Alumna provides inspiration for on-screen Bobcat in ‘The Office’ spinoff

When an email from a production company landed in the inbox of Riley Runnells, then-editor of the Toledo City Paper, the message was intriguing but vague. A new show was in the works about a passionate editor trying to save a dying Midwestern newspaper, and they wanted their lead actor to shadow her for a day.

There was no mention of the show’s title, the company or the actor.

“So then, imagine my surprise when like a week or two later, Domhnall Gleeson shows up at the door,” Runnells, a 2022 graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, recalled. “I mean, I'm a huge fan of his. I have seen pretty much every single one of his movies and shows... I was just starstruck, but we kept it really professional.”

That surprise visit was the beginning of a unique collaboration that would see Runnells’ real-world experience as an OHIO-trained journalist help shape Gleeson’s character in “The Paper,” the new mockumentary spinoff of the hit TV show “The Office.” 

What followed was a half-day deep dive into the life of a modern newspaper editor. Runnells gave Gleeson a tour of the newsroom and then sat down for a two-hour interview where he asked about everything from the day-to-day operations of the paper to her career origins.

“He was asking me questions all the way back to you know, how did I first get into journalism, why did I go to OU, what was I doing when I was at OU,” Runnells said. “It was really amazing not only to see how much thought he put into the questions… but also just the fact that he was so willing to learn.”

Runnells, a self-described “theater kid” outside of journalism, found the experience both shocking and exhilarating. Gleeson, she said, was a thorough, humble and engaged listener, appreciating her work while she admired his. He even stayed for two hours after their meeting to talk with her staff and let them “fangirl over him a bit.”

For Runnells, the most surprising part of Gleeson’s research was his intense interest in her college years. 

“I expected it to be more about the professional element of my job,” she explained. “The fact that he did dive deeper into my college history was really cool, and answering those questions, it was really nice for me to reminisce on my work at The Post and at Thread because both of those publications really meant a lot to me.”

That focus on her time at OHIO proved to be a critical piece of his character development. In the show, Gleeson’s character is a proud Bobcat. For Runnells, discovering that detail was an unexpected reward.

“He talks about in the show that he went to OU, which I think is really cool especially because he didn’t visit OU,” she said. “I actually didn't know that ahead of time, so I found out along with the rest of the viewers… that was obviously very exciting for me to see.”

Seeing her alma mater represented so prominently on screen was a meaningful moment. 

“I really appreciate that they included that detail because it is just so meaningful to have the representation that OU is a premier journalism school,” Runnells stated. “I credit all of my success as a journalist to my experience working at The Post and at Thread.”

She specifically points to how her dual roles in student media prepared her for the professional world. As a section editor for The Post, she learned the detail-oriented process of content creation. As editor-in-chief of Thread Magazine, she learned to see the overarching picture of managing a staff and a budget.

“I definitely think I would not have been nearly prepared enough for my role as editor had I not had those two jobs in college,” she said. 

Now, watching “The Paper,” Runnells says she is “grinning from ear to ear,” proud of how the show depicts both her hometown of Toledo and the familiar character of a “very green, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed editor who comes in and is ready to shake things up, only to be met with about a thousand and seven roadblocks.”

While she is hesitant to claim a major influence on the final product, she sees “little Easter eggs” that reflect her newsroom and her experience. The closest parallel, she says, is the show’s depiction of an eager young leader working to motivate a staff of both industry veterans and newcomers.

For current Bobcat journalists hoping to make their own mark, Runnells offers a piece of advice rooted in service.

“Your motivation is never fame or recognition for your work, but that it's to serve others and be a voice for the voiceless,” she advises. “If you are going into your career with that intention, good things will come to you, good opportunities will come to you.”