Zachary Bloor Speaks on Solar Energy, Navigating the Comedy World & Agenda Setting | Pro Network
MECHANICSBURG, PA -- Zachary Ryan Bloor is an American consultant, comedian and entrepreneur from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He is best known for appearances on various DNS shows, Ridge Run Tavern and Mad Dawg Productions. Bloor is additionally a contributor in the solar power industry with long term experience in providing clean, renewable energy.
Director Tyreese Smith caught up with Bloor in an interview on solar energy, navigating the comedy world and agenda setting.
Zachary Bloor, how’s everything going bro? Welcome to the show as it’s nice to have you on here. For those who are unfamiliar with you, who is Zach Bloor?
“There is an idea of Zach Bloor, some kind of abstraction. I’m playing, that’s the big question isn’t it? Zachary Ryan Bloor is a long term experiment I’m running, and hopefully I’m answering that question day by day. I am a series of actions. Actions I hope to make the world a better place than when I found it. I definitely have interests. I’m confident they tell a better story of who I am than I can describe. I think Zach Bloor is a guy attempting to leave behind a good story.”
“I like animals, the human animal being among my favorites. I find nature fascinating. How it all comes together in a harmonious entropy, the paradox of how strong yet fragile we and everything else is. I like good storytelling; theology, mythology, history, or comic book. I want to understand where it all came from, where it’s going, and figure out how I can play my part in that drama.”
You’ve been in the solar energy industry for a minute now. Hopefully I said that right, but you get the topic. When did the journey all begin for you?
“I’ve been installing solar systems for four years this month. I’ve been selling solar in some capacity for slightly over a year now, as well. I got started back in September 2021 after some pursuits of mine fizzled out. I was aimless, and luckily my sol-brother Cameron Matter, had an opportunity for me. We’ve known each other for 20 plus years and our families are so close, our dogs are related. I’ll never forget the day he got the job, we were headed to go hiking and his phone rang in the car. Three months later he said, ‘Get on the roof with me’. It’s not an exaggeration when I say Solar turned us into men. I think every man should learn how to make something with his hands. There’s not many feelings like building something. That feeling, sun money, and roofmates I made changed my life for the better. And, the roof talks, it’s all about the conversations. Some of the best podcasts never recorded.”
How was life growing up on the West Shore?
“It was great looking back. As an adult, I can see from a bird's eye view and really appreciate my upbringing. I suppose that’s maturity. I’m beyond fortunate to have the parents I have, and the support system that was available. I lived with my grandparents as a little kid, and then we got a house in the same neighborhood. Having those multiple generations made a difference. Times were tough even in suburbia. It never stopped the boys from having a laugh. I grew up in Lower Allen, and the ‘Wild Things’ managed to trek everywhere around the vicinity. Days swimming at the creek and jumping out of trees, nights ding-dong-ditching the wealthier neighborhoods, dude we laughed. High school had a similar tone, I got lucky. At the time the world seemed so heavy, but looking back I remember the laughs. You could laugh before ringing the doorbells.”
You most recently graduated from Penn State University. Where we met three years ago discussing the science of videography. Penn State also wasn’t your only stop as you took time to work on yourself and build an income. Describe your educational experience and how it’s shaped how you view many different aspects in your 20’s.
“Wow, yeah my education was unorthodox. It started at 18 like most people in this country. I took out a loan and went to the one place I applied and the one I got in, Penn State Harrisburg. In hindsight, I wish I’d stayed there all four years initially with the campus size and access to educators is the ideal. Although, back then I didn’t want to be there at all, I went based on the opinions of many relationships in my life at that time. It was expected of me. After two years, I transferred to West Chester University. I did a lot there, and going to class was not one of them by the end of it. Truthfully, I failed myself out of that place as an escape. I was a dual major in Secondary Education and Political Science, and seeing how those worlds operate, I understood I didn’t want to be there. I lost my financial aid and was put on academic probation, which was the perfect excuse to leave. I did learn a lot at WCU, but not in a classroom. After a semester at HACC, I re-enrolled at Penn State Harrisburg in January 2020. COVID struck, and I got angry that I had chosen in person classes yet had to attend zoom calls. I wanted my tuition reimbursed, when that didn’t happen I dropped out again.”
