CHICAGO — A trans and queer-led film collective is on a mission to bring stories told by LGBTQ+ people to screen, with the work embodying queer joy and community.
Transit Productions was cofounded in 2020 by Masen Colucci, Sarah Gaglione and local drag performer Irregular Girl.
As part of their work, the creators are tapping into Chicago’s drag scene, queer artists and fashionistas to increase — and influence — onscreen trans representation. The collective has produced music videos, TV shows, short films and more that center around “important, impactful and diverse LGBTQIA+ narratives,” Colucci said.
The founders, who are based in Lincoln Square and Rogers Park, blended their professional backgrounds and passion for cinema, art, writing, photography and performance art to create a production company that feels like a collaborative, inclusive project — akin to how the LGBTQ+ community functions, Colucci and Gaglione said.
“It really feels like in the queer art community that I’ve seen in Chicago, which obviously includes drag and otherwise, it really feels like if someone has the drive to make art and be present in the community, there’s space for people who really want to do that,” Gaglione said.
The collective began by filming drag shows, Pride festivals and produced other queer-centered videos for fun in 2020, the cofounders said. They gained broader recognition when they produced Denali Foxx and Kahmora Hall’s Chicago Drag Excellence in early 2021.
The collaborative project featured over 40 local drag performers that showed their resiliency, talent and community while clubs were shut down because of the pandemic, Colucci said.
“The whole community really came together, both performers and people on the crew, to make it happen,” Colucci said. “The beautiful thing about Transit and about the community that we work with is that everyone really uplifts each other and is willing to put in their time and effort to make something that everyone feels ownership of, which is kind of unique for film.”
With over two million views, the music video went viral in the Chicago drag community, touching other drag communities around the country and influencing them to create similar projects focused on celebrating queer joy, the cofounders said.
“It was amazing be able to have so many people get way bigger followings and be noticed by more people all over the country and world when it was a time when we were all on our phones, on our computers, desperate for joy,” said Irregular Girl, a trans woman who performs drag at Berlin and various LGBTQ festivals and events.
The project also brought together drag queens for a friendly competition that reinvigorated Chicago’s strong and diverse drag community, they said.
“That video was able to showcase that performers don’t need the club; performers don’t need a brick-and-mortar place to perform,” Irregular Girl said. “We’re able to just be beacons of joy for the queer and trans community and you can see us anywhere.”
Irregular Girl was the bridge between the local drag community and the creatives behind Transit Productions, who have gone on to produce other queer projects with drag performers they worked with in the drag excellence video.
Foxx, a contestant on season 13 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” who also helped spearhead the drag excellence video, said a company like Transit Productions amplifying queer and trans voices can change perspectives and uplift “our trans brothers and sisters.”
“Working with queer people in general is so important, not just gay people but queer people that understand the transgressive movements that we go through, but also the queer pride and what that means to really challenge gender and reproduce that in your art, and that’s really everything Transit represents,” Foxx said.
Transit Productions filmed an episode of Foxx’s “On Ice” TV show with drag queens Sugar and Spice and have more collaborations in the works, the co-founders said. The team also worked on season two of Bambi Bakes, a cannabis baking show hosted by drag queen Bambi Banks-Couleé, which features guests as they bake weed-infused treats in the kitchen, dine and gossip afterwards.
Transit Productions is currently working with Definition Theatre on its “Amplify” series, which highlights work from under-represented playwrights from the South Side, the cofounders said.
As the company continues to grow and expand its portfolio, the founders have grown in their “confidence in trusting our gut” and fostering relationships that will last forever, they said.
“We just try to stick to what we believe in and what feels good to us and that continues to pay off,” Gaglione said. “I’ve recently taken a second to reflect on some of the relationships we have made through this work and it feels really good.”
The collective is grateful for the people they’ve worked with, like Foxx, Miss Toto, Lucy Stoole and others, and the projects they’ve produced signal a strong future for Transit Productions, Colucci said.
“They have helped us get to this place that we can continue working on our craft and allowing us to grow with them as well,” he said. “You’re taking everyone up the ladder with you.”
The collective hopes to focus on developing short films, experimental films, and animated features next, while further engaging under-represented queer voices and developing new connections in the LGBTQ+ community.
Past projects have been financed by the team and their clients, but they hope to apply for arts grants and create a funding model to be able to have more money to create high-quality artwork. A studio for filming projects is another future goal, Colucci said.
“We always want to make sure that we are staying true to our message of lworking with the community and making sure that we’re meeting folks where they can be and making sure they get that production, value and quality that they deserve regardless of budget.”
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