Devillier Donegan Enterprises

Background

Devillier Donegan Enterprises (DDE) was a documentary distribution company established in 1980 by Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan. Their programs were often distributed on networks such as PBS, The Discovery Channel, and TLC, and internationally with ORF and Lion Television.

1st Logo (1980?-198?)

Logo: On a black background, we see the words "PRESENTED BY" in a white Ariel font, along with the company's name below, which is presented in a bold serif font. The first letter in each word is dark orange, while the rest of the text is colored yellow. The logo design also consists of five thick red lines, four of them above and below the names "DEVILLIER•DONEGAN" , and one underneath the word "ENTERPRISES".

FX/SFX: None

Music/Sounds: None

Availability: Extinct. Can be seen on original American television prints of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

2nd Logo (1980s?)

Logo: On a deep blue gradient background, we see the logo unfold, revealing the following text:

A DEVILLIER·DONEGAN ENTERPRISES Release

Five thin white lines, four above and below "DEVILLIER·DONEGAN" , and one underneath "ENTERPRISES" are also present within the logo's design. The text shines from left to right as the background darkens before the logo fades to black.

FX/SFX: Rather simple computer animation of the logo unfolding and shining.

Music/Sounds: None

Availability: Extinct.

3rd Logo (1990s? - 200?)

Logo: On a blue/black background, we see a shiny silver rectangle with star shapes cut into it, along with the text "DEVILLIER", "DONEGAN", and "ENTERPRISES" in silver, each with a silver underline. As the logo zooms in from the center of the screen, three golden CGI stars fly in from the right and flip across the screen before they zoom away from the camera and underneath the logo.

Variant:

On some releases, the byline "Distributed by" would fade in above the logo in a cursive script font.

FX/SFX: CGI for the logo zooming in and the animation of the stars.

Music/Sounds: A 5-note pizzicato string piece. On some releases the logo is either silent or the end music plays over.

Availability: Rare. It can be found on some PBS DVDs, including Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites and Peter & Paul and the Christian Revolution.

4th Logo (199?-2004?)

Logo: On a black background, we see a gold star-shaped crater forming and exploding. The crater turns blue as the logo from before in white zooms out to a comfortable position.

FX/SFX: CGI for the background animation and the formation of the logo

Music/Sounds: A three-note horn fanfare followed by a synth finish.

Availability: Uncommon. It is found on many PBS DVDs of the historical miniseries Empires, in addition to other DDE produced documentaries for the network.

5th Logo (2000s)

Logo: On a black background, we see the initials "DDE" swoop in from the bottom right of the screen. We then see a large silver star come into view from the top left. The large star then zooms back and rotates counter-clockwise, as three smaller stars appear, along with a black star-shaped shadow. The letters shine as the stars fall into place.

FX/SFX: 3D CGI animation for animating both the letters and the stars.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the show.

Availability: Uncommon. Found on home media releases of certain PBS specials, including Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire and The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance.