(March 29, 2016 – Toronto, ON) Let’s face it, the name Video Services Corp. could have been anything, could have meant anything. Maybe it was a guy in an old Econoline who would come to your home to fix your VCR. Maybe it was a high-tech company that serviced monitors for major TV networks. None of those, thankfully. In fact, Video Services Corp. (VSC) was Canada’s oldest independent distributor of film and television programming. It was started 23 years ago by Jonathan Gross who has decided his company needed a new name. Enter Unobstructed View Inc.
“This is mostly cosmetic because the word ‘Video’ has become somewhat quaint in these meme-orable times” said Mr. Gross, the former rock critic. “VSC was actually concocted in a hurry because we started the company on short notice by buying the contents of Video Entertainment Corp. in Kitchener. It was a gamble. Back then our sole distribution platform was VHS and maybe a little Betamax. Today there are more formats than video stores. The name Unobstructed View lovingly refers to the arenas and stadiums of my youth, which had many seats that at times offered only an ‘Obstructed View’ of the stage or the playing field. At the same time, what we are trying to do with the company is bring films to the public that have clearer sightlines to the ultimate truths in life.”
Before the name change, VSC’s 2015 slate included an impressive roster of documentaries, including The Wrecking Crew, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, This Changes Everything, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead and Best Of Enemies. On the narrative side, the company had a strong slate that included the Oscar®-nominated Jordanian film Theeb, Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, Tangerine, and 2014 TIFF Midnight Madness Audience Award winner, What We Do In The Shadows.
Upcoming films and TV releases include Hot Docs Selection Tickled, TIFF selection Sunset Song, Participant’s gritty new investigative series Truth & Power and Canadian theatrical releases No Men Beyond This Point and First Round Down, now in post-production.
Unobstructed View is a full-service distributor with direct relationships on every platform, and will continue its commitment to tailor distribution strategies across all platforms, from theatrical release to home video, VOD, and television. The company owns a catalog of hundreds of film and TV titles and has ongoing distribution agreements with Magnolia, Film Movement, Kino Lorber and Synapse, just to name a few.
Recently Unobstructed View moved to a new location that features a distribution facility because, according to Mr. Gross, “the packaged media business is getting a little smaller every year and as we still believe in the platform, we need to service our customers on a more direct basis.”
