
Patterson-Partington
International Television Productions started in 1978 and grew
into one of Canada's largest independent suppliers of television
programming. TV networks contract Patterson-Partington and
its subsidiary, TV2GO, to produce documentaries and coverage
of many news events, elections and sports series. The latest series
in production is 8 x 1/2 hours for OLN, airing in the fall of 2005
in the US and Canada.
We’ve had
some exciting events recently at TV2GO! With the help of
our satellite uplink truck and teleport, we uplinked Mr President
Bill Clinton (that’s what you call an ex-president) in a Toronto,
Canada hotel speaking ‘live’ to a huge audience in the Barbican
in London, England. Mr Clinton was able to see and hear the London
group on our monitor and respond immediately to their questions
. They viewed him on a giant screen...and, by the way, he spoke
with no notes for more than two hours!

In the late 90’s, TV2GO was the first to offer DSNG digital
service in Canada. TV2GO opened its international teleport
offering a whole bouquet of satellite services in Toronto that previously
had to be expensively imported from the United States. TV2GO
now ‘satellites’ in one hop to and from the Americas, Europe, and
the Middle East. Asia and Australia are reached in two-hop uplinks
and downlinks. Last-minute news requests and top-quality standards
conversion are no problem. There are even PAL videotape machines
in the teleport. The company’s perspective as television production
professionals, rather than data or telephony specialists, has given
them a thorough and unique understanding of the needs of broadcasters.
TV2GO/Patterson-Partington
has produced many TV documentary one-off specials, including Moscow
McDonalds hosted by Christopher Plummer, Share the Flame
hosted by Leslie Neilson, and Targa Newfoundland hosted by
Jim Kenzie.

The
company has literally hundreds of credits in live news and current
affairs production for American networks such as NBC, CBS, ABC,
FOX and ESPN. Popular syndicated programs such as Current Affair
depend on TV2GO for crews and field production in Canada.
FOX Sports
has twice used TV2GO/Patterson Partington to help produce
flashy openings for the Super Bowl. One of them involved Michael
Douglas doing our voiceover work. Patterson-Partington regularly
contributes to Eurovision (European Broadcast Union), RAI (Italy)
and ASAHI (Japan).
TV2GO’
s involvment in the satellite business began with the Calgary Olympics
in 1988. TV2GO won the host-broadcast contract for the 88-day
Torch Relay that would open the Games. No appropriate vehicle existed
that included live-camera switching, sophisticated 3-machine tape
editing, graphics, commentary booth and transmission, so they built
one. TV2GO became the first private Canadian company to own
an uplink mobile. The company won the commission as host broadcaster
for the Olympic Torch Relay against every major broadcaster in North
America. This marathon required daily satellite highlights to be
broadcast around the world in several languages plus primetime documentaries
and a live appearance on ABC's Super Bowl broadcast.
Technical
innovations we "invented" have become industry norms.
In car racing, beginning in 1980, we gained fame for our unprecedented
use of tiny on-board cameras during world-class competitions, despite
initial opposition from drivers. We are developing and building
one of North America's first HDTV satellite trucks, to complement
our teleport which specializes in uplinking to and downlinking from
North and South America, Europe and the Middle East.
Whether
producing variety specials, effective corporate videos, host broadcasting
World Championship Sports Car races (live to 18 countries with 26
cameras!) or producing documentary specials, TV2GO/Patterson-Partington
has been there.
