One of the most difficult things for a Haunted Attraction Owner is to find quality Scare Actors and Staff to help make the attraction come to life.
Having your Scare Actors not show up is one of the biggest complaints we hear as haunt consultants…from the bad reviews from your customers to the other actors who have to cover those spots and pull double duty on a busy Saturday night.
These are some of the things we have tried in the past. We now have over 40 scare actors inside our haunt The Dead Factory.
Here are five things you can start doing now to recruit and hire new scare actors for your haunted attraction.
Reach out to family and friends. Use social media to let others know you’re searching for help. People aren’t mind readers so you gotta put it out there. I know it’s tough to ask for help, but it determines the success of your show.
Create an Ad on Facebook. Create a business page on Facebook..yes, they still work. Boost a post or create an ad directly focused on your local area (maybe a 15 mile radius around your location) and interests like Horror Movie Fans, Theater/Plays, Haunted Houses.
Team up with your local theater or high school drama club. Many of my scare actors have come from the local theater. My son was also in the drama department at his high school. You might be able to cross-promote with them by sharing staff members or even hanging banners in each others queue lines.
Ask strangers. Allen Hopps, from The Darkhour Haunted House, carries pre-made business cards specifically for Scare Actor auditions. He carries them everywhere! I usually get a feel for a person and then ask them if they’d be interested in helping work behind-the-scenes of a Haunted House.
Ask your current Actors/Staff for referrals. Sometimes your current helpers don’t know you need more help. Ask if they have a friend that may want to try it out as a test run. Once they get that first scare..it usually lights that fire inside. It’s either for a person or not…don’t try to force it. You’ll get a better quality of actor by letting the good ones come back for more.
Treat your scare actors and your haunt staff like family. Have food and drinks if it’s in your budget. Make them comfortable as possible. Make their time with you fun and enjoyable so they’ll want to come back and bring a friend.
In this PODCAST EPISODE, we chat with the organizers of SEHEC (Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention) and the Haunted Attraction Leadership Symposium.
Philip Hernandez: Business Director for Gantom Lighting and Controls, a reputable company in the attraction space known for their quality lighting and controls.
William Ramsay: Also known as Dr. Terror Eyes, has taught his Haunting skills in various conventions all over the United States.
Seasonal Attraction Leadership Symposium
The Seasonal Attraction Leadership Symposium is the one event for industry professionals in Southern California where you can learn and network with the best and the brightest in the themed entertainment industry.
Philip Hernandez
The 2nd Annual Leadership Symposium is July 30th, 2018, aboard the historic and haunted Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The theme of this year’s event is “First Impressions.”
Besides presentations by leading industry professionals on this theme, the day’s activities will include a tour of the Queen Mary and a preview of the upcoming “Dark Harbor” Halloween event.
Dive Deep into the Theme with Industry Experts & Moderators
Crafting Memorable First Impressions using the key elements of Elevation, Insight, Pride, and Connection is the touchstone for presentations at this year’s event.
Added to this year’s symposium will be discussions following each speaker’s presentation. During these discussions, attendees will meet and share their thoughts about what they just learned and use workbooks to integrate this into their experience and vision for their own attractions.
Deepening the learning using the discussion and workbook format assures the information goes home with the participant and becomes part of their reservoir of knowledge.
Experience The Queen Mary
Enjoy an exclusive preview of “Dark Harbor” and Q&A with the team.
Plus, tour the ship with The Queen Mary attractions team and enjoy the opportunity to discover more about the ship’s operations directly from the team.
Not Convinced?
Watch the Talks from for Last Year
Last year’s Symposium, titled, “Innovation in Interactivity,” was held at Knott’s Berry Farm on August 1.
The Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention (SEHEC) is both a Halloween fandom-based educational event and a charitable fundraiser dedicated to the largest portion of Halloween-lovers: the Halloween Enthusiast.
It’s for folks who share their love of Halloween (and the Paranormal) with others and just wait until October!
CHARITABLE CAUSE: A portion of the event’s proceeds go to the Tampa Shriners Hospital for Children to help pay for necessary medical care for afflicted young patients.
HISTORY: Born out of eight years of make-n-take (instructive prop building) gatherings so popular, they outgrew the venue! SEHEC is the next masterful step to bring Halloween enthusiasts together to learn, share and grow their love for all things Halloween.
This event features a variety of educational seminars (Halloween-related and Paranormal), instructional demonstrations, Make-n-Take courses (learn-how-to courses where you bring home the creation you made with guided assistance), guest speakers, product vendors, master artists – even from hit television shows, and provides a welcoming atmosphere for Halloween socializing.
William Ramsay
SEHEC’s producer and Halloween zealot, Dr. TerrorEyes, has been involved with Halloween and prop creation for 44 years. He has been a presenter at all major Halloween industry conventions since 2010. This includes popular conventions such as: HAuNTcon, TransWorld, Midwest Haunters Convention, HauntX, Halloween Extreme, ScareLA, National Haunters Convention, West Coast Haunters Convention, Halloween & HauntFest, Canadian Haunted Attractions Conference, Midsummer Scream, Chicago Frights, Lakeland ZombieFest, and Florida Haunters Annual Ocala Make-n-Take/Social.
