Epitome_Pictures

Epitome Pictures

Epitome Pictures

Canadian film and television production company

Epitome Pictures Inc. (later known as DHX Studios Toronto) was a Canadian film and television production company based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded by Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn in 1992, the company is best known for producing Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class, the fourth and fifth respective entries of the Degrassi teen drama franchise, of which was co-created by Schuyler. Other television series produced by Epitome include Liberty Street, Riverdale, and The L.A. Complex. In 2016, Epitome was absorbed into DHX Media and the Epitome name and branding ceased.

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Quick Facts

History

Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn founded Epitome Pictures in 1992,[1] and purchased its first studio building in 1995, to film Riverdale.[2] At the time, the studio was allegedly "in a sorry state, with snow melting on the leaking roof and cans catching the water".[2] Its main headquarters were located on a 100,000 square-foot lot in Bartley Drive in Toronto, Ontario.[3] In April 2014, the company and its library, including the Degrassi series produced before Epitome (The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, and the non-fiction documentary series Degrassi Talks), was acquired by fellow Canadian television producer DHX Media for $33 million.[4][5]

After the buyout, Epitome's assets were absorbed into DHX Media, and the studio was renamed DHX Media Toronto in 2016. On April 2, 2019, DHX announced plans to sell the Bartley Drive studio for $12 million, as part of their intentions to streamline its physical operations across Canada.[6] In September that year, DHX Media was renamed WildBrain.[7]

Playing With Time, Inc.

Main article: Playing With Time, Inc.

Playing With Time, Inc. was a Canadian film and television production company based in Toronto, Ontario, and the predecessor of Epitome Pictures. Founded by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1976,[8] the company is best known for producing The Kids of Degrassi Street, as well as Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, the first, second, and third respective entries of the Degrassi franchise. Schuyler, a Grade 7 and Grade 8 media teacher at Earl Grey Senior Public School in Toronto in 1976,[9] met Hood, then an editor for television commercials, when she needed help from an experienced editor to save the "muddled footage" of one of her projects.[10] Hood and Schuyler found a balance; editor Hood was inexperienced in writing, and Schuyler was inexperienced in editing, leading to their creative partnership.[10] The production offices were located on 935 Queen Street East,[11] where the Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High cast would routinely gather to be taken to the schools where the respective series were filmed.[12]

Epitome Pictures later owned the rights to the three previous Degrassi shows produced by Playing With Time.[4]

Filmography

Playing With Time, Inc.

Epitome Pictures

References

  1. [1]
    "Growing up Degrassi". Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  2. [2]
    Zekas, Rita (2013-10-04). "Degrassi their home away from home". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  3. [3]
    Pinto, Jordan (April 2, 2019). "DHX to sell Toronto studio on Bartley Drive". Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  4. [4]
    "DHX Media Acquires 'Degrassi' Producer Epitome". www.dhxmedia.com. DHX Media. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  5. [5]
    Houpt, Simon (3 April 2014). "DHX Media Buys Degrassi TV Studio". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  6. [6]
    "DHX Media selling building in Toronto for $12 million, proceeds to pay down debt | Globalnews.ca".
  7. [7]
    "DHX Media changing name to WildBrain, begins reorganizing company | CBC News".
  8. [8]
    "Kit Hood, Co-Creator Of Beloved Canadian TV Series 'Degrassi,' Dies". ET Canada. The Canadian. 25 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. [9]
    Ellis 2005, pp. 8
  10. [10]
    West, Linda (September 1979). "Introducing...Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler" (PDF). Cinema Canada.
  11. [11]
    "People want to name a Toronto laneway after Degrassi's co-creator". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  12. [12]
    "Niki Kemeny Interview by Natalie Earl". 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  13. [13]
    "Nick orders Knight Squad, goes for DHX's Mayhem". Kidscreen.com. Retrieved 22 October 2018.

Works cited

43°43′11″N 79°18′58″W
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Epitome_Pictures, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.