It all started with a film…

November 2020, we were sitting on our mom’s couch retelling the same chaotic story about the fateful day we made the 3-hour drive from Memphis to Nashville at 6am the morning of our Take Me Home concert show to see One Direction (June 19, 2013—yes, it was Juneteenth). We had 15 hours until the show, and we were in town way before our hotel would let us even check in. But we weren’t there to check in. We were there to use Amber’s fangirl research skills and Twitter update accounts to track down any members of One Direction we could. Spoiler alert: We did not meet One Direction. But we got so… so… close (and also maybe accidentally met some other boys).

In the middle of stomping around the living room, flailing, shouting, physically retracing the steps of that day, getting all riled up for the thousandth time that we were JUST ONE STEP BEHIND HARRY STYLES THE WHOLE TIME, Amanda said wait. This could be a movie. We have to immortalize this story somehow. So we outlined a short film right there, wine drunk and high on the fangirl energy that simply always arises when the two of us are together. And so THE DAY I DIDN’T MEET ONE DIRECTION was born.

Our first Fangirl Central variety show was just an excuse to screen the short. It was a 1D night, with a comedy musical act, a screening of the short, and a drag performance—us and 3 friends as One Direction themselves. It was so joyous and healing for us and the audience, that we said, let’s just do this with new fandom themes every month.

Fangirl Central was born out of a desire to center Black queer fandom, and bring the joy of fandom into our real world community. To at least try to materialize some of the magic we have felt, simply by belonging to different fandoms our entire lives, scrolling on Tumblr or going to San Diego Comic-Con, and not feeling like the weirdest, most obsessive, unhinged person in the room. And also the magic of learning that being the weirdest, most obsessive, unhinged person in the room is okay and actually really cool and fun.