Epitome Pictures
Epitome Pictures Inc. (Later known as DHX Studios Toronto) is a television production company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and founded by Linda Schuyler and was best known for its work on the Degrassi television franchise.[1]
| Type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Movie and Television Production Company |
| Fate | Building sold off, ceased operations |
| Founded | 1980 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Headquarters | 220 Bartley Drive, , |
Key people | Linda Schuyler, Chief Operating Officer Stephen Stohn, President |
| Services | Production, distribution, broadcast and licensing of entertainment content for children and families. |
| Parent | DHX Studios (DHX Media) |
Epitome produced two television drama series aimed primarily at the youth and the young-adult market (which was the first DHX Media program not to be aimed primarily at the children market). The first was Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is broadcast on MTV and Much (previously CTV) in Canada and TeenNick in the United States, and is licensed to over 150 countries around the world. The other was Instant Star, which was similarly broadcast on CTV and TeenNick, and is licensed to over 120 countries worldwide.
Other television series that Epitome or its sister companies have produced in the past include Liberty Street and Riverdale.
Previous incarnations of the Degrassi series including The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High and the movie-of-the-week School's Out were produced by Playing With Time Inc., a company owned by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood and founded in 1976 which has been inactive since the mid-1990s when Hood and Schuyler ended their partnership (Epitome owns the rights to these series). In April 2014, the company was acquired by fellow Canadian television producer DHX Media.[2][3] After the buyout, the shows that were produced by the company replaced the Epitome branding in favour of DHX Media's. Epitome itself was renamed to DHX Studios Toronto in 2016.
On April 2, 2019, DHX announced they were planning to sell off the building where the studios were housed,[4] ceasing operations of the studio in the process.
Shows
- The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979–1986)
- Degrassi Junior High (1987–1989)
- Degrassi High (1989–1991)
- Degrassi Talks (1992)
- School's Out (1992)
- Liberty Street (1994–1995)
- Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2015) (co-production with Bell Media)
- Instant Star (2004–2008)
- Degrassi Goes Hollywood (2009, movie)
- Degrassi Takes Manhattan (2010, movie)
- The L.A. Complex (2012)
- Open Heart (2015)
- Make It Pop (2015–2016) (co-production with Tom Lynch Company, N'Credible Entertainment, and Nickelodeon)
- The Other Kingdom (2016) (co-production with Tom Lynch Company and Nickelodeon)
- Degrassi: Next Class (2016–2017)
- Letterkenny (2016–2019)
- Massive Monster Mayhem (2017)[5]
References
- Vlessing, Etan (3 April 2014). "Degrassi Producer Epitome Pictures Bought by DHX Media". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- "DHX Media Acquires 'Degrassi' Producer Epitome". www.dhxmedia.com. DHX Media. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Houpt, Simon. "DHX Media Buys Degrassi TV Studio". www.theglobeandmail.com. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- https://globalnews.ca/news/5121368/dhx-selling-building-toronto/
- "Nick orders Knight Squad, goes for DHX's Mayhem". Kidscreen.com. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
External links
- Epitome Pictures Inc. at IMDb
- Epitome Pictures Inc. archives at the University of Toronto Media Commons