Drama from Queenz

YouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google.With YouTube being the new second choice for watching television and a first for many, you have to credit them for offering their viewers unique content along with regular programming. I personally spend a few hours on YouTube per day catching up on my favorite shows and the new web-series Drama Queenz is one of them. Drama Queenz created by Dane Joseph is a replica of his life with his two other roommates, it explores the life of the up and coming actors Preston, Davis, and Jeremiah, DRAMA QUEENZ is a comedy web series composed of ten-minute episodes about three actors dealing with life, love, and auditioning in Queens, New York, hence “Drama Queenz”. I had the wonderful opportunity of speaking with the creator and star of the show Dane Joseph and this is what he had to say…

1.What inspired you to create Drama Queenz? In real life, Troy (Preston), Kristen (Davis), and I (Jeremiah) are roommates and have been best friends for over ten years. People were always telling us that we should have a reality TV show because they thought we were so funny. One day, I was thinking about our lives in the City as actors, and thought it would make a great series. I sat down and wrote the ten page pilot episode, showed it to the boys, and the rest is history, as they say.

2. Who are your main characters and what are their deepest secrets? The three main characters are Jeremiah (a dreamer with incredibly bad audition luck), Davis (a perfectionist who produces uneven results), and Preston (the realist whose personal hang-ups creates sensational drama). As far as their deepest secrets, I'm not sure. I think their biggest dream is just to be happy here in the City, which is probably some combination of success, love, and friendship. How to formulate that concoction is what causes all the drama!

3. What kind of comparisons have you heard your work up against? Of course, we hear NOAH'S ARC, but I believe any show with black, gay characters will get that comparison. With that said, we're honored to be compared to such a show, as well as SEX AND THE CITY, which we also get a lot. Those shows clearly moved people and set a precedent, and we'd love to reach that level of success one day.

4. What's do you like most about your production? The fact that I get to do with my best friends is the most amazing thing. I love, appreciate, and cherish their talents and opinions so much, and it's great to produce something you're proud of in such an environment. It's also a great feeling once an episode is completed and you know that you were responsible for that. The creativity aspect is priceless. It also helps that the fans have been overwhelmingly positive about our work, which only makes us want to work harder.

5. Did you come up with your concept of your series before the title? It kind of happened concurrently. We were living in Astoria, Queens at the time, and being that the show is about actors, the name DRAMA QUEENZ instantly came to me.

6. For real life Drama Queenz what is some advice you can give them about getting into the world of entertainment in New York? You just have to jump in there and do what you want. I make a personal commitment to always do something for my passion everyday. If you're serious about getting started, pick-up a Backstage and go to an audition, or get in class or just do your own thing. If you just start doing something and stay committed, you're destined to go somewhere.

7. How similar is the series to your real life?The show is loosely based on our real lives, but is definitely heightened. Many of the audition situations were handpicked from stories we have or our friends have, but the majority of things we just think are interesting and funny...and we hope others do, too.

Drama Queenz Episode 1