MidtownGuy
October 20th, 2006, 05:50 PM
Astoria to star in Greek TV show about city life
By Nathan Duke
10/05/2006
The streets of Astoria may soon become recognizable to Greeks around the world after production begins on a new television show set in Queens but broadcast on Greece's top network.
"On 31st Street," created by Woodside writer-director Demetri Demirakos, 26, and Greek Cypriot actor Andreas Georgio, 24, will follow the stories of several 20-something Greek-Americans living in Astoria. It is scheduled to shoot in the Astoria neighborhood as well as parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The episodes, which will be broadcast next fall on Greece's Mega Channel and available to subscribers of the channel worldwide, will be broadcast mostly in Greek, but with some dialogue in English, said Konstantina Kontalipos, 28, associate producer for the show.
"Our aim is to, through the story, show different perspectives of how people live in New York," Georgio said. "Greeks want to see how people live in Astoria and what it is like."
The show's creators said most people who travel to the United States from Greece end up visiting Astoria, which has one of the world's largest Greek populations. Kontalipos said a number of Astoria cafes, restaurants and shops will make appearances in the show when it begins to air in Greece in October 2007.
In the show, Georgio, who has acted for several years on Greek television, will play lead character Alex Michaels, while Demirakos will act as writer and director of the episodes. The show's other six cast members will be made up of local thespians and actors from Greece, but most of the show's crew will be locals, Kontalipos said.
The show's creators and producers recently set up their production office for the show on 31st Street near 30th Avenue, where they will be based for at least 1 1/2 years while the 28 episodes of "On 31st Street" are shot around the city. If the show is successful, the company will produce further seasons and possibly films.
Kontalipos said she and Demirakos decided that Ikseni Productions would be a suitable name for their company because the Greek word in its title means "foreigners."
"When I go to Greece, I'm still American," said Astoria native Kontalipos. "So when we thought of the name for the company, we said we should call ourselves the foreigners because we're foreign in America and foreign in Greece."
By Nathan Duke
10/05/2006
The streets of Astoria may soon become recognizable to Greeks around the world after production begins on a new television show set in Queens but broadcast on Greece's top network.
"On 31st Street," created by Woodside writer-director Demetri Demirakos, 26, and Greek Cypriot actor Andreas Georgio, 24, will follow the stories of several 20-something Greek-Americans living in Astoria. It is scheduled to shoot in the Astoria neighborhood as well as parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The episodes, which will be broadcast next fall on Greece's Mega Channel and available to subscribers of the channel worldwide, will be broadcast mostly in Greek, but with some dialogue in English, said Konstantina Kontalipos, 28, associate producer for the show.
"Our aim is to, through the story, show different perspectives of how people live in New York," Georgio said. "Greeks want to see how people live in Astoria and what it is like."
The show's creators said most people who travel to the United States from Greece end up visiting Astoria, which has one of the world's largest Greek populations. Kontalipos said a number of Astoria cafes, restaurants and shops will make appearances in the show when it begins to air in Greece in October 2007.
In the show, Georgio, who has acted for several years on Greek television, will play lead character Alex Michaels, while Demirakos will act as writer and director of the episodes. The show's other six cast members will be made up of local thespians and actors from Greece, but most of the show's crew will be locals, Kontalipos said.
The show's creators and producers recently set up their production office for the show on 31st Street near 30th Avenue, where they will be based for at least 1 1/2 years while the 28 episodes of "On 31st Street" are shot around the city. If the show is successful, the company will produce further seasons and possibly films.
Kontalipos said she and Demirakos decided that Ikseni Productions would be a suitable name for their company because the Greek word in its title means "foreigners."
"When I go to Greece, I'm still American," said Astoria native Kontalipos. "So when we thought of the name for the company, we said we should call ourselves the foreigners because we're foreign in America and foreign in Greece."