Allan Novak
Encyclopedia
Allan Novak is a Canadian media professional associated with creating, directing or editing many critically acclaimed Canadian TV series produced since 1985.
Born in Winnipeg
Manitoba
, Novak moved to Toronto
at age 20 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television at York University
.
was broadcast on Group W Cable in Manhattan and was often described as a 'cult classic'
While working as a producer/editor for First Choice, Novak began producing a series of comedy videos with housemate and stand-up comic and voice actor Ron Rubin
. The Party Time video series, as they became known, went on to gain international awards The work led to Novak being recognized as an up and coming comedic television talent and he was described by the Toronto Star as one of "the world of entertainment's newest crop of movers and shakers"
He was hired to produce comedy videos in the mid 1980s for Toronto’s The Second City
, working with performers such as Linda Kash
, Ryan Stiles
and Mike Myers
.
Novak was hired to work on the 1985 Genie Award
telecast as a writer and he was nominated for the 1986 Gemini Awards
for his work. Around that time, he began directing a children's music video and comedy series called Vid Kids for M&M Productions in 1986 and then The Elephant Show
with popular children's entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram
for Cambium Productions. He later went on to direct other kids television including episodes for Breakthrough Films & Television
's The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon
, Arts and Youth for TVOntario
, OWL/TV
for CTV
and Dealing with Drugs and Mission Reading, both for TVOntario.
In 1986 Novak was hired by Insight Productions to direct and edit numerous comedy segments for a CBC Television
summer series called It's Only Rock & Roll
, executive produced by John Brunton and produced by Joe Bodolai and Judith Dryland. The series was an important one as it launched the early television career of Mike Myers
. Novak and Myers collaborated on creating various sketches such as Kurt and Dieter (later to become Sprockets on Saturday Night Live
and Wayne’s Power Minute, which also went on to SNL and the Wayne's World
films. Novak directed, edited and contributed writing to the sketches. Another sketch Novak directed on the same series featured Second City's Dana Andersen and Bob Bainbourough as Mick Jagger
and Keith Richards
, and was reviewed as "surely the funniest three minutes you are likely to see on the CBC this summer. Maybe even the year"
and then soon after, was hired to direct location comedy segments for the popular Newfoundland-based series CODCO
for Salter Street Films
.
Novak worked on numerous series and specials but in 1995 began a creative collaboration with writer/producer/director Ken Finkleman
on a series of TV series over the next five years. Novak edited Married Life
receiving a Cable ACE nomination for best editing) The Newsroom
(season one; Gemini award winner- best editing), More Tears
, Foolish Heart and Foreign Objects. These productions were critically acclaimed, The Globe and Mail columnist John Haslett Cuff called The Newsroom
"the hippest and most hilarious show the CBC or any network has produced" and several television critics have credited Novak’s contributions to the structure and pacing as being a significant part of their success. Toronto arts columnist John Allemang said "Allan Novak's compressed editing did much to give Ken Finkleman's satire its distinctive look"
In 1999, Allan created the Gemini award-winning Loving Spoonfuls, a cooking and culture series about grandmothers for Winnipeg-based WTN network. WTN was sold and became W Network
but the show was renewed for a total of 65 episodes and has been licensed to broadcasters in Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Israel, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Brunei and Singapore. The series was hosted by Novak’s longtime friend David Gale, who cooked, sang and danced with a different ethnic grandmother in each episode. The series launched Novak as an independent producer and he founded his company Indivisual Productions.
. The 90-minute special launched CBC Television's fiftieth anniversary programming schedule and was nominated for a Best Direction in a Variety Special Gemini award. The next year Allan exec produced The Joe Blow Show a Gemini-nominated pilot for The Comedy Network
and co-created Second Time Around a thirteen episode comedy/reality series for W Network
with host David Gale.
As a freelance director Novak’s credits in the 2000s include Puppets Who Kill
(The Comedy Network), Canada's Worst Handyman
for Discovery Channel (Canada) and My Parent’s House (HGTV)
In 2006/2007 he created and produced Punched Up a hybrid comedy-reality series for The Comedy Network. The series ran for thirteen episodes and starred real-life who invited a team of comedy writers into their lives to ‘punch them up’. The series was largely seen as comedically successful but was only a modest ratings success and ran for one season.
Novak then began a four series relationship with Toronto broadcaster Ralph Benmergui
. They co-created and co-produced 5 Seekers -a spiritual road-trip reality series and Gemini nominee for Best Reality Series, Guides and Gurus (profiles of healers), Ralph Benmergui:My Israel (5-part series on Israel) and God Bless America (religion and politics in America). All were well received by television critics as innovative and entertaining programs.
Novak is well respected in the television industry as an original creative force. He is a two-time winner of the Banff World Television Festival I-Pitch award (2004 and 2005) and is a two-term board member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
.
Between September 2008 and August 2010 Novak served as Vice President Factual and Reality at Temple Street Productions
a Canadian production company part-owned by BBC Worldwide
. Novak was responsible for the company's non-scripted TV shows, branded entertainment and factual programming.
