Andrew Alexander bought the Canadian Second City rights for $1 and changed comedy with SCTV
Andrew Alexander is being presented with a Governor General's Performing Arts Award
"Television like you've never seen it before!" From its' inception in 1976, SCTV was the television show responsible for launching careers of many famous comedians and for popularizing sketch comedy across North America. It never would've happened without The Second City's CEO and executive producer Andrew Alexander.
Alexander's contribution to Canada's culture is being honoured with a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for Broadcasting for the 2018 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.
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Andrew Alexander bought the Canadian rights to Toronto's The Second City in 1974 for only one dollar. At the time, the theatre was struggling to stay afloat. After Alexander purchased the rights, he transformed The Second City into a world famous improvisational comedy enterprise.
He's produced work with famous comedians like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy and Mike Myers to name a few. In 2016, Alexander founded the Harold Ramis Film School, the only film school dedicated entirely to comedy.
On June 1, Andrew Alexander, among other laureates, are being honoured with the highest distinction a performing artist can achieve in Canada — a Governor General's Performing Arts Award. Find out more.