Canadian documentary and factual production company Nomad Films announced Monday long-time in-house producer Amanda Handy is assuming ownership of the prodco, which was founded in 1997 by veteran filmmaker Mark Johnston.
“This is the natural evolution of Nomad and puts the company in the hands of someone who has already shaped its core values and maintains a commitment to the highest production standard, both on screen and behind the camera,” Johnston said in a press release.
Johnston will continue in his role as vice-president of development and executive producer, as well as showrunner on select projects, the release says.
“Amanda is the right person to oversee and nurture the kinds of stories that we need to tell. I’m proud to be part of a queer, female-led company,” Johnston added.
Handy has been a producer with Nomad since 2006. Her projects have included the acclaimed four-part documentary series Empire of the Word hosted by author Alberto Manguel, which aired on Ontario’s public broadcaster TVO, as well as TG4 Ireland and SBS Australia. Handy also produced The Al Qaeda Code (CBC and WDR/ARTE), The Nature of Things documentary Giraffes: The Forgotten Giants (CBC), and all five seasons of the documentary format Political Blind Date (TVO), among other projects.
Before joining Nomad, Handy worked at a number of Toronto-based companies, including Fireworks Entertainment, Cinenova, Screen Door, and Media Headquarters.
“I’m excited to help take the Nomad brand to new levels, with a keen focus on elevating diverse voices through our work,” Handy said in the release. “Mark came from a rigorous documentary background, having started as a researcher at CBC’s The Nature of Things, before going on to help produce landmark BBC series like Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World and The Human Animal with Desmond Morris. I’m passionate about continuing to evolve the documentary and factual work we do into new and digestible forms for a modern audience.”
In her new role as owner of Nomad Films, Handy’s first project will be overseeing Yearbook, a new documentary format for TVO, co-produced with Tom Powers of Toronto-based Open Door Co.
Yearbook “follows a number of Canadians on their meaningful and nostalgic journeys to reconnect with people from their school days, as they seek to resolve, relive, and better understand the critical events that shaped their lives,” the press release says. The series premiered Jan. 16 on TVO in Ontario and is available to stream across Canada on both TVO.org and YouTube.
Photo of Amanda Handy courtesy of Nomad Films.
