Toronto-based documentary and factual prodco Nomad Films has new leadership, with longtime producer Amanda Handy (pictured left) taking ownership from the company’s founder Mark Johnston (pictured right).

Johnston tells Playback Daily that the drive behind the sale was a push to amplify diverse voices, and having the company be 100% female- and queer-owned was an important step in that direction. “I’ve been in the business since the ’80s. Amanda is in her 40s and I’m 60. It’s the right time in both our careers for it to happen,” he says.

The financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, “but it’s an amount that’s agreed upon between us that makes us both happy,” according to Johnston, who founded the company in 1997.

Handy, who’s been with Nomad for 17 years, will run day-to-day operation and work closely with Johnston as creative producer. Johnston will continue in his role as VP of development and executive producer, as well as showrunner on select projects.

The company aims to bolster its development team, as well as hire diverse producers to work on individual projects. Handy says the company will also look to bring a broader spectrum of voices and backgrounds in front of and behind the lens.

Regarding Nomad’s production and development slate, Handy says the company will remain true to its roots of traditional, social, political and hard-hitting documentaries, while also aiming to make stories with a broader appeal.

“[With] the popularity of streaming platforms and the changes that are happening in the industry, we’ve thought a lot about how we can stay true to those roots. But also find ways to make those kinds of stories more accessible to a broader audience,” says Handy.

Yearbook, a new documentary format for TVO with a “very relatable subject matter,” coproduced with Tom Powers of Open Door Co., is one such series. It follows individuals on their journeys to reconnect with people from their school days, as they seek to resolve and understand the critical events that shaped their lives.

“It seems on the surface to be a little bit light and fluffy with nostalgia. But when you get into it, you get down to really important and impactful and serious issues,” says Handy, whose producing credits include Empire of the Word (TVO, TG4 Ireland, and SBS Australia), The Al Qaeda Code (CBC and WDR/ARTE), Giraffes: The Forgotten Giants (CBC), and all five seasons of Political Blind Date (TVO), among others.

Photo by Dani Gagnon