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Over Caffeinated Chat with Rob Johnston About Social Media, Adapting, and Being Genuine with Your Audience

Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” hang out on a loading dock in Pittsburgh’s Strip District with Rob Johnston to talk about social media and the importance of being genuine with your audience.

  Highlights:

Rob, former ScareHouse Podcast host, reminisces about his favorite ScareHouse Podcast episodes

Discussing the rise and fall of Vine

Why Vine was such a great fit for Rob’s creative vision and how enjoyed the challenge

Using old school techniques and humor to engage with today’s audience

Rob’s one Vine that went horribly wrong

Having to let things go in order to grow

Rob talks about his most elaborate Vines and the clean up involved

The importance of using customer data and analyzing engagement in haunt building and social media content creation

Being relatable to your audience

Rob talks about his coffee dumping Vine that turned into a gif sensation

Trying to protect the content you’ve created in a social media world

Why the top 20 content creators of Vine were responsible for its downfall

What’s next for social media platforms

ScareHouse and Rob’s big payoffs for taking a chance and changing to anticipate where their audiences are going

Scott discusses The Simpsons and how they “got it” all those years ago

The importance of being honest and genuine with your audience

For more information about Rob Johnston

https://twitter.com/RobOnTheRun

https://www.instagram.com/robontherun

https://www.facebook.com/robbietwotone

  Please subscribe to our podcast and leave feedback. We appreciate it!

Follow the ScareHouse podcast hosts: Scott Simmons (@ScareHouseScott) and Katie “Dudders” (@kdudders)

Visit us www.ScareHouse.com

Watch us Youtube.com/TheScareHouse

Like us https://www.facebook.com/ScareHouse

Follow us https://twitter.com/ScareHousePGH

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Exploring the Pittsburgh Burlesque Scene with Boom Boom Bridgette, Moon, & Thea Biss

Katie “Dudders” sits down with Pittsburgh Burlesque performers and members of the ScareHouse family, Boom Boom Bridgette, Moon, and Thea Biss. The ladies discuss Pittsburgh’s current burlesque scene, what attracted them to performing, and how burlesque is all about loving yourself and your body.

Highlights:

A discussion about the various styles of burlesque

Creating a stage name

Why it’s dangerous to kick off your shoes during a performance

Moon tells us about the time she drop kicked a Serta sheep into the audience

Burlesque is for every body

How people are like cheesecake and why you should try more than one piece

Using what makes you different and unique to make you a better performer

Importance of seeking out supportive people. If you haven’t found them yet, keep looking. They’re out there.

Boom Boom Bridgette is the seasoned veteran who has been performing since 2011. She is also a producer, Founder of Pin Up Perfection Productions, and owner of Boom Boom Bang Photography. She was the Master of Tassels 2014 and 2016 and International Master of Tassels first runner up 2016.

Find her online:

https://www.facebook.com/boomboombridgette2/

https://www.facebook.com/boomboombangphotography/

Moon’s love of the raver scene inspired her to develop her hula-hooping skills. She is also a dancer, contortionist, and fire eater. She was crowned 2016 Pittsburgh Pride Femme Fatale.

Find her online:

https://www.facebook.com/moonperformingarts

http://www.rawartists.org/moonperformingarts

https://www.instagram.com/moonstonesprite/

Thea Biss, the kitten of the group, is incredibly upbeat, an eager learner, and avid burlesque researcher. Her background is in acting and spoken word poetry. Supportive women such as Bridgette inspired her to take the stage.

Find her online:

https://www.facebook.com/misstheabiss

For more information about Boom Boom Bridgette, Moon, and Thea Biss’ upcoming shows visit:

May 5 - Revenge of the 5th - Glitter Box Theater

May 19 - Newbies and Bewbies - Hambones

May 26 - 2017 Cupcake Pageant - Hambones

  Please subscribe to our podcast and leave feedback. We appreciate it!

