Andrew Alexander (producer)

Andrew Alexander is a theater and television producer best known for his previous leadership and co-ownership of The Second City, and co-developing and producing the television show SCTV.

Andrew Alexander
Andrew Alexander at the opening of the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City Training Center
Born (1944-03-24) March 24, 1944
London, England
Education
Known forSCTV TV series, and former executive producer and CEO of The Second City

Early life

Andrew Alexander was born in London, the United Kingdom.[1] His father, who worked in the aeronautics industry, moved the family to Canada in 1951. Alexander studied at Tri-State College in Indiana and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto.[1]

Career

Following a year and a half at Ryerson,[1] in 1967, Alexander worked for Thompson Newspapers and the Oakville Beaver newspaper. In the early 1970s, he frequented the Toronto arts scene, working as an editor of Ski Magazine, and for the ill-fated John Lennon Peace Festival. Alexander worked at the Global Village Theatre, co-producing late night shows, along with his marketing and publicity day job at the Toronto Arts Foundation. He was eventually hired by the Ivanhoe Theater in Chicago, where he met Bernie Sahlins, owner and co-founder of The Second City.[1]

The Second City

At the time, The Second City's Toronto location was failing; Alexander then offered to assume its debts in exchange for the rights to operate The Second City in Canada. Sahlins agreed, and in 1974, Alexander took control of The Second City Toronto.[1] Alexander produced and developed live theatre revues and launched the careers of comedians Gilda Radner, John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty and others. Alexander started The Second City Entertainment Company, a TV and film production company, two years later. His first production was the television show SCTV. After almost a decade of developing the entertainment company, Alexander became co-owner of The Second City Chicago in 1985. He actively led The Second City in Canada and the US until 2020. In 1993 Mr. Alexander established Second City's Diversity & Inclusion Division, devoted to bringing new voices to the Second City stage. Over the next 28 years, this department beginning with Frances Callier and then Dionna Griffin-Irons, was successful in bringing diverse voices to the Second City stages, with programs that included the Bob Curry Fellowship, NBCUniversal Second City Emerging Voices Scholarship Awards, and NBCUniversal Second City Break Out Festival and the Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy Festival.

Alexander has produced or executive-produced hundreds of Second City revues in Canada and the United States.[2] Over the past 42 years, The Second City has operated resident theater and/or improv training facilities at one time or another in Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Edmonton, London, Ontario, and Cleveland. Additionally, Alexander expanded The Second City's Training, Touring, and Corporate Services divisions from niche offerings to boutique business lines in their own right. In February 2016, Alexander announced the opening of The Harold Ramis Film School in Chicago, starting its first term in September 2016.[3][4]

On June 6, 2020, during ongoing global Black Lives Matter protests, various Second City comedians signed an open letter suggesting that Second City needs to do more to support and encourage members of the BIPOC community. Alexander stepped down as executive producer. Alexander pledged internal reviews and wrote that "The next person to fill the Executive Producer position will be a member of the BIPOC community."[5]

In February 2021, The Second City was sold to ZMC.[6]

TV and film career

During Alexander's career as television producer, he co-developed and executive produced over 185 half-hour shows and produced over 150 hours of television comedy for SCTV. Throughout the length of its run, the series garnered an ACTRA Award, 2 Emmy Awards and 13 Emmy Award nominations.[7]

Alexander has developed television programming for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Television, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, A&E and CBC. Alexander has had co-production deals with MGM Television, Imagine Entertainment, Disney Studios and United Artists. He has produced movies and television shows with Ed Asner, Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Bonnie Hunt, Shelley Long, Andrea Martin, Steve Carell, John Candy, Mike Myers, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.[7]

Alexander produced the Martin Scorsese-directed SCTV documentary for Netflix and for CTV, and was executive producer for The Second City Project, which was nominated for six 2016 Canadian Screen Awards. Alexander executive produced I, Martin Short, Goes Home as well as Second City's Next Comedy Legend for CBC (2007). He executive produced the 2004 Canadian feature film Intern Academy written and directed by Dave Thomas and featuring Aykroyd, Thomas, Dave Foley, and Maury Chaykin.[7]

He was a founding shareholder of the Pay Television service Super Channel, and served on the board of directors.

Alexander served on the Columbia College Board of Trustees. He was on the founding board of directors of the Chicago and Toronto [Gilda's Club] and has also served on the board of the League of Chicago Theatres and Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2008, Alexander facilitated a reunion of the cast of SCTV in Toronto, launching The Second City Alumni Fund, which has since raised over $1,000,000 to assist actors and support staff during times of illness or economic hardship.[8]

Awards and honors

Alexander has received two Emmy nominations as well as The Canadian Comedy Awards' Chairman's Award, Gilda's Magic Award from Gilda's Club, Chicago Improv Festival Lifetime Achievement Award 2009, The League of Chicago Theatres' 2009 Artistic Leadership Award and named 2009 Arts Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, Crains Who's Who in Chicago Business 2011, Chicago Magazine's Power 100 - 2012. Since acquiring Chicago Second City in 1985, the Second City under Alexander's leadership has been nominated for 154 Jeff Awards and has won 32, 28 Dora Nominations and 2 wins as well as receiving on behalf of Second City, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Just for Laughs, Spirit of Innovation Award 2011, The Big Shoulders Award 2012 from the Chicago Film Critics and The NAB Spirit of Broadcasting Award 2012, Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Service Award 2014 and Chicago Fifth Star Award 2016. Governor General Performing Arts Award On November 18, 2022, Mr. Alexander was inducted into Canada's Comedy Hall of Fame] 2018.[1][4][7][9]

References
  1. Sennett, Frank (Nov 26, 2016). "Second Citizen". Time Out Chicago.
  2. Jones, Chris (5 June 2020). "Second City owner Andrew Alexander to exit after accusations of institutionalized racism leveled at theater". Chicago Tribune.
  3. Jones, Chris (Dec 27, 2009). "Alexander Expanded Second City Brand". Chicago Tribune.
  4. Rohter, Larry (Dec 15, 2009). "Second City Looks Back in Laughter". New York Times.
  5. ""A Letter from Andrew Alexander", The Second City, June 5, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020". Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  6. "Second City comedy theater for sale, 2nd time in 60 years". ABC News. 6 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-10-07.
  7. "Andrew Alexander". IMDB.
  8. "Andrew Alexander Bio". The Second City. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27.
  9. Andrew Alexander, Theatre Chicagoan of the Year, Chicago Tribune, 2009-12-26
  1. The Second City
  2. SCTV
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