Long-time in-house producer Amanda Handy assumes ownership of storied Canadian prodco Nomad Films

TORONTO (January 22, 2024) – Nomad Films, the Canadian documentary and factual production company founded in 1997 by veteran filmmaker Mark Johnston, today announced that long-time in-house producer Amanda Handy will assume ownership of the company. A producer with Nomad since 2006, Handy has produced projects including the acclaimed series, Empire of the Word (TVO, TG4 Ireland, and SBS Australia), hosted by bibliophile and author Alberto Manguel, The Al Qaeda Code (CBC and WDR/ARTE), The Nature of Things documentary Giraffes: The Forgotten Giants (CBC), and all five seasons of the ground-breaking documentary format Political Blind Date (TVO), among countless others.

Amanda Handy and Mark Johnston, Photo Credit: Dani gagnon

"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,” said Johnston, who will continue in his role as VP of Development and Executive Producer, as well as Showrunner on select projects. “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.” 

For Handy, the move is a natural next step in the trajectory of a notable career. Prior to Nomad, she made her mark on a number of Toronto-based companies, including Fireworks Entertainment, Cinenova (documentary specialists), 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,” said Handy. “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.”  

Handy’s first project in her new role as owner will be overseeing Yearbook, a new documentary format for TVO (co-produced with Tom Powers of Open Door Co.) that 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 series went to air January 16 on TVO in Ontario and is available to stream across Canada on both TVO.org and YouTube. Both Handy and Johnston will be at Realscreen Summit in New Orleans at the end of January to test the market with their latest genre-busting format. 

- 30 -

ABOUT NOMAD FILMS

Nomad Films develops and produces documentary programming for film and television that focuses on a wide range of compelling stories about social and political change, science, the environment, and the arts. We are passionate about social-political films. Known for its international treaty co-production work, Nomad has successfully produced films such as the award-winning In the Shadow of a Saint (CBC, BBC, IKON, and SBS Australia). Director/Writer/Executive Producer Mark Johnston was the Founder of Nomad Films which is now owned by Producer Amanda Handy. Thirty years in the documentary business, Mark and Amanda have worked in a producer or director capacity on over 100 films. Visit NomadFilms.ca.

Media Contact

Steph Perron, BAE Communications
steph@baecommunications.ca