Hello Kitty may not be a cat, but Johnny Cupcakes — real name Johnny Earle — is a very real person, and a pretty fucking cool one at that. We caught up with the musician turned t-shirt maven to learn about the latest hyphen on his business card: film programmer.

You’ll be introducing the movies in person at the Coolidge. What sort of insights can audiences expect when the series kicks off with Mean Girls?
I’m very excited to launch my movie series again! We did this successfully a few years back, but shifted focus when I was opening my London UK shop on Carnaby Street. Coolidge Corner Theatre is a special place to me, as my dad took my mom on dates there before I was born. Who knows, Coolidge could be responsible for my birth?

To play along with the back to school season, we thought it would be fun to launch with Mean Girls. For this movie, and almost all future Johnny Cupcakes Presents movies, there will be a small free gift for each attendee.

The Coolidge’s midnight movies often lean toward horror and cult classics. How are you selecting the movies for this series?
It will be a mixed theme each month with movies that fit with each current season or nearing holiday. If we’re stumped, we’ll have a backlog of good movies to choose from, many of which will be staples from most of our childhoods.

Any filmgoing quirks? Are you a talker, a husher, a front-rower, etc.?
I often choose where I’m going to see a movie based on the popcorn and butter. One time I was in a predicament, and I went as far as brown-bagging delicious popcorn from Coolidge to sneak into another theater that was showing the movie I’ve wanted to see.

JOHNNY CUPCAKES PRESENTS: MEAN GIRLS. COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, 290 HARVARD ST., BROOKLINE. SAT 9.27. 11:59PM/PG-13/$13. COOLIDGE.ORG