User:ToQ100gou/Linda Schuyler (rewrite)
Linda Schuyler | |
|---|---|
 Schuyler in 2022 | |
| Born | Linda Bawcutt February 12, 1948 London, England |
| Occupation | Television producer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Max Stohn |
Linda Schuyler, CM OOnt (/ˈskaɪlər/; née Bawcutt; born February 12, 1948) is a Canadian television producer who is best-known for being a co-creator and executive producer of the Degrassi teen drama franchise. She is regarded as an influential figure in teenage television, and has received numerous awards and honours for her work.
Born in England, Schuyler emigrated with her family to Canada in the 1950s. After a car accident in 1968 that left her permanently infertile, Schuyler pursued a career as a teacher in Toronto and became inspired to venture into filmmaking by her diverse class, despite no prior experience. She founded Playing With Time with professional editor Kit Hood in 1976 and the two began making educational short films geared towards children. In 1979, she co-produced Ida Makes a Movie, a short film that became the genesis for a children's television series named The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979-86). This series was superseded by Degrassi Junior High (1987-89) and Degrassi High (1989-91), developed as a response to what she felt was inadequate programming targeted towards teenagers; both shows achieved critical acclaim and significant commercial success for the CBC, drawing in millions of viewers weekly and frequently referred to as the first teen drama series. Schuyler split from and dissolved her creative partnership with Hood in 1992 following a period of acrimony and creative differences and subsequently founded Epitome Pictures with Stephen Stohn. After a string of short-lived adult soap operas produced by Epitome in the 1990s, Schuyler co-created Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-15), which became a hit in the United States on The N and ran for fourteen seasons, and Degrassi: Next Class (2016-17), a shorter-lived Netflix soft reboot and attempt to appeal to Generation Z. She announced she wouldn't be involved in a planned HBO revival that was announced and later cancelled in 2022.
Schuyler was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994 for "opening lines of communication between adults and youth" with her television work. She received an Academy Achievement Award in 2010. She released a memoir, The Mother Of All Degrassi, in 2022.
Early life (1948-1974)[edit]
Linda Schuyler was born on February 12, 1948 in London, England, the daughter of Jack and Joyce Bawcutt. Jack was a Royal Air Force pilot stationed in Canada during World War II and had grown to like the country; in 1957, the family moved to "small-town" Paris, Ontario. Schuyler was a target of frequent bullying at school for her clothes and English accent.[1][2] In 1967, she accepted a scholarship from the University of Waterloo, but left after a few months,[3] instead travelling to the British Isles, with the intention of finding a job to fund a long-term stay in France.[3] It was cut short in England when she was in a car that collided with a double-decker bus, killing the other two occupants of the vehicle and severely injuring Schuyler, rendering her permanently infertile.[3]
Career (1976-2017)[edit]
Early Playing With Time projects[edit]
Playing With Time's first film was Jimmy: Playing With Time, a documentary about a marathon piano player attempting to break a world record.
The Kids of Degrassi Street[edit]
Degrassi Junior High[edit]
Degrassi High[edit]
Liberty Street[edit]
Riverdale[edit]
Degrassi: The Next Generation[edit]
Degrassi: Next Class[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Lecture Series: People Make History (Brantford) | Students - Wilfrid Laurier University". students.wlu.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ "Degrassi co-creator Linda Schuyler on why the franchise resonates with so many". CBC News. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Janice (November 24, 2001). "Back to school Degrassi". Ottawa Citizen. pp. E.2. Archived from the original on August 16, 2005.