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Interview with Bloody Mary: The Make-Up Lady

 “I had done all of the blood application that first night to the doll house that they were going to blow up. It was the start of my career and the beginning of my new identity, Bloody Mary: The Makeup Lady.”

Most Haunters know her as Bloody Mary or the “Make-Up Lady”. Maybe you know her from her awesome Special FX creations in films like Titanic, Behind Enemy Lines, Shooter, Pumpkinhead II, or VooDoo? But did you know that Bobbie Weiner is also the main supplier of  camouflage make-up to Department of Defense and the woman behind most of the face paint sold for those wacky sports fans who paint their faces different colors? If you have ever used camo paint, smeared your team colors all over your face, or zombified your head for Halloween; you have probably used her Bloody Mary line of make-up.

Bobbie has been involved in magazines and shows like Entertainment Tonight, CNN, The Super Bowl, WWE, and many more. She travels worldwide to attend trade shows, perform her magical skills at seminars, and transform ordinary people into extraordinary beings. If you want to know more about Bobbie Weiner, keep reading…

 

Most Haunters know you as Bloody Mary. How did you get that nickname?

I was working on my very first film, Pumpkinhead II, 3 days out of Makeup school, and got a call to come on and be a gofer for the key makeup lady. Got paid 35.00, worked 15 hours and the crew nicknamed me “Bloody Mary” that night. I had done all of the blood application that first night to the doll house that they were going to blow up. It was the start of my career and the beginning of my new identity, Bloody Mary: The Makeup Lady.

 

Your success story is very inspirational! What was the tipping point in your career when you realized that you were on the right track?

When I did the film Voodoo, I did Jack Vance’s makeup (the star of Eraserhead) and we would talk in between scenes and he told me to follow my passion. Be myself because the whole crew and actors liked me.

 

Charities and events seem to be a passion for you. Why do you take such an interest in helping other people?

When I was growing up I worked in a Thrift Shop after school during highschool years. I wanted a job and my Dad told me I needed a job. The Thrift Shop was for a charity, “Research of Children’s Cancer” and I learned a lot dealing with all kinds of people and always felt that my job taught me how to deal with people and helped me to grow. Store closed up while I was in my first year of college and I went in and took it over and made a private business out of it. I never forgot where I came from and how I started in my working career. I had that store for 16 years, sold it and moved to Los Angeles.

 

Are all of your accomplishments just stepping-stones to where you are now or more like building blocks to your overall success?

Everything is connected in some way. My business is like building blocks. It all is related to my background of F/X Makeup artist.

 

What’s a typical day look like for the entrepreneur Bobbie Weiner?

I get up early and go to the gym, Get some tea at my favorite shop, Starbucks, go into the office and start my day at work. I usually go into the art dept. and see how the comic book is coming along. The art work takes the longest. My business is so diversified, you never know what is coming down the track. The phones start ringing and it could be the Army, Navy, Marines, colleges or high schools that call all day for face paint. Today was a great call from Warner Bros. We work with the studios and their marketing departments for the Bloody Mary line of Makeup.I always check my latest emails. I am up on and off all night since we do a huge business in Europe. They are up when we go to sleep so they try to get me ASAP, but sometimes I get called at 2-3 am in the morning. Business is business. I work till about 8 every night when I am in my Texas office.

 

On the horror side of things, what is the favorite part of your business? Trade Shows, marketing, designing, writing, creating, socializing, etc?

Trade Shows and socializing. I love speaking also at the conventions and doing “Bloody Mary” Makeup To Die For Workshops.

 

What is the main focus of your book “I Can Do This” and why did you create it?

I started writing on airplanes. I travel so much and people would want to know what Bloody Mary was. All of my jackets have the name Bloody Mary embroidered somewhere on them. So I would tell them about my business and they loved the story and said I should write a book and someone should do a movie about my story. I got enough feedback, so I decided to start writing. I am really glad I did and it is one of the best accomplishments I have done.

Are your products available for other Haunters to sell such as affiliates or wholesale programs?

We have a full wholesale program and have a lot of distributors all over the world selling our products. Haunts also sell our products in their gift stores at their Haunts. Go to the Bloody Mary Website.

 

Name some websites that all horror and Halloween junkies should check out.

www.dearbloodymary.com

www.halloweenhorrornights.com

 

For the aspiring haunter in business, a few words of advice for overcoming obstacles and becoming a leader.

Work in a Haunt first for a couple of years. It is a tough business and there is a lot to learn. Ask a lot of questions and go to Halloween Shows and take the workshops so you can learn all there is to learn about Haunted Houses.

