617 The Series

617 The Series began a Kickstarter campaign two weeks ago in order to raise more funds for our growing media presence. 

In addition to our production costs, we also maintain a web-site with podcasts, photos, spoof videos and more. We Tweet, We Facebook, We Tumble and YouTube. We promote relentlessly. We brainstorm the next step. We won’t give up. 

Katie and I have been working on 617 The Series since November of 2010. We have both been in the business for several years before this. 

These days asking for money is tough. I know, I bar tend and coat check on the side to make sure I can still pay my bills. What we ask is a small amount to continue to do what we are capable and built to do with our lives. I know in my heart that our goals are genuine: we want to bring a full production to the city of Boston.

We want to employ hundreds of crew members, many local talents and we want to inspire the next couple of individuals that they can go out and make something happen for themselves. They can build a business an empire and in turn keep this world and economy turning. 

Support us today and I promise we will never forget your contribution.

DONATE VIA OUR KICKSTARTER HERE:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1909809246/617-the-series/backers

Oh man if we only had a $1 for every view! 

Just Kidding! 

We are SO overwhelmed and happy with the response we’ve had in the past 24 hours. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! and please keep spreading the word! 

All the best,

Katie and Amy 

What a year 2011 has been. I started off the year sitting in coffee shops around Boston meeting with just about anyone who was anyone in production. Sometimes I would enter these meetings not even realizing myself what I was putting together. I was looking for insight, colleagues, advice-givers, friends and support. What I spoke about was an idea to bring a full-scale T.V. production to the city of Boston, about Boston, by people living in the city and for the greater national public. What I was speaking about was 617, THE SERIES. I met with DP’s, Gaffer’s, AC’s, Assistant Directors, hopeful, young P.A.’s, Sound Mixers, other producers and development talents from New England and finally a crew was born. 

Casting was also a glimmer in mine and Katie’s eyes at the beginning of 2011. Beginning with Patrick Driscoll, who was cast as GRIFFIN, we quickly found our SULLY (Nick Apostolides), our SCOTTY (Mike Underhill) and our ALANA danced into our hearts as well (Audrey Claire Johnson). Lastly, but surely not least we found our SIOBHAN, Boston’s theater hearthrob, Miss Kris Sidberry. 

We shot the pilot episode over the spring of 2011. Our first shoot began on St. Patrick’s Day, here in our very Irish city and continued for the next three days. When June came around we went in to shoot the final 12 minutes of the pilot and have since been working to build our fan base, polish up our website and expand on our New Media presence by providing a pod-cast, spoof videos and more for our public. 

Our Facebook fan page has almost reached 500 fans, when we started I think we had something around 20 fans. I am so thrilled and I know Katie is too to finally show you our product, our pilot episode, which took us over a year to put together. 

We have big plans for our future. In conjunction with the pilot launch we will be launching a Kickstarter campaign. We are going to begin our round-table writing sessions to write our episode with a team of 8 writers; we are shooting our 2nd and 3rd episodes in January of 2012; we have a long list of sponsors and investors and finally distribution that we plan on seeking. We are fully committed to finding a home and a life for our show, most importantly we want to work towards providing an on-going series for production and television crew and professionals here in New England. 

Thank you to all my crew members, all the business owners that lent us a helping hand and let us shoot at their locations, all of our equipment providers, our talented cast, our closest friends and family. And thank you to Katie Shannon, for giving me the opportunity to breathe her hilarious ideas into what we know 617 as today. 

Lastly, thank you to all our fans for your time and support. Please spread the word about our Kickstarter campaign and please feel free to tell us your thoughts about the pilot episode. 

And if you don’t like it. I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry. 

—

Amy DePaola,

5:50P.M. Monday, December 12th, 2011 (one hr. and nine minutes till the pilot episode airs)

This past week the gang of 617 The Series began production on a series of spoof videos created by members of the cast. Our first spoof video was conceived by our cast member, Shauna Colleary, who after a short improv about a bloody mary became a regular supporting character.

Sheryl, the man-chasing, beer drinking waitress at Murphy’s Law is played by Colleary. Her quick wit and direct humor gives us a lot to work with. It was Colleary that came up with the idea to “Occupy Boston Sheryl Style,” and suggested that she stand outside the protest holding a sign that read: I WANT TO MARRY A CEO.

