yap films Corporate Bio
Founded in 2002, yap films is a highly respected independent production company specializing in entertaining, original and high-profile documentary specials and factual series on a wide range of subject matter for broadcast and cable networks in North America and internationally. yap is owned and managed by Elliott Halpern and Elizabeth Trojian.
yap films is the producer of the internationally successful film Saving the Animals of Ukraine, produced for PBS Nature and CBC Gem, currently holding the record for documentary box office sales in Ukraine. yap films is also the producer of the Discovery Channel feature-length documentary Ice Age America, which aired Thanksgiving 2023. Other notable projects include the multi-award-winning film Mosquito for Discovery Channel, narrated by Jeremy Renner. Along with two Emmy award wins and three previous Emmy nominations, yap received a 2021 Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series and a 2022 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Documentary for How It Feels To Be Free.
The company secured major victories at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards, taking home the Barbara Sears Award for Best Visual Research in Black Liberators WWII and winning the Rob Stewart Award for Best Science or Nature Documentary Program or Series with their work on Ice and Fire: Tracking Canada’s Climate Crisis.
yap films is a Global Top 100 production company and has been named one of the top 10 best production companies to do co-productions with. yap continues to be a leading producer of respected documentaries and factual series for broadcasters and streaming services worldwide.
Elliott Halpern is an Emmy Award-winning producer, writer and director of documentary specials and series.
Most recently, he was the Executive Producer of Saving the Animals of Ukraine for PBS Nature and CBC Gem; Walking With Ancients for CBC; Ice and Fire: Tracking Canada’s Climate Crisis for CBC; Loons: A Cry From The Mist for Blue Ant Media; and the Rockie-nominated film, The Machine That Feels, for ARTE and CBC’s The Nature of Things.
Elliott Halpern was the Executive Producer on Black Liberators WWII (2021) for HISTORY Canada, the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series (2021) Emmy nominee, How It Feels to Be Free, for PBS American Masters, the Rob Stewart Award-winning film, A Day in the Life of Earth for CBC, BBC, and ZDFE; the CSA nominated series, Unabomber: In His Own Words for Netflix, REELZ and Discovery; the CSA nominated web series, My Trans Journey for OUTtv; the CSA winning film for best history documentary or series, Ice Bridge for CBC, Smithsonian Channel, France 5, UKTV and SBS; the 2018 Banff Rockie Award winner Mosquito for Discovery Channel US (2017); the CSA and Banff nominated Black Watch Snipers for HISTORY Canada (2016); the CSA nominated Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl for PBS/American Masters, BBC Four/Arena and Sony Music (2016); and the CSA nominated Building Star Trek – the highest rated documentary in the history of Smithsonian Channel (2016).
In addition to being President of yap films, Elliott is also Co-Founder and Principal of Noodle Factory Post, a boutique post-production house offering finishing services for film, TV and other audio/visual projects.
Among his many prestigious Canadian, American and international awards are two Emmy Awards for Investigative Journalism; the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award; three Banff World Media Festival Rockie Awards; the Donald Brittain Award for Social/Political Documentary; and the Silver Nymph Award - Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
Elizabeth Trojian is a Co-Principal and Chief Creative Officer of yap films, as well as an award-winning Producer, Writer and Director. She has worked on and created many television documentaries and series for North American and international broadcasters including Executive Producing the Emmy-nominated How it Feels to Be Free, the Banff Rockie Award-nominated Ice Age America, Ice and Fire: Tracking Canada’s Climate Crisis, Loons: A Cry From The Mist for Blue Ant Media. The Machine That Feels, Black Liberators WWII, Unabomber: In His Own Words, The Genetic Revolution, Mosquito, Made by Destruction and My Trans Journey. In 2023, Elizabeth Executive Produced Ice Age America for Science Channel US, and Saving the Animals of Ukraine for CBC Gem and PBS Nature.
Elizabeth Trojian is a 2022-24 cultural envoy and diplomat for the United States. This important cultural advocacy work is run by the United States’ State Department through the American Film Showcase and the University of Southern California (USC). Previously, Elizabeth was also a cultural diplomat in 2018-2019.
Elizabeth was also the Executive Producer and Producer on D-Day in 14 Stories, a feature-length docudrama for History and BBC, and executive producer and producer on the CSA-winning Ice Bridge for CBC’s The Nature of Things, Smithsonian Channel, France 5, UKTV and SBS, about a group of archaeologists who set out to prove their theory of a cross-Atlantic migration 20,000 years ago.