“I took time off, traveled, tried some things, got a real job, and I grew up just a little. Enough to decide in Fall 2022 that I wanted to go back to Penn State Harrisburg, and finish what I started all those years ago. It was the best experience I’d had in education. The people I met, including the current interviewer, made me a better person. I showed up, I learned, and I pushed myself to grow. In Spring 2024, I got my bachelor’s and I didn’t go to graduation. It wasn’t for that, also getting a degree at 27 after dropping out twice didn’t feel like something to celebrate. I expected that of myself.”
“I could wax poetic about all the flaws in the American education system from kindergarten to the highest levels. I could tell you about how wrong it is to indoctrinate children into lifelong debt only to continue the indoctrination of young adults into political stances and identity crises. I don’t have the time or patience to type all that out. At that point, I may as well get a publisher. What I will say is if I could do it again I would do it differently, but I am glad I did it.”
Most recently getting into comedy, you have taken advantage of every opportunity that you’ve been presented with. Shows in Pennsylvania, Delmarva and traveled to New York City this summer to showcase your talents. How has your comedy journey been so far?
“Comedy has been a ride and one I didn’t see coming. I started doing comedy on April 1st, 2021. I did consistent mics for a year before I made a decision. I wasn’t going to go broke, and scrape the bottom of the barrel to maybe make it as a comedian in ten years. Then this past spring I’m with my good friend, Korey ‘The Maddawg’ Miller, and he asked me to come to an open mic hosted by Joe Aument at the Ridge Run Tavern. I go in and say what’s up to a few faces I hadn’t seen in a while, and they asked if I was gonna get up. I wrote something down while sitting at the table and did eight minutes on the mic. It was so fun, then I remembered I forgot why I wanted to do comedy in the first place. It didn't help that it had been four years since I first started, I was broke, and I hadn’t been laughing about it.”
“Since then I’ve gotten connected with TheDrunkenStoner, and have had some amazing opportunities to do his show he hosts at The Original Greene Turtle in OCMD. As well as some various locations for DrunknStonedFest. That’s been wild, and it really shows me how much I will learn. I'm still new at the end of the day. As long as it stays fun, I’ll get on a stage, and say something uncomfortable.”
What is the world tree?
“All I can say is that it’s part of a larger project that I’m not quite ready to share with the world, yet. I think that this might inspire my secondary interest in superheroes. Most superheroes are humans with enhanced abilities that correspond with characteristics of nature. Specifically animals, weather, elements, physics, or something super-natural. I like how these characters overcome insurmountable odds often at their own peril or sacrifice. Using the abilities for common good rather than abusing their gifts.”
You have a strong history in sales as you’ve been regarded as a professional speaker. Now, that may sound like anything, but it has inspired me a few years ago to input more introspective thinking when conversing with people. Why is the art of communication so important to have as individuals?
“I wouldn’t call myself a professional. I don’t make enough money yet. I do consider myself adequate, and improving on my ability to exchange thoughts. That’s all it really is right? Understanding people is hard. It is difficult enough to understand yourself, an entire universe experiencing itself through (hopefully) two wet-windows in a calcium case. Now put that walking cosmos in a closed space with another one, and it has the potential to get messy or very cool.”
“There is an art to articulating a thought, feeling, idea, or intention. We weigh other people as they are weighing us. I think there’s a quality to conversation that improves when treated like a dance. Its base intention is to be enjoyed. That’s when the conversation develops a life of its own and flows. It takes two to tango, though. I think body language is best used to determine what kind of a dancer people are. It also quickly becomes useless in a crowd because I’m not Jason Bourne. Which is why being aware of your own body is the best form for me. Body language is hard to read, and I don’t know if someone is cold or frustrated when they close their arms. I do know I can be open and welcoming, and if their arms are still folded I assume they’re cold.”
“It's often said, ‘Know your audience’, well I think you have to know yourself. If you don't, the audience will know.”
As a man with a unique character, fashion plays a huge role in shaping our personalities. From business casual, comfort or the fit you threw on in Brooklyn, you have a widespread selection of how you want to look day-to-day. How do you view fashion?
