Roman Bittman facts for kids

Roman Norbert Bittman (June 5, 1941 – November 7, 2017) was a Canadian film and television producer. He was well-known for producing news and current affairs shows for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Early Life and Career

Roman Bittman was born in Fort Vermilion, Alberta. His father was German Canadian and his mother was Métis. He grew up in Hay River, Northwest Territories.

When he was in high school, Roman volunteered at a new local community radio station. In 1960, he was one of only two students from the Northwest Territories chosen to attend a special national student event at the Stratford Festival.

He later studied film and television at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). After his studies, he worked for CBC News. He then became a producer for the popular documentary series The Nature of Things. Roman also produced many short documentary films for the National Film Board. He was also a partner in Mobius Productions, a film company owned by his wife, Marilyn Belec.

Helping Nova Scotia Film

In 1993, Roman Bittman became the head of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation. This organization helps grow the film and television industry in Nova Scotia.

In this role, he helped create a special tax credit for film and TV shows made in the province. This made it cheaper for companies to film there. He also had a big plan to build the province's first full sound stage. A sound stage is a large, soundproof building used for filming movies and TV shows. However, his plan for the studio did not go forward, and he left the role in 1996.

Supporting Indigenous Media

After his time in Nova Scotia, Roman Bittman focused on helping Indigenous people in media. He worked to make sure Indigenous voices and stories were shown more often.

He was part of the first board of directors for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). This is a TV channel dedicated to Indigenous programming. He also helped Indigenous screenwriters as a mentor at the Banff Centre.

In 2001, Roman received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the Arts & Media category. This award celebrates the achievements of Indigenous people in Canada. He later served as the interim CEO of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (now Indspire) from 2004 to 2005. He also helped produce the awards gala in 2005 and 2006.

Later Life and Awards

Roman Bittman passed away in Toronto, Ontario, in 2017.

In 2019, he received a special award after his death. The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television gave him the Board of Directors Tribute Award at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards. This award honored his important contributions to Canadian film and television.