Epitome Pictures

Epitome Pictures Inc.

Logo used from the 1990s to 2011
Company type	Division
Industry	Film production Television production
Predecessor	Playing With Time, Inc.
Founded	1992;33 years ago (1992)
Defunct	April 2, 2019;5 years ago (2019-04-02)
Fate	Folded into DHX Media
Successor	DHX Studios
Headquarters	220 Bartley Drive, Toronto, Ontario , Canada
Key people	Linda Schuyler (COO) Stephen Stohn (President)
Services	Production, distribution, broadcast, and licensing of entertainment content for children and families
Parent	DHX Media (2014–2015)
Website	epitomepictures.com at the Wayback Machine (archived February 8, 2016)

The evolution of WildBrain

1968	FilmFair London is founded
1971	DIC Audiovisuel is founded
1972	Strawberry Shortcake brand is first developed
1974	CPLG is founded
1976	CINAR and Colossal Pictures are founded
1982	DIC Enterprises is founded
1984	Ragdoll Productions is founded
1986/1987	Andy Heyward takes over DIC Enterprises and renames it DIC Animation City with help from both Bear Sterns & Co and Prudential Insurance Co Jean Chalopin retains DIC Audiovisuel and establishes Créativité et Développement
1988	Studio B Productions is founded
1992	Epitome Pictures is founded
1993	Capital Cities/ABC purchases DIC Animation City, renaming it DIC Entertainment
1994	Both Wild Brain and Red Rover Studios were founded
1995	Platinum Disc Corporation is founded
1996	The Walt Disney Company purchases Capital Cities/ABC, which included DIC Entertainment as well CINAR buys FilmFair's library
1997	Decode Entertainment is founded
1999	Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base
2000	Andy Heyward re-acquires DIC Entertainment from The Walt Disney Company with help this time around from both Bain Capital and Chase Capital Partners
2002	Nerd Corps Entertainment is founded DIC Entertainment rebrands themselves onscreen as The Incredible World Of DIC
2004	Halifax Film Company is founded Michael Hirsh takes over CINAR and renames it as Cookie Jar Group
2005	Platinum Disc Corporation merge as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
2006	Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media DIC Entertainment acquires CPLG Ragdoll Productions forms a joint-venture with BBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide Wildbrain acquires stake in Kidrobot
2007	DHX Media buys Studio B Productions Wild Brain becomes Wildbrain Entertainment
2008	Cookie Jar Group purchases and folds DIC Entertainment House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios
2010	DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment Peanuts Worldwide is founded
2011	Decode Entertainment and Red Rover Studios both close
2012	DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group, Wildbrain Entertainment acquires Kidrobot as a whole
2013	DHX Media acquires Ragdoll Worldwide from Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide; despite that though, Ragdoll Productions themselves remain independent
2014	DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family content library, as well as Family, the Canadian English and French Disney Junior channels, and the Canadian version of Disney XD National Entertainment Collectibles Association acquires Kidrobot from Wildbrain Entertainment
2016	The WildBrain multi-channel network launches Studio B and Nerd Corps merge as DHX Studios
2017	Wildbrain Entertainment closes DHX Media buys Peanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake
2018	Halifax Film becomes Island of Misfits
2019	DHX Media rebrands as WildBrain Epitome Pictures closes the WildBrain MCN becomes WildBrain Spark
2020	CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG
2021	Echo Bridge folds into SP Distribution
2023	WildBrain acquires House of Cool
2024	WildBrain Spark merged into its parent company as WildBrain London
v t e

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 2019, Epitome was absorbed into DHX Media and the Epitome name and branding ceased.

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 April 2, 2019. On That Same Day, 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.

• Jimmy: Playing With Time (short film) ^[10]
• Our Cultural Fabric (1978, short film) ^[10]
• The Kids of Degrassi Street (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)
• 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) ^[13]

References

1. "Growing up Degrassi". Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
2. Zekas, Rita (2013-10-04). "Degrassi their home away from home". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781. Archived from the original on 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
3. Pinto, Jordan (April 2, 2019). "DHX to sell Toronto studio on Bartley Drive". Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
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. Houpt, Simon (3 April 2014). "DHX Media Buys Degrassi TV Studio". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
6. "DHX Media selling building in Toronto for $12 million, proceeds to pay down debt | Globalnews.ca". Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
7. "DHX Media changing name to WildBrain, begins reorganizing company | CBC News". Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
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. Ellis 2005 , pp. 8
10. West, Linda (September 1979). "Introducing...Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler" (PDF). Cinema Canada . Archived from the original on 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
11. "People want to name a Toronto laneway after Degrassi's co-creator". www.blogto.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
12. "Niki Kemeny Interview by Natalie Earl". 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
13. "Nick orders Knight Squad, goes for DHX's Mayhem". Kidscreen.com. Retrieved 22 October 2018.

Works cited

• Ellis, Kathryn (2005). The official 411 Degrassi generations. Fenn Pub. Co. ISBN   1-55168-278-8. OCLC   59136593.

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived February 8, 2016)
• Epitome Pictures Inc. archives at the University of Toronto Media Commons

43°43′11″N79°18′58″W / 43.71972°N 79.31611°W / 43.71972; -79.31611