# Run Wrake

John "Run" Wrake (24 November 1965 – 21 October 2012) was an English animator, film director, graphic designer, and music video director. He was best known for his 2005 short film, Rabbit.

## Early life and education

Wrake was born in Yemen on 24 November 1965. His father was a chaplain assigned to the British army there. He grew up in Sussex. He studied graphic design at the Chelsea College of Arts, later graduating with an M.A. in animation from the Royal College of Art in London. His 1990 animated student film from his days at the Royal College, Anyway, aired on MTV's Liquid Television in 1994.

## Career

After graduating, Wrake worked freelance, illustrating and designing album covers and tour visuals for artists such as U2 and Howie B, in addition to directing commercials for companies such as Coca-Cola throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. He also directed music videos, many of which were for Howie B. He later began working with Animate Projects, which commissioned him to direct animated short films. In 2005, he released his animated short film entitled Rabbit, his most notable work. Rabbit tells a morality tale about the dangers of greed through a Dick and Jane art style. Wrake's main inspiration for the film was an envelope he found in a thrift shop containing children's educational stickers, illustrated by Geoffrey Higham, from the 1950s. The film received numerous awards and nominations, including a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Animation Film at the 2006 BAFTA Awards.

## Death

In November 2011, Wrake was diagnosed with lung cancer. This inspired him to direct the short film, Down with the Dawn, with music by Howie B. On 21 October 2012, aged 46, Wrake succumbed to the illness.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Anyway | Director, writer | Short film |
| 1994 | Jukebox | Director | Short film |
| 1996 | Music for Babies | Director | Short film to accompany Howie B's album of the same name |
| 1998 | M2 – Ping Batter Pong | Director | Short film |
| 2001 | What Is That | Director | Short film |
| 2002 | Lessons in Smoking | Director | Short film |
| 2002 | NME Gallery | Director | Short film |
| 2005 | Rabbit | Director, producer, writer | Short film Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation Film |
| 2008 | The Control Master | Director, writer | Short film |
| 2009 | Just a Minute | Director | Short film |
| 2011 | Here We Go Loopy Lou | Director | Short film |
| 2011 | Public Meat | Director | Short film to accompany Public Image Ltd's song "Public Image" |
| 2012 | Down with the Dawn | Director, producer | Short film to accompany Howie B's album of the same name |
| 2012 | Meat Street | Director | Unfinished pilot |
Music videos :
| Year | Video | Artist | Role |
| 1991 | "Cadillac" | Gang of Four | Director |
| 1993 | "TV Tan" | The Wildhearts | Director |
| 1996 | "Butt Meat" | Howie B | Director |
| 1996 | "We Have Explosive" | The Future Sound of London | Director, photography |
| 1997 | "Angels Go Bald:Too" | Howie B | Director |
| 1997 | "Switch" | Howie B | Director |
| 1998 | "Maniac Melody" | Howie B | Director |
| 1998 | "Take Your Partner by the Hand" | Howie B | Director |
| 1999 | "I Can Sing but I Don't Want To" | Howie B | Director |
| 1999 | "She Called Again" | Howie B | Director |
| 2000 | "Papua New Guinea" | The Future Sound of London | Director |
| 2001 | "The Beamer" | Spacer | Director |
| 2001 | "We Belong in This World Together" | Stereo MCs | Director |
| 2002 | "Mr. Bobby" | Manu Chao | Director |
| 2004 | "Try Again Today" | The Charlatans | Director, producer |
| 2005 | "Flyover" | Asian Dub Foundation | Director |