Tripper of the Week: Brendan Bradley
Brendan Bradley is the creator of Squatters the Series, an award-winning online series about two best friends who make a bet to see who can last longest in New York City without paying rent. One is Alex, an office geek who secretly converts his office cubicle into hidden sleeping quarters. The other is Hank, who relies on his frat boy charm to seduce women and “take them back to their place" - every night. Brendan plays Hank and is this week's Tripper of the Week.
How did you come up with the idea for Squatters? And how much like your character Hank are you?
I came up with The idea for a homeless sitcom while I was couch surfing in Los Angeles. I pulled a lot from my own experiences being "between places" in New York City and Squatters pretty much wrote itself from there. Funny enough, I relate a lot more to the Alex character, but several people told me "you're the only person I know who can play a complete douchebag and still be likable" so I decided to run with it. It was a tough job between all the one-liners and attractive women, but someone had to do it. The things we do for our art.
What has been the most surprising occurrence since you began the project?
Honestly, the surprises have not stopped since we began. I have been so humbled by the overwhelming support the show has received from the fans to the awards to meetings with major networks interested in the future of the show. I attribute all of our success to my amazingly talented and generous cast and crew who turned a little script I wrote into a legit show. The biggest challenge now is making more of them!
What was it like the first time someone recognized you on the street? Were you able to play it cool?
Absolutely not. I was much more star struck than they were and turned bright red. I've been recognized for other projects but Squatters is so personal to me and it absolutely blows my mind that people I've never met are watching!
What is the craziest thing a fan has done to get your attention?
I wish I had a crazy story, but our fans have been so cool and supportive. We've had offers to help on set, songwriters sending music we can use, writers asking me if they can do a future episode...all just because they love the show! Probably the funniest thing was when one of the banners we made went missing during the premiere and a fan asked us to sign it at an event a year later.
If you could pop in a time machine and give yourself advice as you began filming Season 1, what would it be?
Honestly, if I'd had a crystal ball, the show would probably not have been as successful. The stars really aligned for us to make Squatters and I would not want to change any of that. Obviously I learned a lot making the show that I'll take with me into the next season, but the advice I'd give myself is to just make the best show and let the rest take care of itself.
Five years ago, would you have pictured your life the way it is today?
I don't own nearly enough mansions on foreign beaches. Seriously though, since graduating from college, I've had to learn a lot about the difference between fame and success. Like many readers, I have spent the last five years traveling all over the world to build a career and it's been an incredible adventure and I've been extremely lucky. I just hope in the next five I can begin building a real "home" for myself both professionally and personally.
What can we look forward to in the next season?
I've been saying for months that the next season will be bigger and bolder and it seems that's where the entire webspace is headed. I've written future episodes to feel more like a true half-hour sitcom with Alex really "moving in" to his office while Hank finds even more trouble squatting all over New York City. Just last week YouTube and Hulu announced production on long-form serial shows like Squatters so we are in a perfect position to be a part of this new trend.
In the meantime I hope Trippers will enjoy access to the complete first two seasons of Squatters via Tripping and listen/call-in to our brand new radio show (@squatcast on twitter) every Wed from 6pm-8pm PST.
Brendan, thanks for the interview! We can't wait for the next season!!
Trippers, how cool is it that you can connect with Brendan via his Tripping profile? Connect with other Trippers who are fans via the Tripping Squatters The Series Network. If you haven't checked out the show yet, check it out!
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