With hashtags 617THESERIES and accompanied by Amy DePaola, who mocked an English reporter named “Barbie Walters,” Colleary furthered her improv by providing Sheryl’s “stats” on her sign: She’s 26, She likes chocolate labs, The Bruins (Stanley Cup Champs Kid!) and blueberry vodka - she can be the 1%. 

Stay tuned for the video which will go viral in the next few days on our YouTube channel, 617 The Series and Keep up to date on everything 617 by visting www.617theseries.com 

WOW, WOW! WHAT A WEEK!

“617” was featured in the following media outlets in just this week alone!

- NewEnglandFilm.com

- DirtyWaterNews.com and Dirty Water News print

- CherryGrrl.com

Thank you to everyone who is getting us noticed!

Click here to read more:

http://www.dirtywaternews.com/index.php/current-issue/issue-30-jan-27-feb-10/trends/1193-film-takes-to-the-streets

http://www.newenglandfilm.com/magazine/2011/11/617

http://cherrygrrl.com/webseries-spotlight-617/

Actress Audrey Claire Johnson reflects back on her first day on set up through the wrap of our pilot episode, “One Nighters.” Check out www.617theseries.com for more updates on Audrey and the rest of the “617” gang!

Stumbling off the red line at 5:35 the morning after St. Patrick’s Day, I finally realized what the phrase “life imitating art” actually meant. I was headed to my first day on set in South Boston while the rest of the city, snored soundly in the Celtics pajamas and dreamt of green beer waterfalling out of the Stanley Cup* (*a reality that occurred a mere two months after we wrapped.) And by my sleep-deprived, dressed-in-the-dark appearance I was a dead ringer for my character, Alana.

Our first episode was titled “One Nighters.” Teamed with Kris and Rachel, my on-screen besties. I was a tad starry-eyed sitting in the hold land for Boston actors, Murphy’s Law!!

Katie, Amy and Andria (our DP) were terrific at directing us and the crew, one of the most dedicated that I’ve been a part of. 

As we trekked to Back Bay, Charles Street and the North End I felt the moments we were capturing could equal my own real life experiences in the city of Boston. I adore playing Alana and hope our audience will recognize her compassionate though slightly off-beat spirit in themselves.

Actor Mike Underhill spills the beans from set, some adventures with writer/director Katie Shannon and the (very true) and unique way he was cast in the series! check out www.617theseries.com for more updates from Mike and the rest of the “617” gang.

Here we are, having wrapped the pilot for 617. What an experience. Not only did I get to meet some fantastic cast members who I am very very excited to be collaborating with in the future, I think we assembled the finest young talent of production and administration crew in town. If I know anything about T.V. or Film, it’s that those  are the people who are going to make me look good. And needless to say, I feel pretty darn good about how we’re gonna look.

We also got the chance to work with up and coming local actor/rapper Slaine, who is best known for his roles in The Town and Gone, Baby Gone. He is a very funny guy who was very fun to shoot “off-book” takes because you never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. He helped us guys keep loose and natural.

Speaking of the boys, myself, Nick and Pat, all had a great time pouring over the script, finding ways to stretch a joke here, make Sully look foolish there, or deepen their friendship wherever. I’m really excited to go forward with these guys. We’re gonna have a good time.

Another neat little perk of this whole experience is that the very generous folks over at Murphy’s Law have let us film in one of the most iconic bars in Southie. I like the feeling of doing a project the same place the Affleck brothers have worked.

Lastly, our dynamic duo of Katie and Amy have put together a cracker jack project and I am so excited not just to be working with them, but to have met them and have them in my life. Fellow castmate Rachel and I joined Katie and some friends at the rainy Pride Parade and just had a blast, albeit freezing in the rain. That was quickly solved by some daytime drinking with the crew before I had to head into work.  

Funny story about work and our producer, Amy. I had been working at a local cafe and I saw this woman coming in with her silver macbook everyday for hours at a time. A rotating door of eager, young faces joining her for interviews. I kept overhearing the word “episode” and couldn’t help but asking by the end of the week what she was interviewing for. I had heard about 617 on NewEnglandFilm.com and said “could you wait one moment”, ran downstairs and grabbed my headshot and resume and one thing led to another, I got an audition! Total actor-waiter fantasy. — I got a callback and was then informed by Amy that Katie wanted to see what I had to offer, but she was in California, so I skype-auditioned with her. First time I’d ever done that! And thats how I got involved, and quite frankly, I couldn’t be more pleased my dears!