In March 2022, Elizabeth Trojian became a Canadian citizen.
In addition to her work with yap films, Elizabeth is also Co-Founder and Principal of Noodle Factory Post, a boutique post-production house offering finishing services for film, TV and other audio/visual projects. Being a Principal of one of the few women-run post-production companies in Canada, Elizabeth Trojian is also part of the advisory committee for The Academy’s Women in Post Program which provides higher-level industry access and professional development for emerging to mid-level female and non-binary creatives working in all areas of post-production. Noodle Factory Post is committed to diversity and inclusion in post-production. Elizabeth describes Noodle Factory Post as a post-production company for media creatives run by media creatives.
Filmography
Saving the Animals of Ukraine (2024)
1 x 50 min Special | PBS Nature, CBC
Ice Age America / Walking With Ancients (2023)
1 x 44min Broadcast, 1 x 90min Broadcast, 1 x 90min Special | CBC, Discovery Science, Arte
Beauty On The Chesapeake - In With The Old (Season 4) (2023)
1 x 44min Episodic | Magnolia Network
Ice and Fire: Tracking Canada's Climate Crisis (2022)
1 hr | CBC
Loons: A Cry From the Mist (2022)
50min Documentary Special | Cottage Life, Love Nature
Battle of the Alphas (2021-2023)
2 Seasons: 12 x 25min Episodic | Love Nature
The Machine That Feels (2021)
1 hr Special | CBC, ARTE France
Black Liberators WWII (2021)
90 min Special | History Channel
Battle Of The Alphas (2021)
S1 12x30min Series |Blue Ant Media, Love Nature
How It Feels To Be Free (2021)
2 hr Special | PBS/American Masters, CBC’s Documentary Channel, Fremantle
Gangster Gold (2020)
1 hr PBS | Discovery Canada
Surviving the Block (2020)
2 hr | OUTtv
The Cobra Killers (2020)
2 hr | OUTtv
Killer in the Village (2020)
2 hr | OUTtv
Translating Beauty (2020)
1 hr | OUTtv
My Trans Journey (2020)
4x30 min Series & 12x7 min web series | OUTtv
Construction Fails (2020)
8x30 min Series | Discovery Canada, ZDFe
Unabomber: In His Own Words (2019)
4x1 hr Series REELZ, Netflix, Discovery Canada
D-Day in 14 Stories (2019)
90 min Special and 2x1 hr | History Channel, BBC
The Genetic Revolution (2018)
1 hr Special | CBC, ZDFE
A Day in the Life of Earth (2018)
1hr Special | CBC, BBC, ZDFE
Made By Destruction (2017)
Season 2 13x30 min Series | Discovery Canada, Discovery International
Ice Bridge ( 2016/2017)
1 hr Special | CBC, Smithsonian Channel, France 5, UKTV
Mosquito (2015/2017)
90 min Special | Discovery Channel
2015/2016: Building Star Trek
2 hr Special Smithsonian | Channel, Discovery Canada
2015/2016: Black Watch Snipers
90 min Special | History Channel
2014/2016: Made By Destruction
13x30 min Series | Science Channel, Discovery Canada, Explora, NTV, Discovery International
2014/2016: Loretta Lynn: Still A Mountain Girl
2 hr Special | PBS/American Masters, BBC Four/Arena, Sony Music, CBC’s Documentary Channel
2014/2016: Battle Factory
14 x 30 min Series | History Channel, Historia, UKTV, Discovery International
2014/2015: Close Up Kings
8 x 1 hr Series | OLN, SyFy, and Discovery International
2013/2014": Camp X: Secret Agent School
2 hr Special | History Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Channel 4, Historia, BBC Worldwide
2013/2014: The Real Noah’s Ark
2 hr Special | History Channel, Channel 4, PBS Nova, National Geographic International, France 5
2013: Warehouse Wonderland
2 x 30 min Pilots | Slice
2012/2013: Shred!
