2013 was the year of the film Stuck Outside of Phoenix’s release. As the exec producer
of this film, I found myself stretched so thin that I found myself in October without a haunt
gameplan for the first time in almost ten years. Although I couldn’t have spared any resources
toward a haunt for the 6 months I normally would have devoted to Haunt Season, the idea of NOT
doing a haunt was too unbearable.
So it dawned on me to have a film screening somewhere, tie in a haunt, and, as always, create
an event for the community. After a bit of grey-matter-storming, I developed Stuck or Treat.
Enlisting the help of my friends Rance Jorgenson, Bruce Wilden, Kevin Baldwin, (who also designed the kick
ass Stuck Or Treat dual-event tickets), Karla Kaoz, Sean Roe, Gaylee Tega, Becky Holthaus, Dan Reisinger
and Heather Kozan, we built bodies and set up props for The Sail Inn, which would serve as our Post-movie
Halloween party. I had “inside information” that Sail Inn would soon be closing its doors, so I
wanted to have one last hurrah at this venerated Tempe music venue.
Despite the support of AZ music promoter Russ Cheblinski and all the aforementioned, I actually
lost money on a Haunt Season for the first time since 2004, between low turnout at Pollack Theater
(most people in the area that wanted to see <i>Stuck <i/> had already done so at prior screenings) and
not making anything from Halloween item sales (not even my awesome pumpkin stew!), and, ultimately, the
event not having had enough headsup time for press, etc, it was financially a fun failure. Can’t win
’em all. Financials aside, it was damn fun, and I made lots of new friends. Luckily, the performers
did make some money; I deferred the little bit of money I made from ticket sales to them. No sense in
all of us losing money for our efforts.
And once again, I didn’t think to make sure someone got pics for this night. I just don’t think of
things like that in the heat of the moment! LOL