“Dude fashion is fun especially somewhere no one knows you. At that point, you’re a movie character and get to dress for the role. How do you want to communicate your essence, what’s it giving? I have a Pinterest board like anyone else with my favorite fits from pop culture that I get ideas from. I’m not into specific brands, I aim to match silhouettes. I’ve created my own getup that I think tracks throughout my wardrobe. I did dip my toes into the modeling industry for a time. I was taught a lot about presence and what clothes do for you. All those skills compound with sales, comedy, etc. Know your audience, know yourself, inform the observer, communicate your authentic self. Sometimes that requires trying some things that don’t work out. I also wore makeup for a little.”
Getting down to the real stuff, let’s discuss the Constitutions. Our civil rights, liberties and the baseline of the Bill of Rights. I know you have voiced your opinion on subjects before, and I want to allow that use of free speech as I give to every other client I worked with. Breaking down the Constitution, which amendments would you say hit the hardest, share importance and why?
“I’m really only firm about the first one. With that comes acknowledgment of the importance for the second. I won’t pretend like I know all the Bill of rights and can recite the constitution because I can’t. I’m not going to pretend like it’s perfect or absolute. I do believe in the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with the Declaration of Independence. I believe all men were created equal, and with that comes the ability to say no. No is an important word. Freedom of speech allows you the ability to say no when someone infringes your unalienable rights. If someone takes your no away, and they have access to weapons, then you should also have potential access to weaponry. I realize the imperfections of that, but it seems more just.”
“I think people would be surprised to find I considered myself a ‘liberal’. It’s only been recently where the pendulum has been pushed so far that it needs to swing back and course correct. Voting is great, but defending my right to free speech happens by speaking. Hopefully someone finds it entertaining.”
Social media has changed the game. From showcasing to the world on life accomplishments, painting the picture, voicing our opinions, or even starting to notice more things often, social media has influenced us to view the world differently now. How do you view the digital age from your own experience?
“It’s an interesting time to be alive. I think social media is evolving fast. I get caught up doomscrolling like anyone else and feel like Gollum. We can slip up, and let the tool use us instead of the other way around. We’ve already integrated with the machine. I’m curious if we can navigate it while still maintaining sovereignty under a surveillance state.”
The entertainment industry has influenced us in many ways. Through different mediums such as film, television, music, to even social media such as YouTube, entertainment fills our needs to escape even when it has its moments. I even catch myself reciting “Cells Interlinked” like Gosling in Blade Runner at times. What forms of mediums have influenced you?
“I could talk about movies for days. The American blockbuster has defined my entire personality. The inevitable climax is that life too is a movie. Life imitates art and stuff. Dark Knight Trilogy alongside Lord of The Rings, and some spinoffs. Gladiator, Braveheart, The Last Samurai, The Last of the Mohicans, Kingdom of Heaven. Don’t get me fired up on some white saviors. Planet of the Apes Trilogy, and even Transformers to even the bad ones.”
How do you view different colors?
“Jacob’s Ladder, Prisms, God’s rainbow, cymatics, and frequency. Sacred geometry.”
As someone who has served their best interest in looking out for the next person, what is the importance of having a network?
“We’re pro social mammals and we do better in groups. Ram Dass also said, ‘We’re all walking each other home,’ and that whole thing is better when you’ve got people along the way. Without friends, who are you gonna make fun of with little to no consequences?”
Who would you consider your role models?
“Steve Irwin, Batman, Wolverine, Optimus Prime, Bob Ross, Alan Watts, Stan Lee and Frank Frazetta.”
Close to wrapping this up, but let’s think through this question. What do you see yourself accomplishing in the next five years? How do you visualize yourself?
“I use a few techniques to help me get right. Saying thank you to whomever is listening works wonders.”
Thank you Zach for taking the time to talk to me once again. Do you have any words of encouragement or motivation for people? Any last words?
“Thank you Tyreese, hope I wasn’t too long winded. Some of those questions are so much easier to speak on than write about. That’s why I think good conversations can save the world. I appreciate the opportunity to represent myself brother.”
IG @thezachbloor
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