 

Find more of Bobbie here:

Her Website: Dear Bloody Mary

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10 Habits of Highly Effective Haunt Leaders

 

“When I look at all of this, I think what we did was more like a Summer Camp. The traditions, hard work, perks, and lifelong friendships (and haunt romances!) gave each volunteer a shared unique experience the same as the best Summer Camp anyone will remember. That is what kept them coming back.”- Cynthia Brown of Haunted Theatre

As a Haunt Leader, we all know that it takes a strong work ethic and a skill for balancing the art of business and family when operating a Haunt. Whether you are a Home Haunter or Haunt Owner, it takes leadership skills to accomplish a smooth night of cooperation and loyalty from your helpers. Cynthia Brown from the Haunted Theatre is here to give you some tips on keeping your volunteers and workers excited and ready to come back next year.

  1. Imagination: In 9 years, the single best source of volunteers was a banner I put up on a main street that simply said: “Haunted House needs bodies. No experience necessary.” Of course, I still had to explain to a lot of callers that there was no pay, as it was an all-volunteer charity haunt
  2. Influence: We gathered new and kept old volunteers each year. We didn’t allow kids under 16 unless their parent worked with them, but we still had a lot of kids lie about their age.
  3. Responsibility: After a local attorney informed me that I had a convicted sex offender working in my dark maze, I started asking for driver’s licenses from all my volunteers, and checking names against offender databases.
  4. Plan of Action: We used a sign-up form, and gave a short tour at “auditions”, along with all the rules for volunteers. We broke each night into two shifts, and asked people to only sign up for the nights and shifts when they could definitely be there. I then cast 4 or 5 extra each night, and when people didn’t show, the extras went in. If we had a full crew, the extras work the line or work as “break monsters” – changing costume and switching rooms all night to give others a break. Unless the crowds were thin, we never stopped the line for breaks.
  5. Leadership: To keep them coming back – we made it a tribe. We developed traditions that were exclusive to the haunter tribe. We did a “Magic Circle” each night at opening, with a special chant written for that haunt. We had a traditional final walk-through at the end of each evening by the producer carrying all the ticket stubs, which each monster could fall in behind as we all snaked though the haunt together, singing a song.
  6. Inspiration: We fed a hot meal each night, giant crock pots food brought in by other volunteers. We had a “monster Mom” who manned the break room and took care of the monsters needs. We had a call-and-response system inside the haunt to keep everyone energized (and make sure they were all checking in)
  7. Credibility: Monsters who failed to show without reason, or failed to follow our safety rules were not allowed back, and everyone knew this.
  8. Mindfulness: Most of our haunters did a lot more than act in the haunt – most helped with construction as well, and many helped to design. We let those who wished to take on the responsibility design their own rooms with supervision and guidance. Mind you, we don’t do a kiddie haunt. We focus on making adults and High School kids scream and wet themselves.
  9. Appreciation: At the final cast party – each volunteer received a special embroidered patch (from stadriemblems.com) that was unique to that year. Haunters were very proud of their patches!
  10. Creativity: Producers would keep track of the hours worked by each haunter, and at cast party the “Top 20” would get extra special prizes. We usually ran 7 to 8 performances, and the “Top 20” always had at least 50 hours. The top 4 haunters always had over 100 hours. The very top volunteer who was not the producer always got the best gift. Because we usually did our tear down and cast party the week after Halloween, we were able to buy these cast prizes at the after-Halloween discount sales.

Cynthia Brown is the producer at The Haunted Theatre in Wenatchee, Washington. She has a background in acting, producing, and directing plays as well as Haunted Houses. If you want to reach Cynthia, you can find her here:

Facebook Page

Facebook (personal)

Email- [email protected]

 

What have you done as a leader of your tribe?

 

The Haunter’s Toolbox is Now Open

 

The Haunter’s Toolbox is finally here!

I have been working on some type of free training series that is strictly focused on helpful information for Haunters by Haunters…and here it is. All you have to do is give me your email address and I will start sending you an email each week. I’m picking some of my older popular posts, adding some new one’s, and creating some special content just for The Haunter’s Toolbox Subscribers. Here are some of the things you’ll learn and get for FREE:

  • Advice from Haunt Industry leaders and professionals.
  • New posts from my blog instantly in your inbox.
  • How-to articles on special effects, prop building, and designing your haunt.
  • Get introduced and connected to other haunters like you. Get their emails, facebook links, and other information so you can contact them directly.
  • Links to valuable resources such as how-to videos, cool websites, and information you can use today.
  • Instant access to me. I check my email everyday and respond to each one.
  • No spam. No commitment. Your email address will not be shared. Cancel anytime.
I hope you enjoy this program and share it with your friends. If there are some ideas you want added, just let me know. The more of your input I receive, the better the Haunter’s Toolbox will be. If you are currently a subscriber, you will begin to receive the same emails soon. I am consolidating all of my lists to make it easier for me to be efficient.
Remember To Share The Scare!

 

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Why Is Transworld Haunt Show Charging $50?

“For those of you who do not know me, my name is Jen Braverman. I work 365 days a year on this show. I eat, drink and breathe haunt. I would never want to do anything to hurt this show.”