Follow the ScareHouse podcast hosts: Scott Simmons (@ScareHouseScott) and Katie “Dudders” (@kdudders)

Visit us www.ScareHouse.com

Watch us Youtube.com/TheScareHouse

Like us https://www.facebook.com/ScareHouse

Follow us https://twitter.com/ScareHousePGH

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#112 Bricolage Production Company, Enter the Imaginarium, & Immersive Theater

Scott Simmons and Katie "Dudders" sat down with Tami Dixon, Jeffrey Carpenter, and Rod Schwartz from Bricolage Production Company. Bricolage works to remove the fourth wall to differentiate themselves from traditional theater productions and become closer to their audience. 

Tami and Jeffrey discuss their theater experience and the birth of Bricolage in Pittsburgh. When they first started, Bricolage worked hard to build the trust with their core audience. One of their first super fans, Rod Schwartz, became hooked on immersive theater and the individualized experience that it gave each member of the audience. Soon after, Tami and Jeffrey welcomed Rod onto the Bricolage board.

The group discusses why audiences are afraid of the unknown in theater and movies.

Rod met Scott at Bricolage production, OjO: The Next Generation of Travel, and then experienced the ScareHouse. Rod felt a similar individualized experience when he left the ScareHouse. Later, Rod found escape rooms as another way to connect with his son. He had the idea to combine the powers of Bricolage and ScareHouse to create Enter the Imaginarium. 

What makes Enter the Imaginarium different, is their focus on making the experience truly immersive by transporting the audience the minute they walk in the door and the overarching story that connects the tracks. They discuss the importance of collaboration and learning from others. 

Bricolage's newest immersive theater production, IE: The Ascendants, opens April 21st and runs till May 14th. Their IE series is intimate, sensory driven, "bite-sized" immersive theater experiences. Tickets are available here.

Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your support!

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#111 Interview with John Eslich: Roadtrip to Factory of Terror in Canton

Factory of Terror is one of largest indoor haunted houses in the WORLD. Scott and Dudders sit down with owner John Eslich to talk about what it takes to become a Guiness World Record winner, helping customers get their scare on in the offseason, how running a haunted house is a yearround business, and the importance of continuing your haunt education. 

John recently took over the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron and is working to honor the decades old haunted house's history and legacy. John is also the president of the Haunted Attractions Association (HAA). The HAA is the official association of the haunted attraction industry whose mission is to promote their worldwide network of haunted attractions and to protect our customers through education and networking of our members. Their event, Transworld, offers classes, networking, and one of the largest show floors for haunters March 23rd-26th.

Factory of Terror is open this St. Patrick's Day. Tickets are available here.

Available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, Spreaker, and PlayerFM.

Please subscribe and leave feedback. Thank you for your support!

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#110 Nino is Promoted to Operations Manager so Let's do a Throwback to his First Podcast

Congratulations to our new Operations Manager Nino Balistrieri! We're going to go back to December 2015 for Nino's first starring role in a podcast when he was our Tech Manager. Nino and Pnuematics Assistant/Actor Maryane Kimbler are the masterminds that bring Hollywood quality effects to life each and every night of our season. From turning Michael Dougherty's Halloween classic Trick r Treat into an immersive pop-up-book, to bringing Krampus and his minions to life, Nino and Maryann reveal the secrets to terrorizing haunt fans with state-of-the-art technology.

ScareHouse, in Pittsburgh PA, is one of America's Scariest Halloween Haunted House Attractions (Travel Channel) - featured on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Nightline, CBS news, Buzzfeed, Geek & Sundry, and many other national media outlets.

Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your support!

Like ScareHouse on Facebook. Follow ScareHouse on Twitter. Watch ScareHouse on YouTube.

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Recap of Valentine's Day in The Basement with Costume Manager & Designer Madison and Design Manager Nicole

This season's Valentine's Day event in The Basement took customers down the rabbit hole to a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. Creative Director Scott Simmons, Katie "Dudders", Costume Manager & Designer Madison, and Design Manager Nicole walk through the creative process, planning, preparation, and actual event. The team discusses the influences, their amazing acting team, and last minute decisions that made the event so successful. 

