COVID-19 testing for film, TV productions done by company founded by Windsorites

While COVID-19has had a devastating impact on many businesses, it has also created a niche for some new ones, including Pulsar UV.

Pulsar UV offers coronavirustesting and health and safety advice to film and TV productions, allowing themto continue making entertainment as the pandemic wears on.

Barbara Szeman, an assistantdirector who's worked on moviessuch as SuicideSquad and RoboCop(2014), founded the company, along with three otherWindsoriteswith medical and film industry backgrounds.

Theyrecognized the need for such services afterproduction shut down last spring.

"When the pandemic hit, as for many industries, the entire film industry came to a complete halt, and we honestly just wanted to help our friends get back to work and be part of the solution," shesaid on Windsor Morning on Monday.

In April, she reached out to colleagues and offered them her services.

"We actually ended up running entire departments for health and safety on multi-million-dollar productions," she said.

The company's clients include major motion pictures with 200 or more people on set. The company can't disclose the names of its clients because ofconfidentiality agreements, but iscurrently working with about five productions.

"We are constantly taking calls from more productions that are opening up, so we'll be very busy this coming season," she said.

They use the polymerase chain reactionor PCR test, considered the most accurate, and will soon introduce rapid testing.

The samples are analyzed bydiagnostic labs. The company has a doctor that oversees testing.

Pulsar UV will soon be offering private asymptomatic testing in Windsor,Szeman said.