LOCATION: The SEHEC show is in Central Florida and is conveniently located about 75 miles from Universal Studios, Disney World and Sea World.
THE EVENT:
-Friday night: Ocala Ghost Walk Tour: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM and away from the event venue.
– Saturday day is the Convention Show and Courses: 8 AM to 6 PM
-Saturday night is the “Haunted Eye Ball” adult costume party with food, freshly-brewed beer and local vineyard-produced wine, 8 PM to Midnight.
– Sunday in the Convention Show and Courses: 9 AM – 2 PM.
REGISTRATION: – Registration will only be available ONLINE at www.SEHEC.com – AFTER JUNE 30th, ALL prices are at-the-door purchases and are higher at the venue. – No 2018 T-shirts will be available for ordering after June 30, 2018 as they are a Limited Edition run. – You will receive one T-shirt (valued at $20) with your paid admission ticket purchase online. You’ll receive it upon check-in at the show on July 14th/15th.
Black Market Escape Rooms presents “Murder Co”: a R-rated escape experience
BLACK MARKET ESCAPE ROOMS, a new immersive-based attraction company, announces the opening of MURDER CO, a permanent escape experience aimed at turning the attraction industry on its head.
Location: 1220 W 9th St. | Upland, CA 91786 | 909-920-9902
Moonlighting from their day gigs, a handful of theme park professionals have thrown the proverbial gloves off by thrusting guests into an adventure far too severe for the family-friendly confines of an amusement park.
The experience was created by theme park designer, Jon Cooke, who was looking to push the parameters set by the day-to-day requirements in his industry. In response to founding his new side project, Black Market Escape Rooms, Cooke says, “I saw so much potential story and show elements in
escape rooms. I wanted to do something more so I went out and surrounded myself with some of the best experts in the theme park industry and we created this unforgettable encounter.”
Regarding Murder Co’s intensity is attraction writer and director Ted Dougherty, who confesses, “We had to go to some extremely dark places that definitely left a few emotional marks.” Although the attraction may not fall into the category of an “extreme haunt,” it does contain content best reserved for those not easily offended or disgusted.
Expect serious thrills as Cooke is no stranger to terrifying people based on his innovative haunted attraction designs for Knott’s Scary Farm. When conceiving Murder Co, he admits, “It’s what I have always wanted to see and do in an immersive attraction.” A living nightmare is one step away for those bold enough to cross into Murder Co.
JON COOKE has designed, art directed and produced some of the most successful haunted attractions for the world famous Knott’s Scary Farm, including “Special Ops: Infected,” “Paranormal, Inc,” “Shadowlands,” “Trick Or Treat: Lights Out” and “Dark Ride.” As vocalist for the deathcore metal band, Winds of Plague, Cooke has released numerous albums and toured extensively throughout the globe. Taking the two worlds of themed entertainment and live performance, Cooke has melded his experience into creating visionary ways to horrify the masses. www.plagueproductions.com
TED DOUGHERTY is a writer, producer and director having worked with Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, Cedar Fair and Hollow Studios, including directing and co-writing Fear VR, the first 4-D virtual reality horror experience at a major theme park. www.lunarvisions.com
In this podcast episode, we talk to Robert Nulton from TheHaunt Rater about the elements that he feels makes up a great Haunted Attraction experience and how you can improve your show for next season.
The Haunt Rater has been reviewing and walking through Haunted Houses since 2008. They’ve seen the small town haunts and the nationally recognized ones. They also offer haunt consulting and try to make the haunted attraction industry better through all of their services.
Robert has also starting working on the Haunter’s Association which is still in it’s infancy, but he is searching for like-minded individuals who want to build a community around doing haunted attractions the right way. You can contact Robert at the Haunter’s Association here.
Keeping your Haunted Attraction fresh, safe, and entertaining are just a few things you need each year to provide your customers with a great experience. Getting another experienced Haunter’s point-of-view can help bring a new perspective to your venue, sometimes it takes someone from the outside looking in.
Thanks Robert for taking your time chatting with HaunTopic Radio!
And don’t forget we have our own Membership Community at the Haunter’s Toolbox where we host monthly live online workshops to help you continue to improve your Haunted Attraction.
In this podcast episode, we get Ed Roberts on to discuss what to expect at this year’s West Coast Haunter’s Convention in Portland, Oregon on April 13th through the 15th.
What: A haunters convention for all, whether you are a pro haunter, home haunter, or Halloween enthusiast. The West Coast Haunter’s Convention is a 501(c)3 organization that gives grants to professionals who work with children with hearing impairments and/or autism.
Where: Double Tree Hotel | 1000 NE Multnomah St. | Portland, Oregon 97232
Thanks to Philip Hernandez from the Haunted Attraction Network, Dan Doble from Haunt Collective, and Ed Roberts from the WCHC for participating in this audio conversation.
