The Passionflix family shines at the Driven Season 2 premiere

Stars collided at the Passionflix premiere of K. Bromberg’s Driven Season 2 on Saturday as casts from several Passionflix projects showed up in support of the latest release. Joining the actors were members of the Passionflix team and dozens of founding members who came out in support of a beloved project that has been several years in the making.

Driven cast members, including Olivia Applegate, Michael Roark and Bryce Durfee, were joined by author K. Bromberg and Passionflix CEO and Driven director Tosca Musk at the premiere, along with members of the casts of Gabriel’s Inferno and Wicked.

Andrew Rogers (Tink) and Kevin Joy (The Prince) attended the premiere to represent Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Wicked movie, which debuted in May 2021, and Margaux Brooke (Christa) and Agnes Albright (Paulina) represented 2020’s Gabriel’s Inferno trilogy and the upcoming Gabriel’s Rapture films. Redd Carter, musician extraordinaire, was also on hand after joining the Passionflix family with his original song in Gabriel’s Inferno and now adding his touch to Driven. Musk matriarch Maye was on hand to celebrate her daughter’s work, as was brother Kimball and his wife.

Everyone was treated to a screening of the first two episodes of the four-episode second season of Driven, and the experience surpassed all expectations.

The long road to Driven Season 2 was worth the wait for Passionflix fans

Driven’s first season premiered in 2018 and though the subsequent seasons based on Fueled (book 2) and Crashed (book 3) were always planned, there were delays as scheduling issues with the cast came to the fore.

Passionflix was forced to recast the role of Colton Donavan so that the series could continue. The role went to Michael Roark, who couldn’t be a better Colton. As production was about to ramp up, the pandemic hit and filming was delayed once again. Musk waited until filming restrictions were lifted toward the end of 2020 and filmed seasons 2 and 3 back to back, and now fans are finally reaping the rewards as Rylee and Colton return to screens.

During the red carpet premiere, which took place at AMC Theaters in Santa Monica, California, founding members and cast members mingled in the lobby before and after taking turns at the Passionflix step and repeat. Excited fans clutched their well-worn copies of Driven in their hands, collecting signatures and selfies with Bromberg and the Driven cast.

The addition of the Wicked and Gabriel’s Inferno cast members was special, too, because those films didn’t have red carpet premieres thanks to pandemic restrictions at the time of their release.

After the red carpet, everyone moved into the theater to watch the first two episodes, followed by a Q&A with the cast. Being able to watch the movie with Musk and the cast members was a treat. The crowd cheered through the opening credits, laughed at funny moments and bonded over the shared viewing experience.

Later, the group headed to the Huntley Hotel for an after party, where Passionflix founding members and cast members continued to celebrate the premiere.

I’ve never had a chance to interact with so many founding members in person. The wonderful Passionflix social media community was well-represented at the event. Many of the founding members in attendance at the premiere had visited the Driven set in 2020 and served as extras, triggering delighted exclamations during the screening.

At one point I was in a conversation with Lauren Olsen, Passionflix director of development. A handful of founding members were there, too, asking about upcoming projects and talking about some of their favorite novels and series. For anyone wondering about “the Passionflix difference,” consider this: You won’t see Netflix executives meeting with fans and soliciting their ideas for new projects. Olsen, who cut her teeth on romance books at a young age, knew most of the books and series that were being discussed, but she relies on suggestions to help stay on top of new books out in the world, or hidden gems that haven’t come to the fore.

Red carpet premieres are always exciting, but the Driven Season 2 premiere was something special. It speaks to the work that Passionflix is doing and how the interplay between actors, authors and fans has built a thriving community.

Driven Season 2 premieres on Passionflix on July 22.