodies...The Exhibition. The company handles the full production lifecycle from rights procurement to opening night, serving as producer, venue operator, general manager, and marketer for entertainment properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RiseNY A three-part immersive experience in the heart of NYC combining a captivating Ric Burns documentary film, museum-style galleries showcasing the city's pop culture, and a thrilling motion-based flying ride that soars over the New York City skyline. Located in Times Square.
• Jurassic World by Brickman® A traveling LEGO brick dinosaur exhibition featuring 50 massive LEGO dinosaurs, iconic scenes, and interactive activities, all built from over 6 million bricks. Opened at OMSI in 2025 and touring partner museums.
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical Broadway and touring holiday theatrical production based on the Dr. Seuss tale. Toured for 18 subsequent holiday seasons, visited over 70 cities, and reached over 3 million guests in 1,700 performances.
• DEAD SEA SCROLLS: 75th Anniversary Exhibition An archaeological exhibition exploring the science and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, manuscripts composed, copied and hidden in caves 2,000 years ago. Hosted at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
• Bricktionary: The Ultimate LEGO® A-Z A LEGO exhibition featuring more than 150 custom-built LEGO models inspired by letters of the alphabet, showcasing creativity within the simplicity of LEGO bricks.
• Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibition

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million+ guests reached by single theatrical production (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cincinnati Museum CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Cincinnati Museum Center hosts Running Subway's Jurassic World by Brickman exhibition featuring 50 massive LEGO dinosaurs built from over 6 million bricks. The partnership brings the immersive dinosaur experience to the Ohio museum.
• Museum of the BiblecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC serves as the host venue for Running Subway's Dead Sea Scrolls: 75th Anniversary Exhibition. The partnership brings one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century to the museum's audiences.
• Times Square PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022RiseNY experience operates at 160 W 45th Street in Times Square, NYC, combining a documentary film, museum galleries, and flying ride technology. The Times Square location provides high-traffic visibility for the immersive New York experience.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Round Room Live: Producer of touring family entertainment based on major IP (Jurassic World, Peppa Pig, Bluey); directly comparable as a competing touring producer targeting similar family/touring audiences with licensed IP shows.
• The Araca Group: Broadway and theatrical production company behind Wicked and Urinetown; directly comparable given shared employer lineage (Running Subway's SVP) and overlapping Broadway + touring production focus.
• Feld Entertainment: Largest US producer of live family entertainment touring productions (Disney on Ice, Monster Jam, Ringling Bros.), built on licensed major IP and large-scale touring infrastructure — directly comparable to Running Subway's Grinch touring business model and IP-led exhibition touring.
• BASE Entertainment (HSB): Producer and operator of large-scale theatrical tours and resident shows; closely comparable historical peer given shared leadership pedigree (Running Subway SVP's prior role) and similar end-to-end production + venue operation model.
• Mills Entertainment (CAA): Producer of branded live tours, family entertainment, and immersive attractions (operated under CAA); comparable as a B2B production partner for licensed-IP touring experiences similar to Running Subway's Grinch tour.

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Established global producer of large-scale immersive theatrical and experiential attractions; overlapping with Running Subway in combining proprietary IP, theatrical production, and venue/resident show operation at premium locations.
• IMG Worldwide (Endeavor): Global sports and entertainment producer/licensor representing IP and producing events, exhibits, and experiences; comparable to Running Subway's IP-licensing, exhibition production, and venue operations across a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• ARTECHOUSE: Operator of immersive digital-art exhibition venues; directly comparable as a competitor in the immersive/360-degree projection experience category (e.g., Immersive Van Gogh) that Running Subway has produced.
• Meow Wolf: Producer and operator of immersive, large-format narrative exhibitions and venues (House of Eternal Return, Omega Mart); comparable in scale, format, and consumer experience to Running Subway's immersive exhibition and venue portfolio.
• Superfly: Experiential entertainment company producing immersive and branded experiences (Bonnaroo, Outside Lands); comparable to Running Subway in producing large-scale consumer-facing experiences combining content, production, and venue operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/runningsubway
• Instagraminstagram.com/runningsubway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Running Subway, LLC