13 x 30 min Series | Discovery Channel CAN, Science Channel, Discovery UK/Europe, NGCI Latin America
2012: World’s Strangest
8 x 1 hr Series | Discovery Channel Canada/UK/Europe/Science US, Fremantle
2011/2012: Things You Need to Know Season 2
6 x 30 min Series | BBC2, BBC Worldwide, Science Channel, Discovery Channel Canada
2011/2012: Curse of the Axe
2 hr Special | History Channel, Discovery UK
2011/2012: Dig WW2
4 x 1 hr Series | History Channel, BBC2, BBCNI, BBCWW
2011/2012: Explosion 1812
2 hr Special | History Channel, UKTV, DRG
2010/2011: Things You Need to Know
3 x 30 min Series | BBCNI, BBC Worldwide, Discovery Channel Canada
2010/2011: March of the Dinosaurs
90 min Special | History Television, National Geographic US, ProSieben, France5, ITV
2010/2011: Monster Snake: Titanaboa
2 hr Special | History Television and the Smithsonian Channel
2010/2011: Pirate City
2 hr Special | National Geographic, France 5, History Television
2009/2010: Beast Legends
6 x 1 hr Series | Syfy, History Television, BBC Worldwide
2009/2010: Storm Worlds
3 x 1 hr Series | History Television, Nat Geo US, Nat Geo Intl, BBC Worldwide
2009/2010: Dive Detectives
6 x 1 hr | Series History Television, Nat Geographic, Smithsonian Channel
2009: Ancients Behaving Badly aka Absolute Tyrants
8 x 1 hr Series | History Channel, History Television, ITV Global
2008/2009: Fire Jammers
1 hr | Series Pilot Discovery Canada
2008/2009: Finding the Fallen 2/The Trench Detectives 2
6 x 1 hr Series | History Television, History Channel UK, BBC WorldWide
2007/2008: Pet Food: A Dog’s Breakfast
1 Hr Special | CBC
2007: The Cave
1 Hr Special | History Television
2007: The Last Soldier
1 Hr Special | History Television
2007: Revealed: The Captain Bligh Conspiracy
1 Hr Special | Five, History Television, History Channel UK and ProSieben
2006/2007: VIMY RIDGE: Heaven to Hell
90 min Special | History Television, History Channel UK
2006/2007: Tiger’s Attack
2 hr Special & 2 x 1 hr | Discovery Networks
2006/2007: Bloodlines
3 x 1 hr series | History Television
2006: Battle of the Somme: The True Story
90 min Special | FIVE/History Television/RDF Rights
2006: The Trench Detectives
5 x 45 min Series | Five
2005/2006: Children of the Valley
1 hr Special ITV Network/RDF Rights
2005/2006: Warrior Empire: The Mughals of India
2 x 1 hr and 2 hr Special | History Channel US
2005/2006: Put Me Together Again
2 x 1 hr | C4/C4I
2005: Finding The Fallen
5 x 1 hr Series | History Television/Discovery UK & EMEA/BBCWW
2004/2005: Zapped
2 hr Special | Discovery US/Discovery Canada/C4I
2004: Canada’s War in Colour
3 x 1 hr series | CBC/TWI
2003/2004: Friendly Fire
1 hr Special | CBC/CBC Enterprises
2003/2004: O’Shea’s Big Adventure Specials
4 x 1 hr | Animal Planet Worldwide
2002/2003: Going to the Dogs
13 x 30 min Series | Life Network/Animal Planet/ID Distribution
2002/2003: Witness: A Deathly Silence
1 hr Special | CBC/International Distribution
2001/2002 O'Shea’s Big Adventure Specials
4 x 1 hr Series | C4/Animal Planet US
2001: King Midas' Feast
1 hr Special | C4/History Television
2001: Boxing – In and Out of the Ring
2 hr Special | A & E/International
2001: A Child’s Choice
1 hr Special | C4/Discovery US /Life Network
2001: Gladiatrix (Gladiator Girl)
1 hr/90 min Special | C4/ Discovery US/History Television
2000/2001: O’Shea’s Big Adventure II (O’Shea’s Dangerous Reptiles II)
13 x 30 min Series | C4 & Animal Planet
2000/2001: Planet Storm
2 hr Special | C4/Discovery US
1999/2000: Murder at Stonehenge
1 hr Special | C4 & WNET (PBS)
1999/2000: Criminal Evidence
1 hr/2 hr Special | A&E, CBC, C4
1999/2000: Penn & Teller’s Magic & Mystery Tour
3 x 1 hr Series | C4/TLC/CBC
1999/2000: O’Shea’s Big Adventure/O’Shea’s Dangerous Reptiles
I 13 x 30 min Series | C4/Animal Planet
1999/2000: Stunt School
3 x 1 hr Series | TLC/C5
1999: Frozen Hearts
1 hr Special | C4/CBC/Discovery US