Before customers entered The Basement, they were able to experience the amazing improvisational skills of Ayne Terceira. After our new "Alices" exited The Basement, they entered the Arcana Lounge of The Summoning for treats served by a sassy bartender and other interactive characters. They also had a chance to have their cards read by Madaum Boum. 

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Pittsburgh's "Podfather" Michael Sorg Talks About his Podcast Evolution, Creating Your own Space Online, and Niche Entertainment

Michael Sorg is known as the "Podfather" and has been podcasting in Pittsburgh for over 10 years. He began with a Juggalo podcast and now hosts weekly shows discussing pro-wrestling, technology, and awesome things happening in and around Pittsburgh. We discuss creating your own space online, niche entertainment, why you should be looking forward to what's next, and the importance of the hustle.

Check out Michael Sorg at Sorgatron Media and Sidekick Media Services.

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The Basement, Studio Wrestling, and Bad Sports Analogies: A Chat with ScareHouse Veteran Christine Mancini

ScareHouse veteran actress, Christine Mancini, got her first lesson on sarcasm from a nun and her acting chops from studio wrestling. She has a unique voice and large presence that ScareHouse and Basement customers remember long after they leave. Creative Director Scott Simmons, Katie "Dudders", and Mancini talk about horror, studio wrestling, and acting in The Basement.

Available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, Spreaker, and PlayerFM.

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Fog, Snow, and Smell with Chris Markgraf from Froggy's Fog

Froggy's Fog provides fog, haze, snow, bubbles, and even smells for haunted houses across the country (and probably the world). The company started in the roller skating industry then expanded to haunts, mega-churches, emergency and military personnel trainings, and even airshows. During last year's Midwest Haunters Convention, Creative Director Scott Simmons and Director of Sales and Marketing Katie "Dudders" sat down with Chris Markgraf, one of the founders of Froggy's Fog. 

Froggy's Fog started in a Chris' family owned fun center. One day, Chris turned on their new fog machine and suffered an asthma attack. Chris worked with his father, a biochemist and Adam Pogue, a university student studying business, to develop a fog Chris could comfortably breathe.

Chris, Scott, and Dudders discuss marketing and Seth Godin's book Purple Cow. When Chris and Adam created Froggy's Fog, they instinctively utilized some of the same best practices from Godin's book. 

Chris explains how Leonard Pickel, HauntCon, and fellow friendly haunters introduced his company to the haunt industry. Today, Froggy's Fog operates a full manufacturing plant on 10.5 acres south of Nashville, Tennessee. They service a variety of clients, from nightclubs to the Blue Angels, and safety is always a top priority.  

Froggy's Fog has expanded into the world of smells. While flying on Southwest, Chris read an article about how our sense of smell is the oldest memory our brains can recall. Before we developed our eyesight, we recognize the good and bad around us by smell. In a haunt, a customer may not remember what they saw, but they will remember what they smelled. 

Chris and Scott discuss the importance of being dynamic and creating balance in a haunt. Also, giving customers down time to let their guard down. The podcast concludes with the weirdest smell they've ever had to create and the importance of buying safe fragrances. 

Available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, Spreaker, and PlayerFM.

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Embrace Your Weird: Greg Newkirk and Dana Matthews Curators of Planet Weird's Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and the Occult

Director of Sales and Marketing Katie "Dudders" and Design Manager Nicole Conniff traveled to Gettysburg, PA for Strange Escapes in December. While they were there, they had a chance to chat with Greg Newkirk and Dana Matthews, the currators of Planet Weird's Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and the Occult at the Lincoln Diner. (Warning: Podcast contains diner noises. You can almost smell the deliciousness.)

Greg and Dana discuss how their collection started by accident and their path to becoming professional weirdos.  They also explain how they adopted John Tenney and their plans for his future. 

When they receive a new object they attempt to form a relationship with it. They describe an object they must return because it made it very clear it did not want to stay with them. 

