Omni Film Productions Limited has produced hundreds of hours of award-winning programming including drama, factual and lifestyle series, documentaries, and children's programming, since opening our doors in 1979.
One of Canada's most respected independent television producers, Omni co-produces and partners regularly with other producers both in Canada and internationally. Currently, Omni Film is producing or developing programming for all of Canada's major broadcasters as well as many top specialty networks.
Our programs have been seen in 175 countries, translated into over 20 languages, and have won more than 100 national and international awards.
Together with sister companies Water Street Pictures, Water Street Releasing and Omni Post, Omni Film is a complete television production, post-production and distribution entity with a steadily growing catalogue of exceptional programming.
For 30 years Omni has produced quality programming with integrity and a passion for storytelling.
DRAMA/COMEDY
Arctic Air is a dramatic one-hour adventure series. Primeval: New World is a new spinoff series set in North America co-produced with Impossible Pictures (UK). Defying Gravity, a relationship drama series following an international space exploration mission was a co-venture with Fox Television Studios for ABC, CTV, Space, BBC, and ProSieben. Dragon Boys, an award winning four-hour mini-series, is a high octane thriller centered on a detective taking on the world of organized Asian crime. Robson Arms is a unique dramedy series set in a rundown apartment building, peeks behind a new door each week. Alice, I Think is a heart-warming comedy series based on the popular novels of author Susan Juby. Award-winning Edgemont, a 70-episode teen drama series, continues to be broadcast around the world.
FACTUAL SERIES
Omni is currently in production on season four of Ice Pilots NWT, a series about a maverick arctic airline and Pyros, a new series following the adventures of an elite group of pyrotechnicians as they travel across the globe, designing, setting up and detonating heart-stopping fireworks shows. Internationally-award winning Make Some Noise is a hip, raw music series profiling youth activists. Stuntdawgs reveals the fast action and the science behind the dangerous world of professional stunt performers. Ancient Clues uncovers forensic evidence to solve archaeological mysteries. Champions of the Wild features the world's most passionate defenders of wild and endangered animals.
LIFESTYLE SERIES
Pure Design is a ‘green’ design series. Word Travels is a unique docu-soap that looks at the lives behind the bylines of two of Canada’s top travel writers. Smart Cookies is a smart money series and She's Crafty is a hip, young craft series.
WELLNESS SERIES
Omni's wellness programming includes the innovative Shimmy, a belly dance series, Namaste, an inspiring yoga series, Healthy Home, a series about healthy design. Quiet Places visits some of the world's most inspiring retreats and Quiet Mind, was the first Canada-Singapore series co-production.
DOCUMENTARIES
Omni recently co-produced Dambusters Fly Again, a documentary special with UK production company Windfall Films. Other recent docs include Cannabiz, a doc untangling the inner workings of Canada's $20-billion marijuana industry, Shock/Wave: Surviving North America's Biggest Disaster, a doc special about a possible west coast tsunami and The Dolphin Dealer which examines the issues and ethics of the billion dollar swim-with-dolphins industry. Mystery of the Toxic Swans follows wildlife biologists as they mount a rescue mission, trying to save trumpeter swans and solve a forensic mystery.
Previous documentaries include Greenpeace: Making a Stand, Running on a Dream: The Legacy of Terry Fox, Slammin' Iron: Rebuilding the World Trade Center, The Disappearance of the PX-15, Older Women/Younger Men and the feature documentary Weird Sex and Snowshoes, based on the book by film critic Katherine Monk.Our History
In 1977 Michael Chechik chased Russian whalers in a leaky zodiac while crew balanced a 16mm camera inches from salty waves. The result was Greenpeace: Voyages to save the Whales a documentary film that won a Gemini and aired around the world. Soon after, Chechik joined Omni Film, a company formed by cameraman Rob McLaughlin in 1979. Together they shared a passion for environmental documentaries and when McLaughlin pursued a successful career in cinematography Michael Chechik was left at the Omni helm. Chechik produced several more environmental and wildlife documentaries including a second award winning film, Killer Whales in the Wild, the first BC Film supported documentary to make a profit.
Chechik’s passion for documentary filmmaking and solid business sense continued to propel the company forward and a decade later, in the 1990’s, Omni had expanded its productions into drama with The Odyssey, a primetime children’s drama series, for CBC. Omni went on to produce 39 episodes that were distributed to over 55 countries and won critical acclaim, as well as numerous prestigious awards, including an International Emmy Award nomination.
Omni Film continued to diversify its programming and people when in the early 1990’s Producers Brian Hamilton, Gabriela Schonbach and Chief Financial Officer Andrea Droege joined Omni and became Partners a few years later. Soon, the company’s impressive slate of documentary films and youth drama began to include factual series like Champions of the Wild, featuring people who defend wild animals in their habitats around the world. Champions is one of the longest running documentary series produced in Canada and is still shown in over 20 countries around the world.
Into the millennium Omni Film began producing several lifestyle series including 39 episodes of Healthy Home for Discovery Health US, and HGTV, about enhancing personal health and well being in your home and Quiet Places, on Vision TV and Travel Channel which traveled to some of the most inspiring retreats in North America and a 6-part series Quiet Mind, Meditation for Real Life, that was the first ever Canada-Singapore co-production.
In 2000, Michael Chechik also began production of Omni’s second award winning dramatic youth series, Edgemont, for CBC that would air 70 episodes over the next five years.