Epitome Pictures Inc. (later known as DHX Studios Toronto) was a Canadian

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and television production company based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. Founded by

Linda Schuyler Linda Schuyler (; née Bawcutt; born February 12, 1948) is a Canadian television producer. She is best known for being the co-creator and producer of the ''Degrassi'' franchise, which has spanned five series over four decades. She is a co-found ...

and

Stephen Stohn John Stephen Stohn, (born May 8, 1948) is an American-born Canadian entertainment lawyer and television producer. He is best known for his involvement with the '' Degrassi'' teen drama franchise, particularly as an executive producer on '' Degra ...

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.'' Epitome was acquired by

DHX Media WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of children's television programmin ...

in 2014.

History

and

founded Epitome Pictures in 1992, and purchased its first studio building in 1995, to film ''Riverdale''. At the time, the studio was allegedly "in a sorry state, with snow melting on the leaking roof and cans catching the water". Its main headquarters were located on a 100,000 square-foot lot in Bartley Drive in

, Ontario. In April 2014, the company and its library, including the '' Degrassi'' series produced before Epitome (''

The Kids of Degrassi Street ''The Kids of Degrassi Street'' is a Canadian children's television series created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. The first entry in the ''Degrassi'' franchise and the only one to focus on children instead of teenagers, it follows the lives of a ...

'', '' Degrassi Junior High'', '' Degrassi High'', and the non-fiction documentary series '' Degrassi Talks''), was acquired by fellow Canadian television producer

for $33 million. After the buyout, Epitome's assets were absorbed into DHX Media. On April 2, 2019, as part of a strategic review, DHX announced plans to sell the Bartley Drive studios for $12 million to help pay down its debts.

Playing With Time, Inc.

Playing With Time, Inc. was a Canadian

and television production company based in

, Ontario, and the predecessor of Epitome Pictures. Founded by

and

Kit Hood Christopher "Kit" Hood (24 March 1943 – 20 January 2020) was an English-born Canadian filmmaker who co-created the '' Degrassi'' television franchise and its first three entries: ''The Kids of Degrassi Street'' (1979–86), '' Degrassi Junior ...

in 1976, the company is best known for producing ''

'', 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, 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. Hood and Schuyler found a balance; editor Hood was inexperienced in writing, and Schuyler was inexperienced in editing, leading to their creative partnership. The production offices were located on 935 Queen Street East, where the ''Degrassi Junior High'' and ''Degrassi High'' cast would routinely gather to be taken to the schools where the respective series were filmed. Epitome Pictures later owned the rights to the three previous ''Degrassi'' shows produced by Playing With Time.

Filmography

Playing With Time, Inc.

* ''Jimmy: Playing With Time'' (short film) * ''Our Cultural Fabric'' (1978, short film) * ''

'' (1979–1986) * ''Growing Up with Sandy Offenheim'' (1980, five shorts) * ''Pearls in the Alphabet Soup'' (1980, short film) * ''Don't Call Me Stupid'' (1983, short film) * ''Advice on Lice'' (1985, short film) * '' OWL/TV'' (1985–1986) ("Real Kids" segments) * '' Degrassi Junior High'' (1987–1989) * '' Degrassi High'' (1989–1991) * '' Degrassi Talks'' (1992) * '' School's Out'' (1992)

Epitome Pictures

* ''X-Rated'' (1993, TV movie) * '' Liberty Street'' (1995) * '' Riverdale'' (1997–2000) * '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2001–2015) (co-production with

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...

) * '' Instant Star'' (2004–2008) * ''

Degrassi Goes Hollywood ''Degrassi Goes Hollywood'', known in syndication as "Paradise City", is a 2009 Canadian television film based on the teen drama series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation,'' the fourth entry of the '' Degrassi'' television franchise''.'' Directed ...

'' (2009, movie) * ''

Degrassi Takes Manhattan ''Degrassi Takes Manhattan'', titled "The Rest of My Life" in syndication, is a 2010 Canadian television film based on the teen drama television series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'', the fourth entry of the ''Degrassi'' television franchis ...

'' (2010, movie) * '' The L.A. Complex'' (2012) * '' Open Heart'' (2015) * ''

Make It Pop ''Make It Pop'' is a Canadian musical comedy series created by Thomas W. Lynch and Nick Cannon that aired on Nickelodeon from March 26, 2015 to August 20, 2016. The series stars Megan Lee, Louriza Tronco, Erika Tham, and Dale Whibley. ...

'' (2015–2016) (co-production with Tom Lynch Company, N'Credible Entertainment, and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

) * '' The Other Kingdom'' (2016) (co-production with Tom Lynch Company and Nickelodeon) * '' Degrassi: Next Class'' (2016–2017) * ''

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

'' (2016–2019) * '' Massive Monster Mayhem'' (2017)

References

Works cited

External links

*
Epitome Pictures Inc. archives
at the University of Toronto Media Commons {{Coord, 43, 43, 11, N, 79, 18, 58, W, display=title Mass media companies established in 1992 Mass media companies disestablished in 2019 2016 mergers and acquisitions 1992 establishments in Ontario 2019 disestablishments in Ontario WildBrain Television production companies of Canada Companies based in Toronto