Their museum has two very popular items, Idol of Nightmares and the Dark Mirror. The Idol of Nightmares, also referred to as Billy Idol, is very sassy and fond of rum and tobacco. The Dark Mirror elicites a range of responses from those brave enough to gaze into it. 

Greg discusses the importance of setting intentions before you investigate. Your intentions will have an impact on your experiences with the paranormal.

Greg and Dana have (what some may call) an usual theory about Bigfoot. They believe it is a ghost or ghost-like being. They discuss how the evidence they and other researchers have collected support this theory.

Greg and Dana explain how it's easy to be self-conscious about what you're doing when you're doing something weird. Instead of dismissing what other people are doing as "weirder", we should be working together to see the connections and learn from each other. The lesson you should take away from this podcast is that it's important to diversify your weird. Everyone is weird and the world should be weirder. 

Available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, Spreaker, and PlayerFM.

Please subscribe and leave feedback. Thank you for your support!

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Watch ScareHouse on YouTube.

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Saying Goodbye to our Director of Operations Crystal

Our Director of Operations, Crystal, is leaving us for sunny California (and who could blame her right now.) She sat down with Creative Director Scott Simmons and Director of Sales and Marketing Katie "Dudders" to reflect on her last 9 years with ScareHouse, this past season, and why we call her our "Dream Killer".

ScareHouse has been around since 1999 and really blew up in 2007 when they moved to Etna. Crystal joined the team in 2008 so she has seen the haunt grow into the major production it is today. Crystal began her career as an actor before becoming the Haunt Manager of Rampage, House Manager, and finally Director of Operations. She actually wasn't very happy with her first acting role at ScareHouse, but fell in love with scaring people. She started out part time working multiple jobs then was lucky enough to turn working at a haunted house into her day job.

Scott explains that many of ScareHouse's original sets and props were from a bowling alley that thought they could easily make money if they opened a haunted house. The first sets were built around those scenes. Screamatorium and Hall of Nightmares were more of vibe and not a story. This eventually grew into the current format of three haunts: the first one is old school and suspenseful, the second is experimental, and the third is action packed.

Crystal explains that the advice she gives her actors is from her own experience. She also lists her haunted house pet peeves.

Scott and Crystal dive into the former Rampage haunt. The team utilized props they already had to create a steam punk, cyber goth haunt. This was ScareHouse's first high concept, theme park level haunt. The indepth storyline and characters were not having the expected effect on their customers so they had to make changes after the first weekend. 

Scott, Crystal, and Dudders discuss the haunt builders workout. Crystal talks about the only celebrity guest that made her jump and the importance of her fannypack.

The team is constantly looking for ways to optimize their processes. They discuss the importance of outside influences and experiences. So much goes into building a successful haunted house beyond just putting together something scary including budgeting and multiyear planning. 

They discuss how important it is to work into your role. Crystal and Dudders use their job experiences beyond working in a haunted attraction to help them in the industry. Ask yourself what you bring to the table. 

What word best describes the 2016 season? We're going to steal Crystal's word, "rollercoaster". 

Scott, Crystal, and Dudders discuss what it takes to work on the team including the right balance of snark and respect. It is also important to always have a "dream killer". The person that has the data to explain why something will or will not work. 

And of course the podcast ends with Hamilton references. 

We'll miss you so much, Crystal!

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Hey kids, check out what's in The Basement! #pokemon #ohhellno #creepy (at The ScareHouse)

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I don't think Princess Holly will fit in a Pokeball #pokemon #gottacatchemall (at The ScareHouse)

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Our zombies have all the sweet dance moves #zombie #dance (at Stage AE)

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Heading to XFEST? Stop by & say hi to our zombie for a chance to win two RIP tickets! #xfest #weezer #pgh #panicatthedisco #pittsburgh #zombie (at Stage AE)

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It's time for Anthrocon! One of our favorite times of the year #anthrocon #fursuit #pgh #furryfandom (at Anthrocon)

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Hello, old friend #TheSummoning #hauntedhouse #forsaken (at The ScareHouse)