EXCLUSIVE: Dogwoof and Visitor Media are hot on the trail of Ryan Wedding, the ex-Olympic snowboarder turned FBI most-wanted fugitive.
Dogwoof, the doc specialist based in London, and Toronto-based Visitor are partnering with Rolling Stone Films, the CBC, and La Corriente del Golfo on the development of Snow King: From Olympian to Narco, a docuseries on Wedding’s alleged switch from descending Olympic slopes to mountains of cocaine.
“The series, which draws from the comprehensive investigative reporting of Rolling Stone and the Toronto Star, charts the astonishing journey of Ryan Wedding – a former Olympic snowboarder who is now one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives, accused of running a violent, billion-dollar drug empire for Mexico’s most notorious cartel,” notes a release. “The verité-driven documentary series takes viewers inside the hunt to uncover how Wedding transformed from national hero to alleged cartel boss and international fugitive.”
The FBI added Wedding to its 10 Most Wanted list last week, accusing him of “allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking network that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, and for orchestrating multiple murders and an attempted murder in furtherance of these drug crimes.” The U.S. State Department is offering a $10 million reward for Wedding’s capture and conviction, adding to a $50,000 reward from the FBI.
Watch on Deadline
Filming of the docuseries began in January in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with the production team working alongside journalists and investigators, among them Rolling Stone’s Jesse Hyde, the Toronto Star’s Calvi Leon and operatives in Mexico, as well as current and former FBI agents and law enforcement officials. “Together, they trace Ryan Wedding’s shocking transformation from Canadian snowboarding prodigy into alleged drug kingpin,” the release states. “As the hunt for Wedding escalates, Snow King incorporates firsthand accounts from the people whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the crimes he and his co-conspirators have been charged with, creating a visceral, story-driven portrait of the international drug trade – and its devastating human costs.”
Dogwoof senior development executive Nico Wasserman initially developed the project and serves as executive producer. Dogwoof CEO Anna Godas and Visitor Media President Sean O’Neill are producers. The project is the first in a multi-year development partnership between Dogwoof and Visitor Media, formed following the success of the 2024 documentary feature and CBC series Swan Song.
“When we first came across the story last year, we instantly knew it could become an incredible series that elevates the true crime genre by going deeper into what drives people to make certain choices, much like Breaking Bad,” commented Dogwoof’s Godas. “I also knew Sean O’Neill was the right person to develop this with as he’s truly aligned to Dogwoof’s taste and ethos, and we had a great experience with Swan Song.”
“This story is epic in scope, with shocking turns and devastating impacts,” added Visitor’s Sean O’Neill. “I’m thrilled to collaborate with Dogwoof, the CBC and our extraordinary partners at Rolling Stone and La Corriente del Golfo to create a series that’s as cinematically vital and thematically rich as it is propulsive and engrossing to watch.”
In addition to Dogwoof’s Nico Wasserman, executive producers of Snow King include Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner, Rolling Stone Films SVP Jason Fine, journalist Jesse Hyde and La Corriente del Golfo’s Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. For CBC, Sally Catto is general manager of Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is executive director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is senior director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is executive in charge of production, CBC Docs.
“For more than a decade, Rolling Stone has been tracking the saga of Ryan Wedding,” noted Jason Fine of Rolling Stone Films. “We are thrilled to partner with this incredible team to delve deeper and bring to screen this sensational story at the intersection of sports and crime.”
The CBC’s Jennifer Dettman said, “Snow King will offer crucial insights into a stranger-than-fiction Canadian story that will no doubt capture the attention of audiences across the country and around the world. We look forward to working with our recent Swan Song partners Dogwoof and Visitor Media to bring this unbelievable personal journey to the screen.”
Wedding, 43, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Authorities believe he may be hiding out in Mexico but haven’t ruled out other areas of North America or Central America. The 6’3”, 240-lb. ex-athlete goes by several aliases, according to the FBI, including El Jefe, Public Enemy, James Conrad King, Jesse King, and Giant – the latter sobriquet possibly referring to the Olympic event in which he competed, Giant Slalom.
Showing a flair for turn of phrase, Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said, “Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada. The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man.”
If apprehended and convicted, Wedding faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison – just on the charge of running a criminal enterprise. He would face additional penalties if convicted of murder, attempted murder and drug trafficking.
No target release date for the Snow King docuseries has been announced.
The post Docuseries On Ryan Wedding, Olympic Snowboarder Turned FBI Most-Wanted Fugitive, Coming From Dogwoof, Visitor Media appeared first on Deadline.
