It was out of a love for her city and a passion for enhancing the visibility of her community that Katie Shannon set out to create and deliver the upcoming webseries “617.” Set in Boston, MA, this new project focuses on a group of six twenty-something’s as they attempt to navigate life – sharing “laughs, successes and the oft-frequent hangover.” An out lesbian herself, Shannon’s goal was to offer audiences “a series that brings the LGBT community and the straight community together in one show.” Here, in a chat with Shannon, we learn more about “617,” the city it calls home, “Cat” the lesbian, and more.
CherryGRRL (CG): The trailer for the series gives us a nice little glimpse at a lesbian storyline. Now, the whole series looks great but tell us about that storyline specifically and how much screen-time will be dedicated to it.
[Creator] Katie Shannon (KS): The pilot episode focuses on one-night stands. This topic is shown through the viewpoint of two of the six main characters. These characters are Cat, the lesbian, as well as one of our male characters, Griffin. Cat’s specific story line is that her one-night stand of two months ago has turned into multiple “one-nighters” with a girl she can’t seem to get rid of… or so she thinks. Cat’s girlfriend recently left her, and this is her way of dealing with the loss.
CG: The city of Boston really serves as a character in this project. What is it about Boston that you wanted to showcase and why?
KS: I was born and raised in Massachusetts and also completed my undergraduate and graduate educations here so the area will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve lived in a lot of places and this is the city that I always want come back to. New Englanders, especially Bostonians, are fascinating people. I wanted that to come across in the series. The city itself has somewhat of a small town feel and that’s what I love about it. Also, shooting here has been amazing. Everyone has been so generous as far as letting us use their restaurants, apartments, and boutiques for scenes. The people of Boston really just want to be a part of something that is homegrown, and I love that.
CG: Will the characters have Boston accents?
KS: The male characters were born and bred in Quincy, so they have accents. All of our male actors are actually from Boston and the surrounding areas, so it works out nicely that their accents come naturally.
CG: What is the lesbian scene like in Boston?
KS: The Boston lesbian scene is definitely up and coming. It’s exciting to see how much it has grown and how much potential there is for it to grow even further. One of my goals in creating the character of Cat in “617” is to bring awareness to and help spark the Boston lesbian community. Dyke Night has been great for the lesbian community. Founder Kristen Porter started Dyke Night 13 years ago. It consists of creating a lesbian night at different bars all around the city. Club Café on Columbus is always a great gay spot for both men and women. There are dance clubs, drag bars, “Queereoke” at Midway Café, and more laid back bars in Jamaica Plain. There is something for everyone.
CG: So should they do a Real Housewives of Boston or a Real L Word: Boston?
KS: They should do a Real L Word Boston so I can be in it!
CG: There are a lot of stereotypes about your city – some of which are touched on in your clever series synopsis “Southie boys who like to beat up the Hahvard kids.” How does this project showcase aspects of the city and the people there in a different, refreshing way?
KS: In general, the people of Boston have more stereotypes placed on them than a lot of other cities, and of course you will always be able to find people that fit those stereotypes. The influx of Irish gangster movies shot in Boston has brought a great amount of attention to the people of Boston as well as to the growing film scene here. While this has been great for the city and the Boston film community, it has stamped Boston with a specific stereotype when in reality the city is so much more. You find all walks of life in Boston. People from Dorchester are different from people in Cambridge who are different from the people of Beacon Hill. “617” is unique in how it shows the diversity that Boston has to offer. While the six main characters represent two distinct groups, each episode incorporates people from different Boston subcultures. This is what makes this series so unique. The pilot episode features Slaine, one of Boston’s biggest hip-hop artists. Boston is definitely used as the 7th main character of the show, like NY was for Sex in the City. We believe it’s Boston’s time to shine. (continued on next page)