Have you ever been to the TransWorld Halloween and Attractions Show? If you are a haunter, this is one show you must not miss! The energy that you feel when you walk through the showroom floor doors is kinda like that feeling you get right before you get on a roller coaster. Or like that shot of adrenaline you experience as you creep closer to the entrance of your favorite Haunted Attraction and you know you’re going to get the crap scared out of you.

I attended my first TransWorld 3 years ago and automatically became a fan! Being a scare actor, owner, and home haunter; I didn’t really know what I was in for. 15 foot monsters from the Scare Factory. Innovations from Pale Night Productions. Silicone masks from CFX. Lots of monsters and other haunters sharing stories and scaring each other. I felt like I was home!

Admission has always been free and all you need is an invitation or belong to a haunt business of some type. A buyer, an owner, an actor, etc. If you know someone in the industry you can get in. This year the show will be the same show except for one small detail. There is an admission charge of $50 ($60 at the door).

Jennifer Braverman, the mastermind behind the TransWorld Halloween & Haunt Show, was nice enough to call me on the phone and we discussed the reasoning for the shift in price. She was very nice and considerate as I addressed my concerns. She understands that the change for a $50 price is quite unexpected and she assured me that the only way to keep the event alive was to begin charging an admission fee.

 “This was a very hard decision for TransWorld to make. I spoke to numerous vendors and buyers about this topic. Here is the reality…. Our expenses in St. Louis have gone up. Unions continue to raise their prices. This is an issue across the country, even in these economic times. TransWorld did not want to cut back on the quality of show we produce. We feel we owe it to our buyers and exhibitors to produce the best show we can and give the best show experience!!! We take our jobs very seriously.”

I also discovered that Jennifer’s grandfather started TransWorld Exhibits in the 1950’s and it has been a family venture ever since. Over 50 years now! She is currently the President of TransWorld Exhibits and her father is the CEO. She has been running the Haunt Show for four years now. I get a sense of pride and passion from Jennifer and sincerely believe she has really thought about this decision. I’ve never managed a business like Transworld so how would I know? Except for that ‘gut’ feeling.

“I tried to add additional value by making the opening night party bigger and better. We also added 2 free seminars – one Saturday morning that is an early bird class and one industry expert panel discussion, moderated by Ben Armstrong, which will take place after the show hours on Saturday. I hope everyone appreciates our position. We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis.”

My opinion – I know change sucks and we never want to pay for things, especially when we have gotten them for free for so long. I have been to TransWorld three times. For FREE. TransWorld has been around much longer than that. The trade show floor provides value for vendors, buyers, retailers, and haunters. The classes are educational because the speakers are experienced with many years in their specialties. The experience around and outside of TransWorld provides opportunities for meeting new friends, socializing with your contacts, and discovering new ideas.

I know there are other great shows around the country. Some smaller, some with a whole different atmosphere, and each with its unique art of value. TransWorld seems to be focused around pro-haunters, retailers, and buying large quantities of items. You can buy a few select items but not like other conventions. TransWorld is a trade show not a convention.

Business decisions suck! What should Jennifer do? Raise the prices even more for vendors and advertisers so the show will suffer in quality? Charge everyone $25 and hope she can pay her staff and bills after it all? Make the show smaller so the cost of production would be less?

What Would You Do?

Share your ideas in the comments below or on my facebook fan page here.

 

 

Home Haunt Video: Dr.Phobia’s Madness

It’s been busy at Scary Visions for the last few weeks. I finally produced some of my videos and pictures from this Halloween and entered the Home Haunter’s Association Contest. The deadline is November 20th, so you better get busy if you’re going to enter. There are many good Haunts in there! If you don’t want to register, just check out the page and watch all the videos that have been added. You will get tons of ideas for next year!

Here is my creation this year. But first let me say a few things about my Haunt.

  • Dr.Phobia is built with 90% Recycled Material. I found all the privacy fence in the trash. The chain link was given to me. I recycle the pallets every year. I reuse the black plastic. If I don’t have to buy it…I won’t.
  • Most props were made from chicken wire, spray foam, hot glue, pillow stuffing, and float noodles. I have bought props but I try to spend very little. Yes, I’m frugal.
  • I get a lot of items from the trash and garage sales. Like the wheelchair, the hospital dividers, the PVC, the dog house, the old tree that fell down in my neighbor’s yard.
  • I probably haven’t spent over $300 in the entire Haunt. Bought some burlap, screws, plastic was donated, some props, a few pieces of hardware, and that’s about it.
I know many Haunters are the same way. We use our Creativity to get us by. We don’t have the funds so we use what we have. Maybe one day I’ll get to buy one of those 15′ monsters from Scare Factory. Anyway, here is my video. And stay tuned for more posts because I have some interesting interviews on the way…

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