Scott Swenson's A SHOUT in the Dark - Issue 4
Hello Friends, Co-Workers and Amiable Strangers,
November, 2020
With one of the most unusual Halloween seasons behind us, we are now looking towards the Winter Holidays and further to the new year. I wish I could tell you exactly what the rest of the year will look like…but I can’t. 2020 has been a challenging time for some of you, while others were flooded with new opportunities. Either way, I hope we enter the season with charity and kindness in our hearts. I am thrilled that I have been able to work with other companies to provide “win-win” scenarios for each other and our clients. I hope you will all either offer or ask for help so that the entertainment and attractions industry can recover and reunite.
MEMBERS ONLY FREE STUFF!!!
I know that I am probably one of the vast minority who still sends Holiday cards by snail mail, but I so enjoy getting them that I continue to send them. For those of you who want to either continue or revive this tradition, I have created a secular holiday card which features a cover photo I took last November. Please download and print the “members only” pdf file, fold it into quarters, and send it to anyone who could use a little “pick-me-up” this Holiday season. If you fold it correctly, the crease will be at the top and the image on the front. The greeting will be inside and my website will be on the back. The card will fit well into a standard “invitation” envelope (4 3/8” x 5 3/4”).
CLICK HERE FOR MEMBERS ONLY HOLIDAY CARD
PROJECTS
- I have returned to working with my wonderful friends at The Wilson Company in Tampa (aka The Vault and CW’s Gin Joint). We did a small outdoor Halloween event in their courtyard on October 30 and 31. “The Garden of Spirits” was a reservation only celebration of creepiness which featured atmospheric performers, a ballroom dance couple, tarot readers and a burlesque style fire performer. The event sold out both nights and was very well received. We are now working on a New Years Eve event at The Vault and a Sultry Valentines Day event for 2021.
- “Christmas in the Wild” at ZooTampa is well into installation (after taking a momentary pause for tropical storm Eta) and will have some very exciting elements which will exceed the guests' expectations. The team at BMorrow Productions is wonderful to work with and continues to push the quality level higher and higher. I am casting the live entertainment (with Odd-O-Ts out of Orlando) and putting the finishing touches on the scripts for 2 small live shows. Rehearsal start soon and the event opens after Thanksgiving.
- In December I will do an evaluation of a seasonal haunted attraction at an east coast amusement park. The goal is to improve the guest experience while assuring that the attraction is sustainable. I will share more information when/if I can.
- Also in December, I will do a site visit for a 2021/ 2022 Holiday event in the Midwestern United States…I’m hoping for snow during our visit.
- My most recent client has brought me on as a consultant for a year-round immersive experience with a terrifying twist. They scheduled the first location to open in a major tourist city by late 2021. I know this is vague, but I’m trying to keep you as informed as my agreements will allow.
PODCASTS
- “Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30” is bursting with ever-changing information and the most important stories affecting the Attractions Industry. Don’t miss our weekly, 30 minute podcast. Start your week “in the know” after spending just a half hour with us. Subscribe here or anywhere podcasts are found. If you prefer to see our talking heads on video, watch here.
- “A Scott in the Dark: Periodic Podcasts or Haunters” The most recent episode, Episode 49, Planning for Next Year, is live here. I am contemplating what I want to do for my 50th episode. If you have any ideas, let me know!
- Awake in the Dark LIVE
During the week of Halloween the Haunted Attraction Network aired an hour long special of me reading a collection of my original poetry.
Listen online, on our website, or via Soundcloud, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Spreaker, Overcast, Castbox, iTunes, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or RSS.
APPEARANCES
- Don’t miss my “Creating Words” presentation (or any of the other brilliant educational seminars) that are part of the IAAPA Expo: Virtual Education Conference, which takes place November 16-18.
- In conduction with the IAAPA Expo, I just completed an interview for an article by Theme Park University. Check it out here.
ARTICLES AND BOOKS
- My "Remembering Halloween" article for Seasonal Entertainment Source Magazine was narrated and aired in a halloween special! This 90-minute episode includes articles and well wishings from Haunted Attractions from all over the world.
Listen Now via podcast:
Listen via Soundcloud, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Spreaker, Overcast, Castbox, iTunes, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or RSS.
Listen Online:
You can Download it, listen online, listen via our website.
- Michael Roddy’s, Haunters Tale II , is a new compilation of original horror by some of the industry's most talented creatives. I am thrilled that he asked me to write one introduction for this book (having contributed a poem to the first one).
- If you are interested in any of my books, please visit www.scottswenson.com/books . In the interest of the Holidays, if you have a copy of my books and would like to have it “signed”, please email your address and any special instructions to SHOUT@ScottSwenson.com and I will send you a signed bookplate (fancy word for sticker). This offer is only good through the end of 2020.
RANDOM LINKS
More craziness I have come across…
A nice way to transition form Halloween to Christmas here.
Feeling like you want to do something that might get you in trouble? Be inspired by one of the masters… http://bartsblackboard.com
Since I live in Florida…and we never get snow…I have found this site inspirational when working on Holiday events.
Issue 4…done! If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, please encourage them to sign up at here.
Share your comments, questions and suggestions via this special email address SHOUT@scottswenson.com
Embrace the Day!
Scott
Hello Friends, Co-Workers and Amiable Strangers, DHAPY NEW YEAR! Here’s hoping that we are all able to find peace and prosperity in 2021. I have already signed on for a new project in the new year and have posted 2 new episodes of A Scott in the Dark with 3 more already planned…I get board between Christmas and New Years… MEMBERS ONLY FREE RAFFLE!!! I am so excited that the reviews for my new book, The 13 Commandments of Haunting, are so very positive positive. Since you have followed my...
Hello Friends, Co-Workers and Amiable Strangers, December, 2020As we enter the winter Holidays and bid farewell (or just good riddance) to 2020, I have been hopping all over the place working on future projects. I am looking forward to buttoning up some of these projects so that I can focus on Christmas and New Years. MEMBERS ONLY FREE EVENT!!! That’s right. I’m doing a members only virtual gathering on Sunday, December 20th from 5:00-6:00 pm Eastern time. Join me for some Sunday fun and feel...