He is married to former CBC broadcaster and current Médecins Sans Frontières executive Avril Benoît
and lives in Toronto.
Born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Novak moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
at age 20 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
.
1980s
After leaving film school he created, along with Toronto comedian Bruce Bell on a one-hour TV movie called The Rise and Fall of Tony Trouble which went on to screen at the 1984 Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
was broadcast on Group W Cable in Manhattan and was often described as a 'cult classic'
While working as a producer/editor for First Choice, Novak began producing a series of comedy videos with housemate and stand-up comic and voice actor Ron Rubin
Ron Rubin (voice actor)
Ron Rubin is a veteran voice actor whose voice is most easily recognized as that of Artemis from the English translation of Sailor Moon.-Career:...
. The Party Time video series, as they became known, went on to gain international awards The work led to Novak being recognized as an up and coming comedic television talent and he was described by the Toronto Star as one of "the world of entertainment's newest crop of movers and shakers"
He was hired to produce comedy videos in the mid 1980s for Toronto’s The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
, working with performers such as Linda Kash
Linda Kash
Linda Kash is a Canadian actress.An alumna of Second City, she played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sit-com, Style & Substance...
, Ryan Stiles
Ryan Stiles
Ryan Lee Stiles is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on the American and British versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the role of Lewis Kiniski on The Drew...
and Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
.
Novak was hired to work on the 1985 Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
telecast as a writer and he was nominated for the 1986 Gemini Awards
1986 Gemini Awards
The 1st Gemini Awards were held in Toronto on 4 December 1986 to honour achievements in Canadian television. Gémeaux Award, the French version of the Gemini Awards were held for the first time this year as well...
for his work. Around that time, he began directing a children's music video and comedy series called Vid Kids for M&M Productions in 1986 and then The Elephant Show
The Elephant Show
The Elephant Show is a Canadian children's television show from 1984 until 1988.-Summary and Highlights:...
with popular children's entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram
Sharon, Lois & Bram
Sharon, Lois & Bram is the name of a Canadian children's musical trio composed of Sharon Hampson , Lois Ada Lilienstein , and Bramwell "Bram" Morrison .-Group formation:Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillenstein, and Bram Morrison began their singing...
for Cambium Productions. He later went on to direct other kids television including episodes for Breakthrough Films & Television
Breakthrough Films & Television
Breakthrough Films & Television is a Canadian production company and animation studio founded in 1986 by Peter Williamson and Ira Levy.- Films and series :* Atomic Betty* Battlefields Mysteries* Between the Sheets with Rebecca Rosenblat...
's The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon
The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon
The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon is a children's television series which aired in Canada on YTV and the United States on public television stations, through Tampa, Florida PBS member station WEDU. The show ran for four seasons from 1993 to 1997. It was a live-action show incorporating actors,...
, Arts and Youth for TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
, OWL/TV
OWL/TV
OWL/TV is a children's educational television series that aired on the CBC, and then later on CTV, from 1985 to 1994. Its focus is nature and science discovery, emphasizing to viewers how they can have an impact on their own environment. PBS, BBC, ITV and Showtime also aired the show for a brief...
for CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and Dealing with Drugs and Mission Reading, both for TVOntario.
In 1986 Novak was hired by Insight Productions to direct and edit numerous comedy segments for a CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
summer series called It's Only Rock & Roll
It's Only Rock & Roll (TV series)
It's Only Rock & Roll was a Canadian television variety show, which aired on CBC Television as a summer series in 1987. Produced by Joe Bodolai and directed by Allan Novak, Henry Sarwer-Foner and Joan Tosoni, the series mixed rock music-themed comedy sketches with live performances by real...
, executive produced by John Brunton and produced by Joe Bodolai and Judith Dryland. The series was an important one as it launched the early television career of Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
. Novak and Myers collaborated on creating various sketches such as Kurt and Dieter (later to become Sprockets on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and Wayne’s Power Minute, which also went on to SNL and the Wayne's World
Wayne's World
Wayne's World was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" on the CBC Television series It's Only Rock & Roll, as the main character first appeared in that show...
films. Novak directed, edited and contributed writing to the sketches. Another sketch Novak directed on the same series featured Second City's Dana Andersen and Bob Bainbourough as Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, and was reviewed as "surely the funniest three minutes you are likely to see on the CBC this summer. Maybe even the year"
1990s
Novak's career continued, combining directing and editing and began to specialize in comedy. In 1989 he was hired to edit the first season of the influential Canadian comedy series The Kids in the HallThe Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States...
and then soon after, was hired to direct location comedy segments for the popular Newfoundland-based series CODCO
CODCO
CODCO was a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1992....
for Salter Street Films
Salter Street Films
Salter Street Films was a Canadian television and film production company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.- History :The company was founded by brothers Paul and Michael Donovan in 1983. Paul Donovan was trained as a director at the London Film School; Michael graduated from Dalhousie University’s...
.
