Linda Schuyler
Linda Schuyler, CM OOnt (née Bawcutt; born in 1948 in London, England) is a Canadian television producer involved in the creation of the Degrassi series and Instant Star series of teen programs. Schuyler got her ideas for Degrassi from her former career as a teacher.The daughter of Jack and Joyce Bawcutt, Schuyler immigrated with her family to Canada in 1957 and was raised in Paris, Ontario.After dropping out of university, where she had been studying math, Schuyler earned her qualifications to be a school teacher and taught for four years at Earl Grey Senior Public School in Toronto's east end. In 1976, she and Kit Hood founded Playing With Time Inc., a production company which made short films and educational documentaries, in particular what became the Kids of Degrassi Street series for CBC Television which spawned the Degrassi franchise. In the early 1990s, Schuyler and Hood separated and Schuyler founded Epitome Pictures (subsidiary of DHX Media) which produced several television series and films including Degrassi: The Next Generation.In 1993, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2012, she was made a member of the Order of Ontario.In 1995, she married her producing partner Stephen Stohn.In 2010, she received the Academy Achievement Award, at a Gemini Award ceremony.