It may seem hard to believe, especially for fans of the current Degrassi: The Next Generation, but it was 24 years ago that the Degrassi franchise was born. In 1979, Toronto-based Epitome Pictures, with the support of PS Production Services, first started rolling on The Kids of Degrassi Street, a humorous and touching series about a group of children living in a racially and economically mixed downtown neighborhood.

Linda Schuyler, executive producer and president of Epitome, happily recalls those early days.

‘I remember when PS Productions was on Britain Street and we would pull up in our barely functioning Volkswagen bus to the back door to load equipment,’ she says. ‘This bus was not only our equipment truck, but our craft services vehicle, cast transport and executive limo.’

Now, nearly 25 years later, Epitome not only has a better van, but the production house and its related companies have also been actively involved in producing a wide range of television programs, with PS providing equipment for all of them: The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, School’s Out!, Degrassi Talks, Liberty Street, Riverdale and Degrassi: The Next Generation.

‘PS has been an outstanding supporter of low-budget Canadian content,’ says Schuyler. ‘Its willingness to accommodate limited budgets and strained cash flows has provided much-needed support to growing Canadian companies. Playing with Time [the name under which the Degrassi series were produced] and Epitome have been true beneficiaries of their generous business practices.

‘PS was always willing to help find creative solutions to our production and budgetary needs,’ continues Schuyler. ‘If they didn’t have the equipment we needed, they went and bought it.’

PS not only provided equipment for Epitome’s Toronto activities, but also set out on the road with the Degrassi Talks documentary production.

‘We traveled across Canada with PS equipment interviewing teenagers from the Atlantic to the Pacific on matters of sexuality, drugs, alcohol and depression. We put the PS equipment in the hands of our Degrassi stars as they turned the camera on real Canadian kids.’

Aside from PS’ gear, service, and reportedly excellent sushi lunches, what has kept Epitome a return customer is the bond that time and familiarity have formed.

‘As we at Epitome have grown, PS has grown in leaps and bounds,’ Schuyler reflects. ‘But despite changes to both our sizes and our personnel, we still remain good friends and business associates.’