Novak worked on numerous series and specials but in 1995 began a creative collaboration with writer/producer/director Ken Finkleman
Ken Finkleman
Ken Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
on a series of TV series over the next five years. Novak edited Married Life
Married Life
Married Life was the first of a string of short run series Ken Finkleman made for CBC Television in the 1990s and 2000s. The show's four episodes were later edited into one two-hour TV movie....
receiving a Cable ACE nomination for best editing) The Newsroom
The Newsroom
The Newsroom is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which ran on CBC Television in the 1996-97, 2003–04 and 2004-05 seasons. A two-hour television movie, Escape from the Newsroom, was broadcast in 2002....
(season one; Gemini award winner- best editing), More Tears
More Tears
More Tears is a seriocomedy television series that was broadcast by CBC Television, as a short run programme; it was written and produced by Ken Finkleman following the success of The Newsroom , and was partly a remake of 8½ , by Federico Fellini.As in The Newsroom, George Findlay is the...
, Foolish Heart and Foreign Objects. These productions were critically acclaimed, The Globe and Mail columnist John Haslett Cuff called The Newsroom
The Newsroom
The Newsroom is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which ran on CBC Television in the 1996-97, 2003–04 and 2004-05 seasons. A two-hour television movie, Escape from the Newsroom, was broadcast in 2002....
"the hippest and most hilarious show the CBC or any network has produced" and several television critics have credited Novak’s contributions to the structure and pacing as being a significant part of their success. Toronto arts columnist John Allemang said "Allan Novak's compressed editing did much to give Ken Finkleman's satire its distinctive look"
In 1999, Allan created the Gemini award-winning Loving Spoonfuls, a cooking and culture series about grandmothers for Winnipeg-based WTN network. WTN was sold and became W Network
W Network
W Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. W Network broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women....
but the show was renewed for a total of 65 episodes and has been licensed to broadcasters in Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Israel, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Brunei and Singapore. The series was hosted by Novak’s longtime friend David Gale, who cooked, sang and danced with a different ethnic grandmother in each episode. The series launched Novak as an independent producer and he founded his company Indivisual Productions.
2000s
In 2002 he executive produced and directed The Joke’s on Us-50 Years of CBC Satire hosted by comedian Leslie NielsenLeslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
. The 90-minute special launched CBC Television's fiftieth anniversary programming schedule and was nominated for a Best Direction in a Variety Special Gemini award. The next year Allan exec produced The Joe Blow Show a Gemini-nominated pilot for The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
and co-created Second Time Around a thirteen episode comedy/reality series for W Network
W Network
W Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. W Network broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women....
with host David Gale.
As a freelance director Novak’s credits in the 2000s include Puppets Who Kill
Puppets Who Kill
Puppets Who Kill is a Canadian television comedy programme co-produced by The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada on the Comedy Network in 2002, and in Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004....
(The Comedy Network), Canada's Worst Handyman
Canada's Worst Handyman
Canada's Worst Handyman is the 2006 season of the reality television series Canada's Worst Handyman airing on Discovery Channel Canada, produced by Proper Television...
for Discovery Channel (Canada) and My Parent’s House (HGTV)
In 2006/2007 he created and produced Punched Up a hybrid comedy-reality series for The Comedy Network. The series ran for thirteen episodes and starred real-life who invited a team of comedy writers into their lives to ‘punch them up’. The series was largely seen as comedically successful but was only a modest ratings success and ran for one season.
Novak then began a four series relationship with Toronto broadcaster Ralph Benmergui
Ralph Benmergui
Raphael Benmergui is a Canadian television and radio personality and political advisor. Most recently a morning host on JAZZ.FM91, he left the station on November 26, 2010, and currently holds the position of director of communications for Glen Murray, Minister of Research and Innovation.Born in...
. They co-created and co-produced 5 Seekers -a spiritual road-trip reality series and Gemini nominee for Best Reality Series, Guides and Gurus (profiles of healers), Ralph Benmergui:My Israel (5-part series on Israel) and God Bless America (religion and politics in America). All were well received by television critics as innovative and entertaining programs.
Novak is well respected in the television industry as an original creative force. He is a two-time winner of the Banff World Television Festival I-Pitch award (2004 and 2005) and is a two-term board member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize over 4,000 Canadian film industry and television industry professionals...
.
Between September 2008 and August 2010 Novak served as Vice President Factual and Reality at Temple Street Productions
Temple Street Productions
Established in 1996, Temple Street Productions is an independent television, film and digital media production company based in Toronto, Canada. The company produces scripted and unscripted productions from primetime television dramas and comedies, as well as youth programs, feature films and...
a Canadian production company part-owned by BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
. Novak was responsible for the company's non-scripted TV shows, branded entertainment and factual programming.
He is married to former CBC broadcaster and current Médecins Sans Frontières executive Avril Benoît
Avril Benoît
Avril Benoît is a Canadian broadcaster best known for her radio programmes and documentaries on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 2006, after two decades in journalism, she left the CBC to join Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders Canada as director of communications...
and lives in Toronto.