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AND BY PROVIDING
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES.
FIRST, NIGHT TERRORS IS THE
CREATION OF LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR
JORDAN WHO AT THE AGE OF 16
TURNED HIS LOVE FOR HAUNTED
HOUSES INTO A BUSINESS THAT
FRIGHTENS LOCAL RESIDENTS EVERY
HALLOWEEN.
♪[ MUSIC ]♪.
>> THE FUN THING ABOUT HAUNTED
HOUSES WAS JUST, YOU KNOW,
CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR
OTHER PEOPLE TO ENJOY.
IT WAS ALWAYS FUN.
IT WAS JUST -- IT REALLY STARTED
OUT AS A FUN THING TO DO, AND I
GUESS THAT INTEREST JUST -- YOU
KNOW, IT TURNED INTO A BUSINESS,
WHICH I GUESS IS THE BEST WAY TO
DO IT, SOMETHING THAT YOU ENJOY.
WHEN I WAS GROWING IN TOLEDO,
OHIO, IT WAS SORT OF A TRADITION
FOR MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO PUT
ON A HALLOWEEN EVENTS IN THE
LOCAL ENABLED, BACK YARDS,
BASEMENTS THAT TYPE OF THING. IT
WASN'T ELABORATE OR
PROFESSIONAL, BUT SOMETHING WE
ENJOYED DOING EVERY HALLOWEEN.
WHEN I WAS ABOUT 13 WE MOVED
DOWN TO JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA,
AND JUST LOOKING TO -- YOU KNOW,
FOR A HALLOWEEN EVENT TO ATTEND
DOWN HERE, I SAW THAT, YOU KNOW,
THERE REALLY WASN'T A LOT OF
OPTIONS.
SO I KIND OF SAW A WINDOW OF
OPPORTUNITY THERE AND I
PRESENTED AN IDEA TO MY PARENTS
AT, YOU KNOW, THAT AGE TO MAYBE
USING IT COMMERCIALLY.
BEING THAT YOUNG THEY DIDN'T
REALLY TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, AND
THEY SORT OF TOLD ME TO GO DO
RESEARCH JUST TO KIND OF GET ME
OUT OF THEIR HAIR, BUT I
ACTUALLY DID THE OTHER RESEARCH
AND I CALLED OTHER OWNERS OF
THESE EVENTS AND SPENT YEARS
COLLECTING NUMBERS AND SPEAKING
TO PEOPLE WHO WERE EXPERIENCED
IN THE INDUSTRY AND GETTING
KNOWLEDGE TO, YOU KNOW,
EVENTUALLY DO AN EVENT OF MY
OWN.
A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD I
PRESENTED TO THEM AGAIN, AND I
HAD REFERENCES, BUDGETS MADE UP,
SPREAD SHEETS, AND, YOU KNOW,
THEY WERE IMPRESSED.
AT THAT POINT THEY ACTUALLY
REALIZED IT WAS SOMETHING THAT
MIGHT WORK.
SO WHEN I WAS ABOUT 15 WE
STARTED SERIOUSLY PURSUING IT.
THE FIRST YEAR I OPENED UP WAS
16 -- I WAS 16 YEARS OLD IN
2009.
SO IT'S BEEN GOING STRONG SINCE,
AND THIS IS GOING TO BE OUR
FOURTH SEASON HERE OFF SAN JOSE
BOULEVARD.
THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I GOT,
YOU KNOW, BEFORE INITIALLY
OPENING UP WAS, YOU KNOW,
MARKETING.
MARKETING IS REALLY THE KEY IN
THESE TYPE OF SHORT-TERM EVENTS,
AND THAT WAS REALLY THE MOST
IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE I
RECEIVED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, NO
MATTER WHAT TYPE OF SHOW YOU PUT
ON IN THE AREA, IF THE PEOPLE
DON'T KNOW IT IS AROUND NO ONE
WILL SHOW UP.
WHEN DESIGNING THE ATTRACTIONS,
TYPICALLY WE'LL SEE WHAT WORKED
FROM PREVIOUS YEARS.
LIKE RIGHT AFTER THE SEASON IS
OVER WE WILL SIT DOWN AND TALK
ABOUT WHAT WORKED AND DIDN'T,
AND THE BRAIN STORM INITIALLY
WHILE THE IDEAS ARE FRESH IN OUR
HEAD.
