About Us

We are one of Canada's leading media accessibility companies.

In the captioning business for 26 years.

Closed Caption Services (CCS) is an agile, family-owned, business providing fast, reliable service in closed captioning, offline captioning, live caption, web captioning and described video.

The company was founded in 1994 by Larry Gavin, after a successful career as a respected director, producer, and host for numerous broadcasters across the country. Mr. Gavin’s daughter, Brooke Woboditsch, was named president of CCS in 2016 after having served as General Manager for over 10 years.

In the beginning, CCS provided closed captioning services to CHUM Television’s new CityTv stations, as well as their network of “A Channels”. Building on our success with CHUM, we acquired captioning business with Rogers, CTV (now Bell), NewCap, S-Vox, Cogeco Television (Kingston and Peterborough), Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Pattison Group, TVO, and more.

CCS is now one of Canada’s most recognized media accessibility companies in the television broadcast industry.

Staying Current

The demand and regulation in the field of accessible programming, and the expectations of quality and accuracy in captioning, is at an all time high. Staying current is a must, and we do this through a constant review of the latest advances and news in the the world of media accessibility, review mandates from regulators, and ensure that we are always delivering the highest standards of excellence in the business.

Brooke Woboditsch, President of CCS, was a member of the 2016 Work Group comprised of broadcasters, captioning user advocacy groups, captioning providers and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. The 2016 Working Group tested alternative methods to measure the captioning accuracy, with a view to improving the quality. The Working Group submitted their recommendation to the CRTC in November of 2018, and proposed that the NER Method which was adapted to Canadian standards, be adopted.

Through staff membership in SMPTE, attendance at the annual NAB Shows (Las Vegas and New York City) and CCW, CCS stays up to date with emerging technologies in anticipation of client requirements.  Lately, CCS has developed solutions for HTML.5 video protocol, particularly in regards to the closed captioning component (WEBVTT format, which is expected to become the industry standard for internet and mobile devices). CCS is also proactively working with closed captioning software developers to improve end user experience and eliminate coding “bugs”.

Our Team

We have been making media accessible for 29 years.

Brooke Woboditsch

President

As President of CCS, Brooke ensures that systems run smoothly and efficiently. With an eye on the future, Brooke is continually developing new and custom workflows for clients. Brooke served as General Manager for nearly a decade before becoming President in 2016. Under her leadership, CCS has become a full service company providing captioning and descriptive video attracting most of the major networks in Canada.

Peter Papulkas

Chief Scheduling Officer

As Chief Information Officer, Peter supervises the day-to-day requirements of our clients in terms of their captioning needs and after hours requirements. He is knowledgeable of both client and captioner personnel. Peter has 27 years’ experience in broadcast television including sports broadcasting, Production, Programming, Traffic and Operations with Rogers Media and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and over 4 years with CCS.

James Wegg

Director of Development

As Director of Development, James keeps us on top of all new activities in the captioning field. He attends industry events and conferences and has broad technical skills in the captioning field. James also developed and maintains our scheduling software and initiates technical and admin reports as needed for ourselves and our clients. James takes on many offline captioning assignments and helps train other CCS captioners as new techniques and client or regulatory requirements evolve.

Nigel Fuller

Marketing Officer

Nigel is CCS’s Marketing Officer. Nigel acts as liaison with clients during the development and renewal phases of their relationship with CCS. Nigel also keeps on top of events in the industry that impact CCS business going forward. Nigel spent over 30 years in the industry, ending his career with CHUM TV as VP on their Conventional Television Group in Ontario (Citytv, CP24, CFPL, CHRO and CKVR).

Kat Germain

Director of Development, Described Video

As Director of Development, Described Video, Kat provides leadership, training and mentorship to a group of over 10 Described Video Professionals. Kat brings extensive experience to CCS as a professional Audio Describer who specializes in live improvised Audio Description, including work for The National Arts Centre, Stratford Festival and numerous Canadian universities. Kat has over 25 years of experience as an actor, voice-over artist and writer for stage and screen, and 18 years with the Ontario College of Teachers. Kat’s work as an activist/advocate for people who are Deaf or disability-identified keeps CCS on top of Best Practices and the latest developments in the end user communities.

Kira Yager

Schedule Coordinator & Media Relations

As Schedule Coordinator and contributor to the Media Relations division, Kira brings more than 20 years of media industry experience to her position with CCS. Kira has worked in the radio broadcasting industry as a copywriter, voiceover artist and traffic reporter. She is now applying the many skills she has garnered over the years to ensure CCS continues to thrive in an ever changing, fast-paced media market. Kira holds a bachelor of arts degree in English, Film & Communications from McGill University and in her spare time enjoys reading, writing, and taking long walks with her australian shepherd, Zenya.