Straight guys and lesbians live together all the time, right?
That’s what one dynamic local filmmaker Justine Stevens wanted to explore with a new eight-part web series she wrote and directed, dubbed The Girls Guide, which premiered on YouTube earlier this fall.
"I have always thought that the relationship between lesbians and straight guys was an interesting one and that is where the concept of having the show revolve around the three roommates came from," Stevens explains.
Each episode focuses on the lives of Lucy, Victoria, and Shaun - all friends since high school who are currently roommates. The three each have quite individual tastes; however, they have one thing in common, girls. The series follows the three as they struggle to form meaningful, lasting relationships in the years following college.
"Of course, I think in all of the characters there is a little bit of myself as well as different bits from a lot of my close friends. I think it is impossible to write a show or film where your personal experiences don’t creep in somehow."
The show premiered on September 19th on YouTube to an overwhelmingly positive response, and proceeded to premiere a new episode each Thursday, garnering thousands of hits. The show was produced independently on a small budget with money raised from RocketHub.
"We’re so excited about the response to the show, which has been extremely positive. I really had no expectations for how many people were going to watch the show or care about it, but the response has been greater then I could have asked for," she says, adding the first episode has over 8,000 views. "It is also great seeing some of the comments that the show has gotten and you can see that a lot of people are getting invested in the characters and I think that’s what you want more than anything."
Stevens was born and raised in Calgary and has a self-professed love for the city. Moving away for school, she missed Calgary and while she moved back to Calgary in June, she did have some reservations.
"I was a little worried about the state of the industry in the city and that I wouldn’t be able to find work but it hasn’t been anything like that for me. This industry is all about networking and I have met some great and talented people in the short time I have been back."
Since the first season aired, a lot of viewers have asked Stevens if there will be a second, to which she is cautiously optimistic.
"A lot of our viewers seem to be sad that we only have eight episodes. To be honest, I would love to make a second season, I really enjoyed the process of making the show and I got to work with amazing people. If there is an audience and if we can secure some funding - they may not have seen the last of The Girls Guide."