A few months ago Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were both working as waiters. Now they are the stars of Heated Rivalry, one of the most talked about shows in the world.
Adapted from a novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid, who writes sexually explicit queer romance novels about hockey players, Heated Rivalry chronicles a forbidden love affair between two rival ice hockey players.
The show was not an obvious runaway hit. It was created and produced in Canada on a minimal budget - reportedly less than C$5m ($3.6m; £2.6m) per episode. Its six episodes were filmed in Ontario in just over a month, with a cast lead mostly by unknowns.
But since its debut in North America last November, Storrie, who plays Russian player Ilya Rozanov, and Williams, who plays Canadian Shane Hollander, have wracked up millions of fans, acted as torchbearers ahead of the Milan winter Olympics and appeared on a host of late night TV shows.
Storrie is set to host Saturday Night Live at the end of this month, while Williams - who reportedly still lives with his mum in Vancouver - recently shared a stage with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at an Ottawa film industry event.
I was just talking with one of my agents yesterday, and she said Connor and I have had to learn what a lot of actors get in five years, in like 30 days, Williams, who plays Hollander, told the Shut Up Evan podcast last month.
But its explosion into the zeitgeist since its debut last November has propelled its cast - and the people behind the scenes - into the stratosphere. Its penultimate episode has broken records to tie with Breaking Bad for the highest-rated episode ever on entertainment website IMDB. Now streaming in the UK and across the globe, the show's runaway success has the potential to reshape the television landscape.
We feel like proud mommas, says Jenny Lewis, one of the casting directors who found Storrie and Williams.
Tierney, along with fellow show producer Brendan Brady, have spoken since the show's release about the pressure they felt to make significant changes to the sex-heavy LGBT romance in order to get financial backing.
But Canadian streamer Crave, who had worked with Tierney before on shows like Letterkenny and Shoresy, greenlit Heated Rivalry and allowed them to maintain creative control. That helped get the books' ardent fanbase on board, which in turn built momentum.
The show is the complete antithesis to what is happening in the rest of the streaming world, where Hollywood's biggest actors are regularly cast in high-budget productions designed for the small screen. By offering roles to unknown talent, the producers hope to set a new precedent in an industry typically dominated by star power.
Life has also changed drastically for author Rachel Reid, who thought her books were unadaptable. Her works have seen significant increases in sales and streaming.
Adapted from a novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid, who writes sexually explicit queer romance novels about hockey players, Heated Rivalry chronicles a forbidden love affair between two rival ice hockey players.
The show was not an obvious runaway hit. It was created and produced in Canada on a minimal budget - reportedly less than C$5m ($3.6m; £2.6m) per episode. Its six episodes were filmed in Ontario in just over a month, with a cast lead mostly by unknowns.
But since its debut in North America last November, Storrie, who plays Russian player Ilya Rozanov, and Williams, who plays Canadian Shane Hollander, have wracked up millions of fans, acted as torchbearers ahead of the Milan winter Olympics and appeared on a host of late night TV shows.
Storrie is set to host Saturday Night Live at the end of this month, while Williams - who reportedly still lives with his mum in Vancouver - recently shared a stage with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at an Ottawa film industry event.
I was just talking with one of my agents yesterday, and she said Connor and I have had to learn what a lot of actors get in five years, in like 30 days, Williams, who plays Hollander, told the Shut Up Evan podcast last month.
But its explosion into the zeitgeist since its debut last November has propelled its cast - and the people behind the scenes - into the stratosphere. Its penultimate episode has broken records to tie with Breaking Bad for the highest-rated episode ever on entertainment website IMDB. Now streaming in the UK and across the globe, the show's runaway success has the potential to reshape the television landscape.
We feel like proud mommas, says Jenny Lewis, one of the casting directors who found Storrie and Williams.
Tierney, along with fellow show producer Brendan Brady, have spoken since the show's release about the pressure they felt to make significant changes to the sex-heavy LGBT romance in order to get financial backing.
But Canadian streamer Crave, who had worked with Tierney before on shows like Letterkenny and Shoresy, greenlit Heated Rivalry and allowed them to maintain creative control. That helped get the books' ardent fanbase on board, which in turn built momentum.
The show is the complete antithesis to what is happening in the rest of the streaming world, where Hollywood's biggest actors are regularly cast in high-budget productions designed for the small screen. By offering roles to unknown talent, the producers hope to set a new precedent in an industry typically dominated by star power.
Life has also changed drastically for author Rachel Reid, who thought her books were unadaptable. Her works have seen significant increases in sales and streaming.
