Where We’re At and What’s Next?
Hello and happy Monday!
It has been quite the whirlwind since the docuseries announcement and website relaunch and I couldn’t be more excited. Things are moving forward at a steady pace and I can’t wait to let y’all in on some things coming up in the near future. We’ll definitely have some more announcements not far down the road, but in the meantime I thought I’d take this week to give an update on where we’re at in production and what is on the docket next.
Thus far in 2023 we have been focused more on the logistics of our pivot from feature length film to multi-episode docuseries. The last shoot we did was in December in New York. We were able to talk to a professor who teaches a course in Fandom Studies at Ithaca College as well as sitting down with one of her past students. We spoke with the Executive Director, Student Equity & Belonging & Director of LGBTQ+ Education, Outreach Services on the same campus. He has been there just over twenty years and could speak passionately about the progress of queer representation in those years - where we were, where we are, and where we need to go. We then traveled up to Buffalo and on top of visiting Niagara Falls for a solid twenty minutes were able to chat with one of the creators and directors of Earp Division Expo, a fan convention with the cast and writers of the television show, Wynonna Earp. EDE is working on hosting its second con and we were able to gain a new perspective on fandom culture.
We’re currently gearing up for our first shoot of the year which will be taking us to Kauai, HI in just a few weeks! One of our main subjects resides there surrounded by family and sunshine and we can’t wait for her to welcome us into her home to share her stories about queer representation and fandom involvement. We’ve also spoken with her in Columbus and Toronto and can’t wait to round out her story.
We’ll also be returning to Pittsburgh where another of our subjects live. We actually started our filming journey with her a year ago and continued to follow her throughout her convention travels this past summer in Columbus, New Orleans, Anaheim, and Toronto. Now that we have decided to open the conversation of LGBTQ+ representation up a bit, it is important to return to discuss some of the other fandoms she fights for such as Warrior Nun and A League of Their Own. Having been mostly filmed in Pittsburgh, A League of Their Own has some notable locations we’d love to visit. We’ll also be spending some more time with her family as it is important to note that representation doesn’t only matter within the walls of a convention or fandom. Everyday lives are affected by how we see and feel about ourselves and if we feel “other” or invisible then that’s how we walk through our lives.
There are plenty of other people and locations we’d love to shoot. Many. And some of those are in the works. What we are able to accomplish, unfortunately, is directly correlated to two fickle, fickle beasts - time and funding. We have a new series-focused Go Fund Me page that will remain open for rolling donations. There’s a button below in the menu if any of you feel so inclined to help the cause. Truly, every little bit helps. Also, if you or someone you know has control over how time works, I’d love to talk with them. I have a few suggestions and favors to ask.
As far as this little blog is concerned, I have some exciting ideas heading your way but am always open to suggestions. Feel free to contact me through our contact page or shoot a DM to us on Twitter and Instagram @earperfilm or me directly on Twitter @_amberalexander. I hope to get some good interviews up here soon so be sure to subscribe and meet me back here weekly!