WE WILL SORT OF LEAVE IT UNTIL
ABOUT FEBRUARY OR MARCH, AND
THEN WE WILL COME BACK AND
REDESIGN EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW,
GET PLANS ON TO PAPER.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU PULL A LOT OF
IDEAS FROM, YOU KNOW, ALL SORTS
OF DIFFERENT PLACES, HORROR
MOVIES WE SEE, OTHER EVENTS THAT
WE ATTEND.
YOU KNOW, IT REALLY COMES FROM A
WIDE ARRAY OF PLACES AND IT IS A
LOT OF DIFFERENT IDEAS THAT COME
TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, TO CREATE AN
EVENT LIKE THIS.
I THINK A GOOD HAUNTED HOUSE
ATTRACTION NEEDS TO HAVE, YOU
KNOW, REALISTIC, THEMED
ENVIRONMENT.
YOU DON'T JUST WANT BLACK WALLS
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE -- YOU
WANT TO CREATE THE IMPRESSION
THAT THEY'RE IN A REAL
ENVIRONMENT AND, YOU KNOW, THAT
THE GUY OR THE INSANE ASYLUM
PATIENT AROUND THE CORNER CAN
ACTUALLY BE A REAL ASYLUM
PATIENT.
YOU NEED A THEMED ENVIRONMENT
THERE FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND
THAT TOOL IS USED BY THE ACTORS.
THE ACTORS ARE REALLY WHAT MAKE
THESE EVENTS.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN BUILD THE WALLS
AND WE CAN PUT IN THE EFFECTS
BUT WITHOUT THEM IT IS JUST A
MUSEUM, SO THEY'RE REALLY WHAT
BRING IT TO LIFE.
THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
OF A GOOD HAUNTED HOUSE.
PUTTING THIS EVENT ON TAKES A
LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM A
LOT OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRY
BACKGROUNDS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ELECTRICIANS,
ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS, PAINTERS,
ENGINEERS, AND, YOU KNOW, IT
REALLY TAKES A LOT.
THERE'S NO ONE PERSON THAT COULD
DO THE ENTIRE EVENT THEMSELVES
THAT HAS THE KNOWLEDGE TO DO IT,
SO IT REALLY TAKES PULLING IN
PEOPLE FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT
PLACES, YOU KNOW, TO GET THE
EVENT PUT ON.
THE MOST EXCITING PART IS
GETTING TO OPEN OUR DOORS IN
LATE SEPTEMBER, EARLY OCTOBER
AND SEEING THE PEOPLE WALK
THROUGH.
RIGHT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INTO LATE
AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER WHEN WE ARE
WORKING ALONG, YOU KNOW, 15 HOUR
DAYS WE ALL START TO QUESTION
WHY WE'RE DOING IT AND, YOU
KNOW, WHY ARE WE SPENDING SO
MUCH TIME ON THIS.
AS SOON AS, YOU KNOW, SEPTEMBER,
LATE SEPTEMBER, OPENING NIGHT
ROLLS AROUND, YOU KNOW, IT IS
JUST A BIG RELIEF AND IT IS
GREAT TO SEE THE PEOPLE WALK
THROUGH AND ENJOYING THE EVENT
WE WORKED SO HARD TO PUT ON.
THE FEEDBACK HAS BEEN GREAT.
PEOPLE SEEM TO ENJOY THE EVENT,
PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT SORT
OF BACKGROUNDS WALKING THROUGH,
ALL TYPE OF AGES.
EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE A GOOD
TIME.
THEY FEED OFF THE ENERGY OF
THEIR FRIENDS.
YOU KNOW, THEIR FRIEND GETS
SCARED IN FRONT OF THEM AND THEY
ENJOY LAUGHING AT THEIR FRIEND
GETTING SCARED.
SOME PEOPLE AREN'T NECESSARILY
SCARED BUT THEY'RE ENTERTAINED,
AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE SEEMS TO
ENJOY THEMSELVES.
OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE ARE TO
GROW THIS EVENT HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE AND THEN,
HOPEFULLY, DOWN THE ROAD OPEN UP
IN OTHER PLACES.
RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO SCHOOL AT
OHIO STATE, SO I PLAN TO FINISH
MY DEGREE FIRST AND CONTINUE TO
OPERATE THIS ONE.
HOPEFULLY, DOWN THE ROAD I CAN
START EXPANDING INTO OTHER