Southern Spooks

So, I'm sure a few of you are wondering why I stopped writing my blog for a while now. Sure, I can say that "I got busy during haunt season" or "I've been working on blah blah blah..." (insert terrible excuse here). But I think it's better to be honest. I mean, we're all one big haunt family, right? When I first started haunt, I used to have this spark. I would talk about it non-stop. I'd want to learn everything I could. I would get these butterflies in my stomach every time I thought about it. I was so passionate that I didn't care what anyone thought. Haunt was my life. I thought it would always be like that. I'm not saying I lost that spark, but it's very true to say that some people wanted to snuff out my spark. Some people snuffed it out without even realizing they did it. It really hit me when I went to my first haunt convention...and then it just spiraled out of control from there.  For years, I had worked my ass off...

If you are a veteran in the haunt industry or just that obsessed with the strange and spooky, then you know that this week is the week of Transworld in St. Louis. If you have no idea what I'm taking about, then you might be thrown off by the name "Transworld" and wondering what a transgender convention has to do with haunt. (You would be surprised how often I get that question when I bring up Transworld to new haunters. Now I'm wondering how many people are dragged to the convention by friends under this false pretense and arrive in drag. Hmm.) I'm sure the convention title is based on Transylvania, though. Just wanted to clear that up. For all you newbies, Transworld's Halloween and Attractions Show is the largest haunter's conventions in the U.S. which takes place in downtown St. Louis, MO. It's a weekend long event, this year's event happening March 22nd through the 25th. Some haunters go to work the show, having booths to showcase and sell t...

One of the most important things you could do if you're hoping to make haunt your career is to network. You will want to talk to as many people as you can in the industry. You will want to learn as much as you can from other haunters and really get your name out there. If people know you, you can't fly under the radar and vanish into the background. When I first started out in the haunt industry, I thought this would be a hard thing to do. With only a handful of haunts in the area, it seemed impossible to network unless The Powers That Be invited me to haunt conventions. At Ravenwood, being invited to a haunt convention...that is the most chased after opportunity that everyone is dying to be chosen for. (I'm pretty sure a few people, including me, would literally kill to be invited.) Throughout the year, there are four major conventions that you will always hear about: HauntCon, Transworld, Midwest Haunters Convention, and Legendary. Of course there are a few West and E...