Behind the Queens
We’re Here creators Johnnie Ingram and Stephen Warren put a new spin on a timeworn genre and bring it to vibrant, dramatic life. By Randy Shulman
O
UR QUEENS ARE REALITY STARS,” SAYS JOHNNIE Ingram. “They’re born from reality television, a thing that is part of pop culture now. And we are bringing this new version of drag, which is finally getting respect as an art form it deserves, to these small towns.” Ingram, with his husband, Stephen Warren, created and executive produces We’re Here. It’s the couple’s first foray into television production, though they’re no strangers to the creative arts. Warren, a co-chair of GLAAD for several years, has worked as an entertainment lawyer for three decades, while Ingram served as an advertising creative director and has been the driving force behind several notable socially conscious ad campaigns. Both men hail from small-town upbringings — Ingram from the relatively tiny Morristown, Tennessee, and Warren from the slightly larger Rochester, New York. “When Johnnie and I conceived of the show,” says Warren, “we knew we wanted to feature towns that were small enough so that it feels like a com46
APRIL 23, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
munity that's tight-knit, yet big enough so that there's enough people to choose from [as candidates for transformation]. We wanted towns that were reflective of the American experience in different ways.” The six-episode HBO series kicks off with Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and then bounces around the country, going from Branson, Missouri to Twin Falls, Idaho to Shiprock, New Mexico. “The town is very much a character in the show,” adds Ingram. “The town often is struggling with its own identity. I think that adds a little tension.” Still, says Warren, “we weren't able to capture on film some of the more subtle aspects of homophobia, transphobia, black-phobia that exist in these places because people aren't comfortable just saying, ‘Oh, I don't like you, blah, blah, blah.’ The majority of the people we encountered were very, very friendly. But there were a lot of people who would basically say ‘I can't come [to the drag show], I've got football plans,’ or ‘I’m going to the mall that night.’” Getting HBO on board with the show turned out to be easier
