EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Matt Palazzolo on the Success of Hit Web Series 'Bloomers' and What's Ahead in Season 3

Bloomers creator and star Matt Palazzolo.

Bloomers creator and star Matt Palazzolo is ready for the next chapter in the story of his Indie Series Award-winning web series to be told. He has crafted 13 new 22 minute episodes for a third season that are sure to surprise, shock and captivate Bloomer's growing audience of nearly 12 million viewers and twenty-two thousand subscribers. It's another success story for Palazzolo, who continues to make his mark, both on stage and off.

Palazzolo grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to attend UCLA and pursue a career as an actor and filmmaker. Soon after, he originated the role of Fever, a street prostitute, in the workshop of the NAACP Award-winning musical "City Kid" and entered the world of video art, creating "Green Room," an experimental short about growing up gay in a digital world that gained international recognition. He received rave reviews for his performance in the successful indie feature film You Should Meet My Son, and starred in super hero movie Real Heroes. In addition to the entertainment industry, Palazzolo works as an LGBT activist, serves on the City of West Hollywood Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board. In 2010, he wrote and directed a PSA, "Be Counted," starring George Takei and his husband, Brad Altman, to encourage same-sex couples to fill out the Census.

With so many shining achievements over the past decade it was no surprise when Palazzolo created the hit ensemble dramedy Bloomers, a show about growing out of your twenties and surviving in Los Angeles. In addition to his writing and producing duties, Palazzolo stars as Brooke Matsumoto, a steady rock to his close circle of friends but a flawed character learning and growing after many setbacks in life and love. The cast – which also includes series regulars Fernanda Espíndola, Jay Ali, Nathan Frizzell, Holly Holstein, Kristin Barker Swati Kapila – was nominated for Best Ensemble at this year's ISAs for their phenomenal work in the show's second season, and production on Season 3 is ready to begin after a successful IndieGoGo campaign.

Serial Scoop recently caught up with Palazzolo to get his thoughts on the heartbreaking Season 2 finale, what's ahead in Season 3, and the secret to Bloomers success. Read our exclusive interview below.

SERIAL SCOOP: We should start with the end of Season 2. It was heartbreaking. How do Vaughn (Ali) and Francesca (Espíndola) come back from losing their baby?
MATT PALAZZOLO: In many ways that's what the third season is all about for Vaughan and Francesca. Season 3 has a time jump. Episode 1 begins a year after the shooting and the loss of
the baby and we find each character very much still in the midst of figuring out how to process those events. Season 3 is about acceptance and moving on – and all the painfully funny ways we try to do that.

SERIAL SCOOP: Bloomers is a champion for diversity, Joanna (Kapila), Francesca and Vaughn are all examples. Why do you think we don't see more of this in entertainment? It's 2014!
MATT PALAZZOLO: It's always a challenge to try something new, especially when there's large financial backing. Bloomers and web series in general typically don't have large financial backing and sure it makes production challenging, but it also allows us to do creatively whatever we feel like – and that includes telling stories about people who often get ignored in media. One thing I'm particularly excited about for season 3 is Joanna's continuing evolution as a Muslim American. Joanna will have probably the most shocking episode of the season.

SERIAL SCOOP: The LGBT universe is expanding in Season 3. Can you tell me what we can
expect?
MATT PALAZZOLO: In Season 3 we will see the return of Husbands star Sean Hemeon as Ken and Paul S. Tracey as Jaxon, the bisexual soldier suffering from PTSD. Season 3 will also continue to explore Clarissa's (Barker) evolving sexuality and will also see the introduction of a transgender character. She's a police officer and she's awesome.

SERIAL SCOOP: I have to know about Brooke. What will be happening in his love life?
MATT PALAZZOLO: Oh dear. Brooke's love life is a huge story point in season 3. As I said in my answer to the previous question, both Ken and Jaxon will be back and they will be playing a role in
Brooke's love life. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to describe it any further without giving away major spoilers. I don't think I can. I'm confident that audiences, gay and straight, will be rooting for Brooke this season, though.

Bloomers' featured a steamy shower scene between
Brooke and Ken in Season 2.

SERIAL SCOOP: The shower scene you shot with Sean? Must have been tough, right?
MATT PALAZZOLO: It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. [Laughs] Actually it was a difficult scene to shoot. It may have looked sexy, but in reality it was at the end of a very long and complicated shoot day and what you don't see in frame is bad swimsuits and
awkwardly positioned legs. Shooting the scene also required Sean and I to explain to a straight male crew member how gay men have sex facing each other. He didn't quite get the logistics of it.

SERIAL SCOOP: What's it like having Tim Russ on your team as a director?
MATT PALAZZOLO: Amazing, Tim Russ is a very talented director. He also has such a rich history in television as he was a series regular on both Samantha Who? and Star Trek: Voyager.
His in-front-of and behind-the-camera experience that he contributes is a huge factor in allowing us to shoot efficiently. He's also a great guy to shoot the shit with. You can have a great conversation with Tim about almost anything.

SERIAL SCOOP: I personally witnessed the chemistry your cast possesses at the Indie Series
Awards in April and the series was nominated for best ensemble in a comedy. What's the secret?
MATT PALAZZOLO: Thanks for that compliment. The secret is good luck. And having lots of friends who also happen to be hard working actors. And also just remembering that at the end of the day if you're not having fun working on a project then you shouldn't be doing it. Even if it pays you a million dollars… or in the case of Bloomers, even if you get free pizza.

SERIAL SCOOP: Bloomers has a new relationship with Collective Digital Studio. What impact will that have on the series?
MATT PALAZZOLO: CDS is opening some wonderful doors for us. Season 3 will see more involvement from the YouTube community: comedians, actors, musicians, vloggers, all of the above.

SERIAL SCOOP: How is the IndieGoGo Campaign going?
MATT PALAZZOLO: It's all over! Thank you everyone who contributed!

SERIAL SCOOP: What should our audience know about Bloomers?
MATT PALAZZOLO: There's love. There's sex. There's underwear. There's a shooting. There's loss. There are fart jokes. There is a homeless man dressed like Jesus. And we treat each of these
topics with equal importance.

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Find Bloomers on YouTube: http://youtube.com/bloomerstheseries
Bloomers Official Website: http://bloomerstheseries.com
Follow Matt Palazzolo on Twitter: @MattPalazzolo

Michael Goldberg is a freelance writer, producer and actor based out of New York. He regularly contributes television and web series features to Serial Scoop.