Allan Novak, co-founder of AllScreen Entertainment, has been a key creative contributor to many of the top comedy, drama, children’s, documentary, factual and reality TV series produced in Canada. He is an award-winning editor, director, writer, producer and executive producer who has created many original TV series, developed and sold big budget formats and collaborated closely with world-class talent such as Kids in the Hall, Mike Myers, CODCO and Ken Finkleman.
Novak has created memorable series such as Loving Spoonfuls; the grandmother cooking show, Punched Up; a hybrid comedy/reality series, and specials such as "The Joke’s On Us: 50 Years of CBC Satire." He was Ken Finkleman’s sole editor on hybrid comedy-doc style programs including "Married Life" and the ground-breaking comedy series "The Newsroom," for which he won a Gemini. Novak also co-created and produced four series with host/journalist Ralph Benmergui, including "5 Seekers," which was nominated for Best Reality Series at the 2008 Gemini Awards.
In 2008 Allan joined Temple Street Productions as Vice President, Factual and Reality, overseeing shows such as "Canada’s Next Top Model," "Style Her Famous" and the digital component for "Being Erica." In 2010, Novak successfully developed and sold "Recipe to Riches" to Galen Weston Jr., Loblaw and Shaw Media. The series, after three seasons in Canada, sold internationally and has been hailed as a top innovative international branded TV format. Currently Allan co-owns AllScreen Entertainment, a creatively diverse production company that most recently produced the series "Naked News Uncovered" - an eight-part docu-comedy series about the real people that create Naked News.
Before teaching at RTA, Novak taught producing courses at the Summer Institute of Film. Recently, he was given high level seminars for OMDC and ACTRA, The Documentary Organization of Canada, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and the Directors Guild of Canada. In 2012, he also created an innovative live pitching format for the Banff International Media Festival called "Dealmakers Live."